Summary.
The Dream Syndicate, formed by
guitarists Steve Wynn and Karl Precoda and bassist Kendra Smith,
acted as the natural
bridge between the Television (and the new wave in general) and the new
generation of psychedelic rockers.
Their first album, Days Of Wine And Roses (1982), conveyed, more
than anything else, the synthesis of Bob Dylan and the Velvet Underground that
had been the hidden theme of the new wave. Echoes of the
Rolling Stones, the Stooges and the Doors increased the hellish atmospheres
of Wynn's confessional trips. While Wynn was lost in his
existential panic, Precoda and Smith lifted the music to a majestic level.
When Smith left, the "acid" quotient dropped, and the band opted for the
quieter jamming of Medicine Show (1984), a presage of the new sound of
Out Of The Grey (1986), reminiscent of Neil Young's neurotic
country-rock; but Wynn was still the only songwriter capable of making his
lyrics bleed.
Ghost Stories (1988) closed the semicircle by almost embracing R.E.M.'s
folk-rock.
The combination of abrasive guitars, dramatic tension and crude realism
coined a language that would inspire countless bands of the 1980s.
(Translated from
my old Italian text by DommeDamian)
The Dream Syndicate were
one of the new wave groups that best expressed that synthesis between Bob Dylan
and the Velvet Underground which was somewhat the fundamental theme of that
entire movement.
When punk-rock and new wave exploded, Steve Wynn, Russ
Tolman, Kendra Smith and Scott Miller were students
at UC Davis, halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento. Miller would
stick around with Game Theory. Tolman would form True West.
Guitarist Steve Wynn and bassist Kendra Smith, who
moved to Los Angeles, met the other guitarist Karl Precoda,
alongside Dennis Duck on drums, and formed Dream Syndicate in 1982. The
sound of this group belonged to the psychedelic revival of those years but
differed from it because it stripped away all the stereotypes of folk-rock and
garage-punk and instead fished heavily in the "high" tradition of
that ambiguous rock, subtly reminiscent of the Rolling Stones, but finding
explicit influences in the Velvet Underground, the Stooges and the Doors.
Their debut album, The Days of Wine And Roses (Ruby,
1982), which incorporated three tracks from their previous EP Tell Me
When It's Over (1982), caused a sensation for its raw realism and
abrasive harmonies, coining a genre which would have inspired countless
complexes of the 80s.
The dramatic tension of the songs and the manic and introverted lyrics (telling
stories of alienation, extreme depravity and terror), the intoxicated singing
and dual guitar work (Wynn's melodic and nervous and Precoda's
feedback) create an oblique acid rock. Steve Wynn's gloomy confessional
register, handing down the nightmares of Dylan and Reed, represents a lugubrious
commentary on the new generational crisis.
From the melodic ballad Tell Me When It's Over , wrapped in
harsh and hypnotic jingle jangle riffs, to the epic and martial continuous
distortion of That's What You Always Say; from Too Little
Too Late, a Nico-like fatalistic swoon, to the soft and disjointed
crescendo of When You Smile; from the frenzied rock’n’roll
of Then She Remembers to Until Lately, blues/beat
a la Manfred Mann or Them, the Dream Syndicate reveal in shocking terms the
existential panic of the post-hardcore generation, reaching the peak of their
pathos in the solemn and blackened raga a la Velvet Underground Halloween,
with monumental feedback from Precoda. In a word,
it's hyper-realism, again ominously psychotic in the pressing hoedown/punkabilly all in one breath
of Days of Wine And Roses.
Without the bassist anymore and with a Precoda disarmed of her feedback, but more than ever
unleashed in fiery solos, the sophomore Medicine Show (A&M,
1984), is much more relaxed, despite a long and feverish jam/swoon
entitled John Coltrane Stereo Blues. The repertoire
assimilates Springsteen-esque street melodrama (Merrittville), visceral Doors-esque
roadhouse (Armed With An Empty Gun) and erotic country/blues ballads (Still
Holding On To You) and social (Medicine Show).
Out of The Gray (Big Time, 1986) veers towards the "acid" country-rock of
Neil Young, with Paul Cutler in place of Precoda and
an infinitely more modern, danceable and radio sound (Now I Ride Alone , Forest
For The Trees , the title track, Slide Away ). Wynn
had taken over and preferred the traditional song format (complete with story
and atmosphere) to the free-form eruptions of Precoda
and Smith.
Completing an evolution (or "involution")
initiated by Medicine Show, the fourth album Ghost Stories (Enigma,
1988) heralded the advent of a noiseless, distraction-free rock song,
classically anchored in melodiousness. Wynn's new direction fits into the
vein inaugurated by Neil Young with his violent and electric folk
ballads. Wynn shapes them as angry young anthems like The Side
I'll Never Show and martial dramas like Loving
The Sinner, Hating The Sin (one of his masterpieces). Though the
record also features the vaudeville novelty My Old Haunts , a
forlorn Cohen-esque lullaby like Someplace
Better Than This , and the roadhouse blues Weathered And Torn,
the new genre is now clearly defined, and has none of the psychedelic, cryptic
vertigo of its origins (which perhaps belonged more to Kendra Smith than to Steve).
Wynn expresses a grim and pessimistic vision of the
human condition through a film-noir depressed fatalism; But the moral of
the negative sagas of him is always in the hope of the possible
redemption. In this sense, his music is cathartic, noble even in moments
of maximum affliction, unlike that of Young, who does not allow revenge, and of
Reed, who enjoys martyrdom. This does not mean that redemption (that is,
the solemn climaxes of many of his refrains) must be
obtained by passing through trials of intense pain (rendered by the tremendous
rains of distortions). Wynn has been one of the few, with Richard Hell,
who knows how to make the verses of his songs bleed.
