0
David Roback
David Roback
American musician
1
Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star
American alternative rock band
2
Rain Parade
Rain Parade
band
3
Hope Sandoval
Hope Sandoval
American singer
4
The Dream Syndicate
The Dream Syndicate
band
5
Dirty Projectors
Dirty Projectors
American rock group
6
A.R. Kane
A.R. Kane
7
My Bloody Valentine
My Bloody Valentine
Irish alternative rock band
8
Pizzicato Five
Pizzicato Five
Japanese band (1984-2001)
9
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
American rock group
10
Burial
Burial
British electronic musician
11
Belle and Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian
Scottish band
12
Laurel Halo
Laurel Halo
American musician
13
Terry Burrows
Terry Burrows
British musician
14
Mogwai
Mogwai
Scottish post-rock band
15
Clodagh Simonds
Clodagh Simonds
Irish singer
16
The Muffs
The Muffs
rock band
17
Frances McKee
Frances McKee
Scottish singer/songwriter
18
Mystery Jets
Mystery Jets
English indie rock band
19
Dum Dum Girls
Dum Dum Girls
American rock band
20
Junius
Junius
American rock band
21
Brad Laner
Brad Laner
musician
22
The March Violets
The March Violets
23
Broken Bones
Broken Bones
band
24
Mark Kozelek
Mark Kozelek
American musician
25
Lush
Lush
band
26
Surfer Blood
Surfer Blood
American indie rock band
27
The Chills
The Chills
New Zealand band
28
Nothing
Nothing
American shoegaze band
29
Tokyo Police Club
Tokyo Police Club
band
30
Melvins
Melvins
American rock band
31
Off!
Off!
American band
32
Virgin Prunes
Virgin Prunes
Irish band
33
Medicine
Medicine
American noise pop band
34
The Beta Band
The Beta Band
Scottish band
35
BOB
BOB
Indie pop band from North London, England
36
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
American indie rock band
37
Young Marble Giants
Young Marble Giants
Welsh post-punk band
38
Chrome
Chrome
American band
39
Screaming Females
Screaming Females
American band
40
Starflyer 59
Starflyer 59
alternative rock band from Riverside, California
41
Battles
Battles
American experimental rock group
42
Sun Kil Moon
Sun Kil Moon
American folk rock act
43
Cursive
Cursive
band
44
Sloppy Seconds
Sloppy Seconds
45
Pale Saints
Pale Saints
band that plays alternative rock
46
The Meatmen
The Meatmen
American punk band
47
A Certain Ratio
A Certain Ratio
band
48
Mary Margaret O'Hara
Mary Margaret O'Hara
Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
49
Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance
Australian-British musical project by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry
50
Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive
British band
51
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti
British new wave band
52
Chris Walla
Chris Walla
American musician
53
GBH
GBH
British punk band
54
Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses
band
55
Hot Chip
Hot Chip
British electronic music band
56
Gigolo Aunts
Gigolo Aunts
American alternative rock band
Intro
American band
Record Labels
Members, past and present

Opal was an American rock band in the 1980s. They were part of the Paisley Underground musical style. The band's name is derived from "Opel", a song by Syd Barrett.

The group formed in the mid-1980s under the name Clay Allison, featuring guitarist David Roback (previously of Rain Parade), bassist Kendra Smith (from Dream Syndicate) and drummer Keith Mitchell. After one single, they released the remaining Clay Allison tracks under the band's new name, Opal, on the 1984 Fell from the Sun EP. Another EP, Northern Line, followed in 1985. These EPs were later compiled and released as Early Recordings.

Happy Nightmare Baby, Opal's first full-length album, was released in 1987. Smith left the group during the Happy Nightmare tour after a show in Providence, Rhode Island. Roback continued with vocalist Hope Sandoval, playing shows as Opal and planning an album to be titled Ghost Highway but in 1989 this band became Mazzy Star and Ghost Highway was presumably released as She Hangs Brightly. Kendra Smith released a number of solo singles, EPs, and one album before retiring to the woods of northern California.

On their debut 1990 album The Comforts of Madness UK band Pale Saints included a cover version of the Opal song "Fell from the Sun". The 2020 reissue of that album included a more raw and earlier version of "Fell from the Sun" along with the original cover.

The song "She's a Diamond" was included in the film Boys Don't Cry but was not included on the CD release of the film soundtrack.

David Roback died on February 25, 2020.