Opal was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band in the 1980s. They were part of the

Paisley Underground Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owin ...

musical style. The band's name is derived from "

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...

", a song by

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...

. The group formed in the mid-1980s under the name Clay Allison, featuring guitarist

David Roback David Edward Roback (April 4, 1958 – February 24, 2020) was an American guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as a founding member of the alternative rock band Mazzy Star. Early life Roback was born on April 4, 1958 and raised in Los ...

(previously of

Rain Parade The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012. History Rain Parade in the 1980s (1981–86) Originally called the Sidewalks, the b ...

), bassist

Kendra Smith Kendra Smith (born March 14, 1960)Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, is an American musician who was a founding member of The Dream Syndicate, a member of Opal, and later recorded as a solo artist. Biography Afte ...

(from

Dream Syndicate A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, alth ...

) and drummer

Keith Mitchell Keith Claudius Mitchell (born 12 November 1946) is a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada from 1995 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2022. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Grenadian history, holding the office for more ...

. After one single, they released the remaining Clay Allison tracks under the band's new name, Opal, on the 1984 ''Fell from the Sun EP''. Another EP, ''Northern Line'', followed in 1985. These EPs were later compiled and released as ''Early Recordings''. ''

Happy Nightmare Baby ''Happy Nightmare Baby'' is the debut album by the American band Opal, released in 1987 by SST Records in America and Rough Trade Records in England.Raggett, Ned ''Happy Nightmare Baby'' Review, AllMusic. Retrieved April 17, 2016 It was the only ...

'', Opal's first full-length album, was released in 1987. Smith left the group during the Happy Nightmare tour after a show in Providence, Rhode Island. Roback continued with vocalist

Hope Sandoval Hope Sandoval (born June 24, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter who is the lead singer of Mazzy Star and Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions. Sandoval has toured and collaborated with other artists, including Massive Attack, for whom she san ...

, playing shows as Opal and planning an album to be titled ''Ghost Highway'' but in 1989 this band became

Mazzy Star Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal. Mazzy Star ...

and ''Ghost Highway'' was presumably released as ''

She Hangs Brightly ''She Hangs Brightly'' is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star. It was released on May 21, 1990, by Rough Trade Records and re-released by Capitol Records later in the year. "Blue Flower" was released as a single ...

''. Kendra Smith released a number of solo singles, EPs, and one album before retiring to the woods of northern California. On their debut 1990 album ''The Comforts of Madness'' UK band

Pale Saints Pale Saints were an English alternative rock/shoegazing band formed in 1987 in Leeds by singer-bassist Ian Masters, guitarist Graeme Naysmith and drummer Chris Cooper.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 907 ...

included a cover version of the Opal song "Fell from the Sun". The 2020 reissue of that album included a more raw and earlier version of "Fell from the Sun" along with the original cover. The song "She's a Diamond" was included in the film '' Boys Don't Cry'' but was not included on the CD release of the

film soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

died on February 25, 2020.

Discography

Clay Allison

*"Fell from the Sun"/"All Souls" (

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

) (1984)

Kendra Smith / David Roback / Keith Mitchell

*"Fell From The Sun" EP (1984)

Opal

EPs

*''Fell from the Sun'' (1984, Rough Trade (UK)) *''Northern Line'' (1985, One Big Guitar)

Studio albums

*''

'' (1987, SST (US), Rough Trade (UK))

Compilation albums

*''I Am The Fly'' featuring Opal's version of

The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

song "

Indian Summer An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Several sources describe a true Indian summer as not occurring until after the first frost, or more s ...

" (1987, Chemical Imbalance #CI 003) Limited Edition, four band, four song, 7" 45rpm *"If The Sun Don't Shine" (Adaptation Of Jugband Blues), "Beyond The Wildwood - A Tribute To Syd Barrett" (Imaginary Records, 1987) *''Early Recordings'' (1989, Rough Trade) *''Early Recordings II'' (2006)

References

External links

Discography (includes all Mazzy Star-related artists)
* Opal on Allmusicbr> Opal entry on Trouserpress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opal (band) Alternative rock groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles Psychedelic rock music groups from California SST Records artists Rough Trade Records artists