Parable of Arable Land Freak-Outs and The Red Crayola

The Red Crayola (aka The Red Krayola) formed nearly 50 years ago but this in no way means that the band has lost its pertinence in today’s music landscape. Mayo Thompson, founding member of The Red Crayola, has dedicated much energy to preserving the band’s enduring legacy. During the last two decades, he has teamed up with different artists and released a number of astounding albums, including Fingerpainting which features the original line-up of 1966 and two handfuls of guest musicians.

The band’s first effort, The Parable of Arable Land, was recorded in 1967. It launched a sonic revolution that surpassed that of their label-mates,  the 13th Floor Elevators. The two bands released a series of albums in the 1960s on the Houston-based International Artists record label. The latter was owned and run by a small group of music industry entrepreneurs, one of which was the brother of country singer Kenny Rogers – the 13th Floor Elevators and The Red Crayola might actually have had something to do with Kenny Rogers recording the 1968 psychedelic hit “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).”

The Parable of Arable Land kicks off in a free-form freak-out that resurfaces obstinately throughout this first effort by The Red Crayola. Much emphasis has been placed on the 50-person noise ensemble responsible for the cacophonic episodes interspersed throughout the album. But it is when the noise dissipates that the disorienting yet enthralling sound of The Red Crayola is most effective.

This is the unfamiliar landscape of Texas 67 and it lies somewhere between Arthur Lee’s Love and Richard Hell’s Voidoids.

Listen for yourself.

hurricane fighter plane

pink stainless tail