The 80s Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles yielded a curious paradox: combining the gentle harmonies and intricate guitars of psychedelic-era bands like The Byrds and Velvet Underground, with the fury of punk. This scene included the likes of The Bangles, Rain Parade, The Three O’Clock…and The Dream Syndicate.
The Dream Syndicate wore their influences on their sleeves: the moniker refers to La Monte Young’s early 1960s New York experimental ensemble The Theatre of Eternal Music, whose members included former Velvet John Cale, and Tony Conrad. The Dream Syndicate’s sound was much harsher than their hippie-era forebears; they dwelled in the same energy cloud as Echo and the Bunnymen, but infused with a more frenetic ferocity.
Frontman Steve Wynn declared that “We’re playing music we want to hear because nobody else is doing it.” He added, “I’ll compromise on what I eat or where I sleep, but I won’t compromise on what music I play.”
To celebrate the bands 40th anniversary, The Dream Syndicate’s 1982 debut, “The Days of Wine and Roses”, will receive a re-issue via Fire Records: “History Kinda Pales When It and You Are Aligned: The Days Of Wine and Roses”. This 4-disc, 54-track collection, out 23rd June, boasts ten rarities and a whopping 31 previously unreleased recordings from the original line-up of Steve Wynn, Dennis Duck, Kendra Smith, and Karl Precoda.
“The Days Of Wine And Roses’ is as timelessly potent as the records that inspired it.” Uncut
Central to the hugely influential Paisley Underground scene of the early 1980s that spawned Green On Red, The Bangles, Long Ryders and Rain Parade. With a nod to the Velvet Underground, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Dylan, packed into an incendiary slow-burn punk fuse, ‘The Days Of Wine And Roses’ is a glorious, upbeat sprawl, everything that rock ‘n’ roll should be.
“Hearing these bonus tracks of live and rehearsal performances of The Dream Syndicate, culled by Pat Thomas from the cassette collection of Dennis Duck, I remember things about that band and what we were doing in 1982 that I had long since forgotten,” Wynn muses. “We would actually listen to these cassettes back then religiously, simultaneously for study and clues for what to do next but also just out of amazement that we were suddenly playing in our own favourite band, doing a kind of music we had only dreamed somebody might do someday.”
The first disc presents a newly remastered edition of the original nine-song album, which is accompanied by the band’s eponymous debut EP, also released in 1982 on Down There Records. This disc alone serves as a rich repository of post-punk, dream-pop, and indie rock history.
The second disc, meanwhile, takes us on a journey through the band’s earlier days with tracks from a 7-inch that features frontman Steve Wynn’s earlier band, 15 Minutes the debut EP, astounding cover renditions (Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin, The Who), recordings of the band’s first ever rehearsal, along with several visceral live concerts from the pre-album era.. The disc also includes rehearsal takes from Dream Syndicate’s embryonic phase, recorded in 1981 and 1982, and a pair of live radio performances from ’82.
The third disc is an eclectic mix of live recordings and rehearsal takes, which showcases the band’s dynamic live performances and their remarkable ability to innovate and evolve constantly. Finally, the fourth disc features fifteen live cuts from a 1982 concert in Reseda, California, as well as backstage material recorded in Tucson, Arizona, in the same year.
In North America only, the album will be available as a 4-CD bookback edition and a 2-LP vinyl edition, featuring the remastered album plus the band’s debut EP. The 4-CD book-back edition also includes a 30-page booklet of new liner notes by band historian Pat Thomas, as well as exclusive interviews with Kendra Smith, engineer Paul Cutler, and the album’s producer, Chris Desjardins. Additionally, rare photos, gig posters, and other exciting extras are included.
With its wealth of rare recordings and previously unreleased material, this comprehensive collection is a testament to The Dream Syndicate’s profound influence on the paisley underground scene.
- Limited Edition Gatefold 2xLP + 7″
- Vinyl reissue of their original 4 song 12-inch EP (long out of print)
- Exact facsimile replica of Steve Wynn’s rare “15 Minutes” 7-inch single
The Fat Angel Sings 