The Ophelias

The Ophelias

The Ophelias were a psychedelic rock band led by singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Leslie Medford. Medford formed the band in San Francisco in October 1984 and disbanded the quartet in September 1989. The band was signed twice, first by Strange Weekend Records for one album, then by Rough Trade Records, for whom they produced 2 albums and an EP. The Ophelias recorded music that was described as "original" and "incredibly diverse" and "a sound that can alternate from raunchy to sweet in seconds." Leslie Medford's lyrics were "impressively literate" and J. F. Tiger described The Ophelias as "musical literature in an era practically devoid of such a thing… this band makes the listener think, and takes the listener into a secret world where other 'new music' dares not go." Medford was an unusually versatile lead vocalist, who "isn't shy about forcing his chameleon voice into Beefhearty growls, flowery Daltry-Townshend falsettos and strained Marc Bolan-David Bowie brays." They have been compared to Pink Floyd,Mark Bolan and T-Rex,Faces,The Zombies,Van der Graaf Generator,Frank Zappa,Queen and XTC, although Nils Berstein wrote "Let's just say the Ophelias have no influences." David Fricke argued in Rolling Stone that The Ophelias were one of the only genuinely psychedelic bands of the 1980s. "In the Sixties, psychedelia wasn't just a sound; it was a state of mind. The biggest drag about Eighties psychedelia is that for every dozen bands that talk about blowing minds (reciting the proper influences, trotting out the hip covers), there are really only one or two that can blow anything other than hot air. The Ophelias, from (where else?) San Francisco, belong to that delightfully manic minority."David Immerglück was the Ophelias lead guitarist from 1987 to 1989, the period of the band's greatest exposure. He is the band's best-known alumnus having gone on to membership in Counting Crows, John Hiatt, Camper van Beethoven, Cracker and others, as well as session work, studio production and music engineering.

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