The Dream Syndicate Albums
The Dream Syndicate was a band of synthesis. While they combined a lot of the classic rock of Tom Petty and Neil Young, they also were obsessed with the alternative scenes like The Velvet Underground and the Soft Boys. A bizarre trick that worked, as there were as many guitar solos as there were rambling tirades of spoken poetry and off kilter rhythms. Leader Steve Wynn was edgy without being too angry, the emotion was real and it spoke through the music as well as the words. There was a scene called the Paisley Underground in the 1980’s California, a bunch of bands that were in love with 1960’s retro melodies, but all the Dream Syndicate seems to have in common with those bands was a sense of love of music, respect, and collaboration (a lot of those bands worked on side projects together). The Dream Syndicate were a band that sounded not quite like anyone else: kinda blues, kind of alternative, kind of power pop, and kind of jazz and country. While there was hardly a synthesizer used in their music, they were the other side of the New Wave of the 80’s, bands that retained the ability to perform rock music that stood the test of time and hardly sounded of its time.
As the group went on, it became sort of a backup for Steve Wynn’s songs, more of a singer songwriter vibe that by the 90s became a solo career (his album Here Come the Miracles from 2001 might be one of the better double albums ever recorded). Still, whatever band was backing him Wynn knew how to bring out passion in songs. His strengths as an album crafter is real, he is also a man who loves shimmering melodies as much as he loves the poetry of Dylan and Cohen.
Band Members:
Steve Wynn (vocals, guitar), Dennis Duck (drums), Karl Precoda (guitar, 1981-84), Kendra Smith (bass, 1981-83), Dave Provost (bass, 1983-84), Mark Walton (bass, 1984-present), Paul B. Cutler (guitar, 1986-89), Jason Victor (guitar, 2012-present)
Best Album:
The Days of Wine and Roses
Biggest Influences:
Neil Young, The Velvet Underground, Tom Petty, Rodney Crowell, Bob Dylan, The Clash, Robyn Hitchcock, Iggy Pop
Albums Chronologically:
1982 - 95% - Days of Wine and Roses
1984 - 87% - The Medicine Show
1986 - 66% - Out of the Gray
1988 - 84% - Ghost Stories
Compilations
1989 – 100% - Live at Raji’s
1982
The Days of Wine and Roses - 95%
Divided into two halves, the debut by the Dream Syndicate is a fully formed work of art. The first half of the record focuses on a new type of rock music, synthesizing the worlds of rock that came before. There is blistering punk rock on “Then She Remembers”, a song that rides the tightrope delicately veering on falling off the edge. “That’s What You Always say” maybe gets all these aspects perfect, a great melody with a super rocking beat, a song that guides you along with all of the lows and highs. “Definitely Clean” balances a catchy guitar riff that spirals out of control with a nice laid-back guitar shuffle. A more delicate take on the idea, “Tell Me When It’s Over” and “Halloween” are classics of this new wave genre as well, radiating a new kind of chill attitude. The former is a yearning ballad to the unknown where Wynn states “well I really don’t know/ but I don’t wanna know/ tell me when its over/ let know when its done.” The latter was written by guitarist Karl Precoda and is one of the better songs the band ever did, luring you in with a chug one chord of the electric guitar only to then slam on the distortion is a glorious way before jerking into its chorus about Halloween; the song is less scary and more a prophecy on the power of rock music to move the soul. One of the most unpredictable songs ever and one that sucks you into its spell.
Side two concentrates more on longer tracks, but mostly as successful as the first. “When You Smile” teeter-tots between a slower sleepier rhythm, but soon morphs into a more traditional rock beat that sounds pretty sister even though it is about smiling: “It seems like the end of the world/ when you smile.” “Until Lately” is a more dizzying guitar swing, a long jam when Wynn starts screaming toward the end. “Too Little, Too Late” is the sole song sung by Kendra Smith, and it marks as a small respite from the insanity. The album ends with the title track, that sums up everything that came before, a eight minute track that may be the most punk sounding track, but more old school Lou Reed and less angry LA hardcore that the band was surrounded by. In all, the impact of this record was impossible to overestimate, a barrage of power pop influence on future bands, and a lot of great energetic guitar bands that absorbed the new edge. It’s nearly a perfect record, and its legacy of a one-of-a-kind combination of influences and also unique originality.
Best Songs: Halloween, That’s What You Always Say, Days of Wine and Roses, Then She Remembers
1984
Medicine Show - 87%
The second album by the Dream Syndicate carries many of the traits of the debut, great song writing with sufficient power pop and a nice versions of long, smoldering jam songs. “Still Holding Unto You” is the intro song, one that improves on the lazy melodic ability of Wynn and company while hanging onto that Tom Petty charm. “Burn” retains the blistering energy with another well made tune, as the bands bluesy side comes out in the “Bullet with Name On It”. The band gets a bit awkward with the tired rock of “Daddy’s Girl” and the first real dud tune from the band in “Armed with an Empty Gun”, a song that could have been edited off.
Where this album actually succeeds better than ever before is in the in the three longer songs on the second side. It all culminates in the closer “John Coltrane Stereo Blues” nearly twelve minutes long on this version (its always been a live staple) and old live, wordless jam that shows the band has mastered the art improvisation. “The Medicine Show” draws you in with its tale of what it means to be a fan of music that is materialistic and not real (most pop music), and pulls us in to its web of a band that makes music that matters; its well disguised under the lyrics but the uncompromising nature of DS music is easy to see many layers too. “Merrittville” is the most haunting lengthy song, with its existential yearning “there is a place where its cold outside/ and I wonder why…” In all this closing triad of ballad’s are the albums real draw and reason for such a high rating, it may not quite match the debut but at more than half of these songs are among the best the band ever attempted and later live versions successfully expand on them.
