Red Krayola (originally Red Crayola ) are an American experimental/psychedelic rock band from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1966 by guitarist and vocalist Mayo Thompson, drummer Frederick Barthelme and bassist Steve Cunningham. The group has remained active since 1966 with their only single constant being musician and visual artist Mayo Thompson who would later join Pere Ubu for a short time in the late 1970s. They were initially signed to record label International Artists, which also housed 13th Floor Elevators. Additionally, Roky Erickson would play electric organ and harmonica on their debut album. They disbanded in the late 1960s but reformed in the mid-1970s after Thompson found favor in the UK post-punk scene.
Due to a cease & desist letter from the manufacturers of Crayola crayons, the band were obliged to add a "K" in the name; however, because of differing trademark laws in the UK, when they reformed they were allowed to revert back to their original name.
Links to Peel[]
When the Red Krayola's debut album "The Parable of Arable Land" debuted in 1967, it became an underground success, selling over 50,000 copies purely on word of mouth, as well as coming to the attention of the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. However, John Peel did not like the album and reportedly could not wait to turn it off. In 1978, amidst the reissues of International Artists material due to renewed interest for the Houston psychedelic rock scene, Peel had seemingly changed his mind on the recording by deciding to play "Hurricane Fighter Plane" as well as advertise the Radar Record's reissue of the album on his show.
John Peel plays and talks about Red Krayola (1978)
John Peel broadcasts Radar's 1978 reissue of "Parable of Arable Land".
At the start of the show on 23 October 1978, John Peel makes mention of the Radar reissue:
- “Among the records, a long and disturbing selection from the Red Crayola with the Familiar Ugly."
As well as later on introducing "Hurricane Fighter Plane" with a short anecdote of his time spent in Texas during the 1960s, when working for KLIF in Dallas (at 1:13:50):
- "I'm probably one of very few people, I bet even Jeff [?] can't claim this, that he's played cricket in Houston, Texas - but indeed I have, as a member of the Dallas County cricket club for a couple of years. Scored a rather fine thirteen there once, which into the last year is my highest ever score. I mention this because at the time I was scoring this battling thirteen, the members of the band "The Red Crayola" were busy getting their heads together in that very same city, and they made an LP for International Artists records which has just been reissued here by Radar."
- "This track is described as a 'Free Form Freak-Out' as indeed all the other five tracks on the LP. It's called Hurricane Flight- Fighter Plane and it says in the sleeve notes that it takes you on a trip, so watch out."
Additionally, on the 18 October 1979 show, Peel would play the single "Microchips and Fish", as well as stating that if Rough Trade were to keep putting out these kind of singles, they'd go out of business. Those who performed on the track were Gina Birch from The Raincoats, Epic Soundtracks of Swell Maps and George Oban and Angus Gaye from Aswad as well as Lora Logic of X-Ray Spex.
On 22 October 1979, John Peel would briefly make mention of a "disgruntled phone call" from Thompson:
- “And we quite clearly had some rather sensitive listeners to Thursday night’s programme, because on that I expressed reservations about the new Red Crayola 12”, and in the course of the day we got a rather disgruntled phone call from Mayo Thompson of that organsation.”
On the 06 January 1987, John Peel would broadcast a session with the Soup Dragons where they covered the short song "Listen to This" from the Red Krayola's 1968 sophomore LP "God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It". The song was so short (4 seconds to be exact), that it caught Peel by surprise 'causing him to laugh and comment "wow that's it!"
Sessions[]
- None
Festive Fifty[]
- No entries
Shows Played[]
1978
- 23 October 1978: Hurricane Fighter Plane (LP – The Parable Of Arable Land) Radar reissue (runs into start of ‘Transparent Radiation’)
- 07 November 1978: War Sucks (LP – The Parable of Arable Land) Radar reissue
1979
- 25 January 1979: Wives in Orbit (7") Radar ADA 22
- 19 March 1979: March No.14 (LP – Soldier-Talk) Radar
- 21 March 1979: Letter-Bomb (LP - Soldier-Talk) Radar
- 16 April 1979: Uh, Knowledge Dance (LP - Soldier-Talk) Radar
- 18 October 1979: Microchips and Fish (12") Radar
1980
- 23 August 1980 (BFBS): Born In Flames (7") Rough Trade RT 054