A few weeks before The Dream Syndicate entered the studio to record their seminal album The Days of Wine and Roses, they set up in Studio ZZZZ in left-leaning non-com station KPFK-FM in Los Angeles, on Sept. 5, 1982, for a live on-air set.
In attendance were members of R.E.M., The Bangles and Green on Red, as well as many friends of the band. On Feb. 4, when the recording receives proper U.S. release on Omnivore Recordings, you can be there, too.
The Day Before Wine and Roses — available on CD for the first time in 15 years — documents the genesis of one of the most important pieces of the Paisley Underground puzzle. The band (Steve Wynn; guitar and vocals; Karl Precoda, guitar; Kendra Smith, bass; and Dennis Duck, drums) began its set at 2 a.m., according to Wynn’s liner notes. And that could not have been a more perfect hour for the ethereal sounds of this highly influential band.
Comprising originals that appeared on their first EP and others that would later appear on their 1983 debut, as well as covers of classics by Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Donovan, The Day Before Wine and Roses not only presents an important time in alternative music, but also defines it. Packaged with a full-color booklet, the set also features the original 1994 liner notes and a postscript from original and current reissue producer Pat Thomas.
In addition, Steve Wynn offers additional notes with recollections of the evening including a malt liquor run, the forced removal of an ex-girlfriend, and presence of R.E.M.’s Peter Buck — later his band mate in the Baseball Project — of which he was not aware until years later. He even reveals that the live wee-hours version of “Days of Wine and Roses,” included in this collection, might have been might have been superior to the studio version. You decide.
The Dream Syndicate's influence on the bands that followed in their wake cannot be under-estimated. Their pioneering “loud-soft-loud” dynamic from “verse to chorus to verse” was cited by both Black Francis and Kurt Cobain as inspiration for the Pixies and Nirvana.
Comprising originals that appeared on their first EP and others that would later appear on their 1983 debut, as well as covers of classics by Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Donovan, The Day Before Wine and Roses not only presents an important time in alternative music, but also defines it. Packaged with a full-color booklet, the set also features the original 1994 liner notes and a postscript from original and current reissue producer Pat Thomas.
In addition, Steve Wynn offers additional notes with recollections of the evening including a malt liquor run, the forced removal of an ex-girlfriend, and presence of R.E.M.’s Peter Buck — later his band mate in the Baseball Project — of which he was not aware until years later. He even reveals that the live wee-hours version of “Days of Wine and Roses,” included in this collection, might have been might have been superior to the studio version. You decide.
The Dream Syndicate's influence on the bands that followed in their wake cannot be under-estimated. Their pioneering “loud-soft-loud” dynamic from “verse to chorus to verse” was cited by both Black Francis and Kurt Cobain as inspiration for the Pixies and Nirvana.
Track Listing:
1 Some Kinda Itch
2 Mr. Soul
3 Sure Thing
4 That’s What You Always Say
5 Outlaw Blues
6 Open Hour
7 When You Smile
8 Season of the Witch
9 The Days of Wine and Roses
2 Mr. Soul
3 Sure Thing
4 That’s What You Always Say
5 Outlaw Blues
6 Open Hour
7 When You Smile
8 Season of the Witch
9 The Days of Wine and Roses
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