Best Songs: Merrittville, The Medicine Show, Still Holding On To You, John Coltrane Stereo Blues
1986
Out of the Grey - 66%
The third album is the only slump the band ever had. It sort of sounds like REM meets John Mellencamp, in a bad way though making all that was unique about the group and glossing over with an 80s style recording process. “Forest for the Trees” and “Slide away” retrain some power of the first two records,
But opener “Out of the Gray” and “50 in a 25 Zone” truly go nowhere and the guitar sounds of the times, and “Blood Money” is just an awful tune. There is some good news, as “Boston” is one of the better tunes the band ever did (and its even better live…more on that later); its anthemic and perfect, an example of how Wynn and company can make simple chords sound entirely epic. Towards the end of the record it starts getting dang good, “Now I Ride Alone” (almost a motor cycle heavy-metal song) and “Drinking Problem” are some nice additions to their power pop cannon, also utilizing using a nice bluesy edge also on closing ballad “You Can’t Forget”. Unfortunately, there is just too much filler to call this a good album, despite the occasional high points. Also – What is with the album cover, stretching out everyone’s heads? You can’t even tell who you are looking at…this band had notoriously lame album covers 😊
Best Songs: Boston, Drinking Problem, Now I Ride Alone
1988
Ghost Stories - 84%
On the final studio album of the 1980s, the band ops for much more of a relaxed and live version of their sound. A song like “Whatever You Please” would be unthinkable on a previous DS record, and a lot of strong ballads are present. The best are probably the three at the end (similar to The Medicine Show): “Black” incorporates a guitar line recognizable as Wynns right off the bat, and is worthy of Lou Reed; “When the Curtain Falls” almost has a theatrical feel, all rise and fall and crescendo like Jim Steinman; “Some Place Better than This” convinces me this is basically a Wynn solo record and he has a future as a piano player! This might be their most “1980’s” sounding record, great production courtesy of Neil Young producer Elliot Mazer, but that is hardly a bad thing.
If one yearns for the blistering distortion of the previous band’s albums and we get plenty of that too. “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” takes the blues song and warps it into a 1980’s power ballad of sorts. “Whether and Torn” is a less successful version of that. “Side I’ll Never Show” is quintessential DS at this point, another great album opener that they make look easy. “My Old Haunts” is a fun sea shanty filtered through Bob Dylan and one of the more overlooked gems in their catalog. Mark Walton on bass and Paul Cutler on guitar add some great feel of classic rock to this album, following along with Wynn who is the clear leader of the band- he always was, but Karl Precoda fought with him more as the first two DS albums felt more like dueling guitars like Thin Lizzy or Television, these feel more fluid and unified. Only “Loving the Sinner, Hating the Sin” and “I Have Faith” fail as entertaining songs. Everything else here, whether hard rock or ballads, comes together to make another minor masterwork and the final studio album for a very long time for Dream Syndicate. After this, Steve Wynn went on to a very interesting solo career (I will be reviewing very soon.)
Best Songs: My Old Haunts, Black, Side I’ll Never Show, When the Curtain Falls
Sidenote: In the 2010s The Dream Syndicate formed a revival, and toured and continues to make albums as a group. Four so far, I will review them soon.
Compilations
1989
Complete Live At Raji's - 100%
This is one of the best live albums ever made!!! Something great happens when this band plays live, and every track here completely rules. Wynn yells out tat the beginning ”there are 189 people here tonight so yell loud and you might be even louder than me!” There are songs from each album but hey mostly pull from the first two: Days of Wine and Roses(6), Medicine Show (5), Out of the Grey (2), Ghost Stories (1), and one new cover (1). Opening with Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “See that My Grave is Kept Clean” is an interesting idea that serves as sort of a warm up track, fading into the powerful rocker as per usual “Still Holding unto You” which has such power and confidence here, powerful solos from Wynn and Cutler abound. Get ready, because you are about to see the best rock band on the planet! “Burn” tells its aching story and its always been an underrated track, “Tell me when its Over” is glorious to hear in any form and here the guitars form almost a noise rock quality as they are manic in their tonality. “Forest for the Tress” works wonders here, saved from the bad production of Out of the Grey, while “Merrittville” and “Until Lately” work amazingly well as songs that ebb and flow with their lengths, bringing out their sinister qualities like those bap-bap-baaaas in the latter song. “The Medicine Show” has a genius guitar back and forth between Wynn and Cutler that really taps into the hallucinogenic nature of the song.
Every song is remade by a band that was about to break up and played like their life was depending on it. Perhaps the biggest surprise is “Boston” as an improvement as a live number, (sidenote- while seeing Wynn and co. live in 2017 I got to see him pause in the middle and quote not the Van Morrison song like he does here- “Tupelo Honey” - but the recently departed Tom Petty track “Refugee”- talk about the power to rock the world and prove you love your influences!). The lone cover, the band gives their version on Dylan’s “All Along the Watch Tower” and its totally a unique take on it, less wordy and more fluid. “When You Smile” is somewhat shortened from its Days of Wine and Roses version but still retains all of its power. Speaking of, the title track from the debut album still has the power to move the world and it is so powerful here. “John Coltrane Steroe Blues” serves as the closer, with several false endings and some killer harmonica, it proves that Dream Syndicate could give any jam band of their day a run for their money.
When I hear a live album this good, it makes me wish I was at the show, but also glad I can cherish it forever. The whole album has the feel that all 200 people at that club were treated to the show of their lives, with song quality to match- if only the shows played at your bar down the street were even close to this good, what a world it would be. The Dream Syndicate were on the best bands of the 1980s, and Wynn is among the best rock roll songwriters of all time.
Best Songs, live versions: Boston, That’s What you Always Say, John Coltrane Stereo Blues, Days of Wine and Roses