Steve Wynn then
launched a prolific solo career.
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I Dream Syndicate furono uno dei gruppi della new wave che meglio espresso
quella sintesi fra Bob Dylan e i Velvet Underground che fu un po' il tema
fondamentale dell'intero movimento.
Quando esplosero il punk-rock e la new wave,
Steve Wynn, Russ Tolman, Kendra Smith e Scott Miller erano studenti alla
UC Davis, a meta` strada fra San Francisco e Sacramento.
Miller sarebbe rimasto in zona con i Game Theory.
Tolman avrebbe formato i True West.
Il chitarrista Steve Wynn e la bassista Kendra Smith, trasferitisi a Los
Angeles, conobbero l'altro chitarrista Karl Precoda e formarono nel 1982
i Dream Syndicate.
Il sound di questo gruppo apparteneva al
revival psichedelico di quegli anni ma se ne differenziava perche'
si teneva alla larga dagli stereotipi
del folk-rock e del garage-punk e pescava invece a piene mani nella
tradizione "alta" di quel rock ambiguo che lambisce
i Rolling Stones ma che trova espliciti referenti soprattutto nei Velvet
Underground, negli Stooges, nei Doors.
Il loro album di debutto, The Days Of Wine And Roses (Ruby, 1982),
che incorporava tre brani dal precedente EP Tell Me When It's Over (1982),
fece epoca e sensazione per il crudo realismo e le armonie abrasive, coniando
un linguaggio a cui si sarebbero ispirati innumerevoli complessi degli anni '80.
La tensione drammatica dei pezzi e le liriche maniacali e introverse
(che raccontano storie estreme di alienazione, depravazione e terrore),
il canto intossicato di Wynn e il lavoro duale di chitarre (quella melodica di
e nervosa di Wynn e il feedback di Precoda) creano un obliquo acid-rock.
Il cupo registro confessionale di Wynn, tramandando gli incubi di Dylan e di
Reed, rappresenta un lugubre commentario alla nuova crisi generazionale.
Dalla ballata melodica Tell Me When It's Over, avvolta in aspri e
ipnotici riff da jingle jangle, all'epica e marziale distorsione continuata di
That's What You Always Say,
da Too Little Too Late, deliquio fatalista alla Nico,
al crescendo morbido e sconnesso di When You Smile,
dal rock and roll concitato di Then She Remembers
a Until Lately, blues/beat alla Manfred Mann o Them,
i Dream Syndicate rivelano in termini sconvolgenti il panico esistenziale della
generazione post-hardcore, toccando il vertice del loro pathos nel
solenne e lancinante raga alla Velvet Underground Halloween, con un
monumentale feedback di Precoda.
In una parola e` di nuovo iper-realismo, sinistramente psicotico nell'incalzante
hoedown/punkabilly tutto d'un fiato di Days Of Wine And Roses.
Senza piu` la bassista e con un Precoda disarmato dei suoi feedback ma
piu` che mai scatenato in infuocati assoli, il secondo disco,
Medicine Show (A&M, 1984), risulta molto piu` rilassato, nonostante
una lunga e febbrile jam/deliquio intitolata John Coltrane Stereo Blues.
Il repertorio assimila il melodramma di strada alla Springsteen
(Merrittville),
il roadhouse viscerale alla Doors (Armed With An Empty Gun)
e ballate country/blues erotiche (Still Holding On To You)
o sociali (Medicine Show).
Il terzo Out Of The Grey (Big Time, 1986) sterzo` verso il country-rock
"acido" di Neil Young, con Paul Cutler al posto di Precoda
e un sound infinitamente piu` moderno, ballabile e radiofonico
(Now I Ride Alone, Forest For The Trees, la title-track,
Slide Away).
Wynn aveva preso il sopravvento e preferiva il formato tradizionale della
canzone (con tanto di storia e di atmosfera) alle eruzioni free-form
di Precoda e Smith.
Completando un'evoluzione (o "involuzione") iniziata
da Medicine Show, Ghost Stories (Enigma, 1988)
sanciva l'avvento di una canzone rock senza
rumori e senza distrazioni, ancorata classicamente alla melodia. La nuova
carriera di Wynn si inserisce nel filone inaugurato da Neil Young con le sue violente
ed elettriche ballate folk. Wynn le plasma per anthem da giovane arrabbiato come
The Side I'll Never Show e drammi marziali come Loving The Sinner, Hating
The Sin (uno dei suoi capolavori). Benche' il disco ospiti anche
la novelty da vaudeville My Old Haunts, una ninnananna sconsolata alla Cohen
come Someplace Better Than This e il roadhouse blues Weathered And Torn,
il nuovo genere e` ormai chiaramente definito, e non ha piu` nulla delle
vertigini psichedeliche delle origini (che forse appartenevano piu` a Kendra
Smith che a lui).
Wynn esprime una visione truce e pessimista della condizione umana attraverso
un fatalismo depresso da film-noir; ma la morale delle sue saghe negative e`
sempre all'insegna della speranza di redenzione. In tal senso la sua e` una
musica catartica, nobile anche nei momenti di massima afflizione, al contrario
di quella di Young, che non ammette rivincita, e di Reed, che gode del
martirio. Cio` non toglie che la redenzione (ovvero i climax solenni di
tanti suoi ritornelli) si debba ottenere passando per prove di dolore
intenso (reso dalle tremende piogge di distorsioni). Wynn e` uno dei pochi,
con Richard Hell, che sappia far sanguinare i versi delle sue canzoni.
Steve Wynn ha poi lanciato una prolifica carriera
solista.
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