Opal - Happy Nightmare Baby - original SST video

[scottdavis0801]

Why did Kendra Smith leave Opal? They were fucking great! Great songs. And I remember when the other album, early recordings(almost impossible to find now) came out. I was blown away with the song writing!

[MrBagamot]

Nice song, terrible video. Although it's nice to see Hope in her younger years!

[KristinNirvana]

Dang, music was so creative back then. I grew up in the wrong time period. I nearly had a cow when I saw those Sky Cries Mary videos, so cool, and now this, wish I was born earlier than '92.

[davidpar2]

if the girl on the left isn't suki ewers, perhaps she's sylvia gomez....? i'm not certain what either woman looks like

[oldtoytrains]

It IS Suki Ewers...

[RayPaganJr]

Oh, the beginning was way too short. I believe that's the first time I seen Hope smile. It was great to see if only for a very brief moment.

[thebrowniesaur22]

omg hope looks like a witch thats delirious...i love that! damn it where are girls like her now!

[diskochimp]

Kendra, where are you?

[lovecell]

I so saw Hope singing as Opal, in that last tour, she was a fascinating doll...

[FungusMossGnosis]

Hope looks exactly like French film star Sandrine Bonnaire here.

[Bobjb999]

This Opal album was released in early '87, so, assuming this TV appearance is from '87, Hope was maybe 20 or 21 here, even if she looks 13! Hope didn't replace Kendra Smith as Opal singer till Kendra abruptly stormed off a UK stage & quit in early '88 during a European tour. Hope was already a friend of Kendra & David, & Hope's duo "Going Home', with partner Sylvia Gomez, was opening for Opal as early as '85. I'm guessing her cameo here is likely just as a friend hanging out.

[Bobjb999]

Hope's a far better singer than Kendra in every way: technically, singing on key, nuance, & above all emotively & sensually! Hope's voice has seductive emotional impact that's rare. Mazzy Star's a more popular band than Opal for good reason. With Kendra singing instead, MZ might not have been hopeless, but it definitely would have been Hope-less & the lesser for it!

[Dams76610]

i absolutly love it....so sexy, glamorous and old school alternative tune, thx again!!!

[JOVANKINGHAIR]

love love love.  long time fan of this gorgeousness.

[gregsageisdead]

ya hope was on opals last tour, kendra smith suggested her as her replacement when she quit, the happy nightmare album sounds like it was going towards the mazzy star direction, i perfer the ealy recordings stuff

[FunhouseJr]

Is that Dave Roback with Hope Sandoval and they call themselves Opal still? Who's the girl on the left? Is she a band member? Hope looks 10 years old.

[74elcaminohef]

Thats Suki Ewers.

[Bobjb999]

@74elcaminohef QUOTE: "That''s Suki Ewers"

Can't be. I looked at Suki's My Space page & realized she's oriental, or at least part oriental, & definitely looks oriental (unlike the girl of the left here)!

Suki's the one who played 2nd guitar & keyboards for Mazzy Star, & if you see live videos of the band you'll notice her oriental features.

I won't try to guess who the mystery girl on the left really is, as I'll probably get it wrong like you did!

[74elcaminohef]

@Bobjb999 OK. Fair enough.

[ibelieveicansoar]

@Bobjb999 As an Asian female friend once told me, "Rugs are 'Oriental'; people are Asian."

[obscurityknocks]

@ibelieveicansoar Occidental is west, oriental is east. Too bad oriental became a slur, both are fun words to use for directional.

[clayopalstar]

@Bobjb999,

That is Suki! No Doubt!

She was a member of both Opal and Mazzy Star. Hope as well. Both toured Europe with Opal in 1988. I've posted many rare live videos from a 1988 Opal concert in Italy on my channel, and you can clearly see both Suki Ewers (she still has the same hairstyle!) and Hope Sandoval.

Look at Suki's offical video for "Time After Time."

Or my video for Suki Ewers "All The Stars"

74elcaminohef was correct.

[Bobjb999]

@clayopalstar Hey, I'm open to being corrected.Suki's part-Asian heritage doesn't seem too apparent here,which is what threw me.Current pics on her Facebook site make her Asian traits seem much more obvious, for some reason... Maybe it's like the case of Karen O., singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She's half-Korean, & in some pics (to me) she looks very Asian indeed, & in others she doesn't look Asian!

(Hope, of course, never looks Asian, but always looks cute, & even flashes a rare smile here!)

[clayopalstar]

@Bobjb999,

Hope was also much more animated with Opal... she had not quite settled into the subtle, detached style she adopted with Mazzy Star.

[NameyMD]

I thought Opal was David and Kendra...

[Herztripper]

Kendra left Opal during the band's final tour and was replaced by Hope, with Opal changing its name to Mazzy Star after the tour.

[lambrettist2007]

@FunhouseJr Hope Sandoval was not in Opal. The vocalist was bassist Kendra Smith. When Kendra left they formed a new band with Hope Sandoval as vocalist and called it Mazzy Star. It seems people have forgotten Kendra which is too bad as she is so talented and performed so well in her bands, The Dream Syndicate and especialy her work with David Roback.

[FunhouseJr]

@lambrettist2007 Yeah, I know Opal's vocalist was Kendra Smith. Yet here they are with Hope Sandoval instead of Kendra, hence my surprise.

[epiphaniesjuxtapozed]

wow is that hope looking as barely legal as i think it is?

[louiecostello]

that sentence is doing some crazy james joyce style things

[royceicon]

Awesome!

[roejogan8]

great song and album!!

[clayopalstar]

Hey 74elcaminohef!

I'm back again after being removed from youtube as unstoppable3rd for the third time...

I've posted a live version of "Happy Nightmare Baby" from 1987, check it out!

Thanks, David.

[74elcaminohef]

I guess I've been warned. Thanks

[unstoppable3rd]

There is another video for this on YouTube (lesser quality) that has been up awhile, so I hope this one stays... it's in my favorites!

[jefferyDavis]

@74elcaminohef oriental?who says oriental? that is Suki. i used to see them play, that's her.

[skisumo]

What the O word!, my wife says it & she's a Chinaman. :>)

[unstoppable3rd]

Thanks for posting the SST video! It has been up a few times, only to be removed. Which is why I put together the one I posted. This one gets taken down for the video copyright, not for the audio.

Your video response is gladly approved.