The Red Krayola (or Crayola) are an experimental rock band who formed in Ho… Read Full Bio ↴The Red Krayola (or Crayola) are an experimental rock band who formed in Houston, Harris County, Texas in late 1966. The group was made up of musician and visual artist Mayo Thompson who has remained the group's leader and sole constant for over 50 years, novelist Rick Barthelme who was the son of Donald Barthelme, and bassist Steve Cunningham who joined them at the age of 17. One night's show at a club called "Love" attracted people to the stage, audience members began to walk on up and improvise with whatever they saw fit, this would be the event that would spawn their secondary auxiliary "The Familiar Ugly" who'd follow and improvise amongst them wherever they so pleased.
After playing at local radio station KNUZ's battle of the bands event hosted in the Gulfgate mall, the Red Crayola were subsequently signed to "International Artists" by house producer Lelan Rogers. He suggested they bring their group of 50 friends into the studio to record a "freak-out" album. Roky Erickson of the 13th Floor Elevators would make two instrumental cameos on electric organ and harmonica. The album's title would be coined by Steve Cunningham: The Parable of Arable Land, an album which went on to sell 50,000 copies on its first run and garnered the attention of Jimi Hendrix, John Peel and the Beatles. Thompson described it as "the beginnings of alternative rock" as no advertising nor promotion was done for the record. Their sophomore album "God Bless the Red Krayola and all Who Sail With It" saw drummer Rick Barthelme depart from the band. International Artists provided the release with a quantity of promotion and advertising. The album flopped, selling around 6,000 copies - perhaps due to it's minimalistic sound contrasting with their debuts maximalist noise; Pitchfork wrote "It would take a few decades of post-punk experimentalism before Mayo Thompson's vision would have a truly suitable context". The album would go on to be assessed as a precursor to the Minutemen, Unrest, Bastro and Gastr Del Sol. The Red Krayola's follow-ups never lived up to the success of their debut but always broke new ground and foreshadowed different alternative rock genres.
After playing at local radio station KNUZ's battle of the bands event hosted in the Gulfgate mall, the Red Crayola were subsequently signed to "International Artists" by house producer Lelan Rogers. He suggested they bring their group of 50 friends into the studio to record a "freak-out" album. Roky Erickson of the 13th Floor Elevators would make two instrumental cameos on electric organ and harmonica. The album's title would be coined by Steve Cunningham: The Parable of Arable Land, an album which went on to sell 50,000 copies on its first run and garnered the attention of Jimi Hendrix, John Peel and the Beatles. Thompson described it as "the beginnings of alternative rock" as no advertising nor promotion was done for the record. Their sophomore album "God Bless the Red Krayola and all Who Sail With It" saw drummer Rick Barthelme depart from the band. International Artists provided the release with a quantity of promotion and advertising. The album flopped, selling around 6,000 copies - perhaps due to it's minimalistic sound contrasting with their debuts maximalist noise; Pitchfork wrote "It would take a few decades of post-punk experimentalism before Mayo Thompson's vision would have a truly suitable context". The album would go on to be assessed as a precursor to the Minutemen, Unrest, Bastro and Gastr Del Sol. The Red Krayola's follow-ups never lived up to the success of their debut but always broke new ground and foreshadowed different alternative rock genres.
Transparent Radiation
The Red Krayola Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Transparent Radiation' by these artists:
Spacemen 3 Selfless man slip by my side Uttering words about the turni…
Spectrum Selfless man slip by my side Uttering words about the turnin…
We have lyrics for these tracks by The Red Krayola:
Born in Flames At a new life we took aim We set the vast…
Victory Garden Last night in your window sittin' I saw you Adolf, I…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Hallucino_Ray
Selfless wings slip by my side
Uttering terms about a turning tide
Slowly furnishing my continuous ride
Returning sanitary bits of hide
Hair quite long and lavender dyed
Split nostrils hovering open wide
Velvet red with crimson legs astride
Issuing words about some helpless glide
Asking if I will ever provide
Transparent radiation
My liquid head open to the rain
I waltz through a bushel and a peck of grain
Hearing in my head a hurricane and
Speaking to the man about the train
Touch with my hand an aeroplane
Eyes wide open on the coast of Maine
Red signs outside which I contain
Transparent radiation
Sudden sacrifice for not one cent
Tables bearing the fruit of Lent
Styrofoam people quite violent
Clear light glowing right out of my tent
Expert men not knowing what they meant
Eating babies for nourishment
A funny bird with forehead bent
Ozone over our continent
Slogans tell me that I can rent
Transparent radiation
Oscar Travis
If you wondered what a track off Love's first album would sound like if it got warped in a fire, then this is it!
S K
God bless the Red Krayola and all who sail with it.
John Marshall
Yes yes yes
Giulio Luzzardi
Just after punk rock the cats were looking back to the 60's for more and thats when we re-discovered how totally brill this sound was...the recordings were kept mystic.
Nader Roheny
The lyrics and delivery of this original followed by the inspiration and delivery of Spacemen 3’s cover is enough to meditate on a lifetime of transparent god damn radiation.
Taraka
my dad played spoons on this record!!!
Taraka
@therealartistproper Haydn Larson
therealartistproper
cool! what was his na,me?
Hallucino_Ray
Selfless wings slip by my side
Uttering terms about a turning tide
Slowly furnishing my continuous ride
Returning sanitary bits of hide
Hair quite long and lavender dyed
Split nostrils hovering open wide
Velvet red with crimson legs astride
Issuing words about some helpless glide
Asking if I will ever provide
Transparent radiation
My liquid head open to the rain
I waltz through a bushel and a peck of grain
Hearing in my head a hurricane and
Speaking to the man about the train
Touch with my hand an aeroplane
Eyes wide open on the coast of Maine
Red signs outside which I contain
Transparent radiation
Sudden sacrifice for not one cent
Tables bearing the fruit of Lent
Styrofoam people quite violent
Clear light glowing right out of my tent
Expert men not knowing what they meant
Eating babies for nourishment
A funny bird with forehead bent
Ozone over our continent
Slogans tell me that I can rent
Transparent radiation
Lester Stickings
This is clearly a very good song! You would have to be a numpty not to get it!