On the final Saturday of January 1988, just prior to entering the studio to record what would become their final album, Ghost Stories, the Dream Syndicate—which, by then, consisted of Steve Wynn on vocals and rhythm guitar, Paul B. Cutler on lead guitar, Mark Walton on bass and Dennis Duck on drums—gathered at L.A.’s Raji’s nightclub to record a live set straight to a two-track DAT. Eliot Mazer, who performed similar chores on Neil Young’s legendary live album Time Fades Away, produced.
To paraphrase an observation Cutler makes in the documentary The Dream Syndicate: How Did We Find Ourselves Here?, with results this good why would anyone bother setting foot in a studio? Which is to say, the album—which was released following Ghost Stories in mid-1989—was a remarkable document accented by crystal-clear sound and an incendiary performance. As Daniel Weizmann of the L.A. Weekly wrote in a July 27, 1989, review, it’s “a blueprint for what live albums should be and seldom are: spontaneous, imperfect, a capturing of the moment as it was.”
That original release on Enigma/Restless Records excised four songs and between-song patter from the 15-song concert in order to fit the show onto one disc. Five years later, the label released a remastered version that featured the concert in full. Darryl Sterdan of the Winnipeg Sun observed in an October 8, 2004, review that the band “sounded like Crazy Horse fronted by Lou Reed” and hailed the set for ably capturing the “blisteringly intense” performance the band was known for. (That same 2004 set was then re-issued, in a limited-edition format, with different cover art in 2017.)
As I said above, it’s a remarkable document. Yes, as Sterdan said, it’s one part the Horse and one part VU—but it’s also all parts Dream Syndicate. They’re simply ferocious. While interested parties should start with The Days of Wine and Roses, their next step should be here. It’s ragged glory at its best.
At the start of the show, we learn that Cutler’s equipment was recently stolen; he was, presumably, playing on borrowed equipment. Makes no difference. He’s electrifying. And, as we learn later, bassist Mark Walton was on stage for the second time this night; he’d performed earlier with Laughing Sam’s Dice (aka Ravenous, Dead Man’s Hand, and the Hose Monkeys), which also featured former members of Rain Parade. Wynn’s between-song patter does come across as a guy more comfortable on stage when the music starts than when it stops—but that’s okay. (There’s a reason why, oftentimes, Neil Young’s only pronouncement from a stage is, “How ya doing?”) He’s lives the lyrics when he sings.
The 15-song set includes the songs one would expect from their first three albums, but only one from the forthcoming Ghost Stories—their cover of Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean.” There’s also a great take on “All Along the Watchtower” that’s far more Jimi than Bob; and a remarkable rendition of “John Coltrane Stereo Blues” that features Peter Case on harmonica.
The track listing:
The Old Grey Cat 