The Dream Syndicate”The Days of Wine and...

The Dream Syndicate

“The Days of Wine and Roses” (1982)

Slash

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The Dream Syndicate arguably was the crown jewel of Los Angeles’ creatively fertile “paisley underground” of the early ‘80s. The pop-oriented Bangles and the hypnotic Rain Parade also emerged from L.A.’s neo-psychedelic haze, but it was the Dream Syndicate that rocked with the highest degree of unbridled passion and conviction. “The Days of Wine and Roses” generally is considered the group’s most durable effort. The quartet’s rousing, rawly recorded debut album resonates with feedback-laden guitars and leader Steve Wynn’s too-cool, Lou Reed-y vocals. Indeed, some critics felt the album’s sonic recipe was too stylistically similar to the Velvet Underground’s trailblazing work in the ‘60s. Sung by bassist Kendra Smith, the ballad “Too Little, Too Late” even rekindles a few memories of the late chanteuse Nico, who brought her unforgettably icy vocals to several songs on the Velvets’ classic first album. But the material and the performances on “Wine and Roses” are simply too inspired and impassioned to be dismissed as derivative or insubstantial. “Tell Me When It’s Over” is propelled by an irresistible fuzz-toned guitar riff. “Then She Remembers” is an up-tempo number that manages to be both melodic and frenetic. And guitarist Karl Precoda’s groovy mood piece “Halloween” feels like it was concocted on the streets of San Francisco back in 1968. To quote the Eurythmics, “sweet dreams are made of this.”