Opal Artist Bio

Opal was a psychedelic band from Los Angeles. The band was part of the Paisley Underground music style, incorporating rich vocal style and guitar interplay in a folk rock style. Opal formed in 1983 under the name Clay Allison featuring David Roback (previously of Rain Parade), bassist Kendra Smith (from Dream Syndicate), and drummer Keith Mitchell. After one single, however, they released the remaining Clay Allison tracks under the band’s new name, Opal.

In 1984, Fell From the Sun EP was released and then followed in ’85 by another EP, Northern Line. In 1987, the band released their first and last full-length album, Happy Nightmare Baby, on SST. Smith left the group on the Happy Nightmare tour and effectively put an end to the band. David Roback continued with vocalist Hope Sandoval, and in 1989 this band became Mazzy Star. A singles and rarities anthology, Early Recordings, was released that year on Rough Trade.

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