Customer Reviews

Out of Grey

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 20 years of being a radio DJ (both commercial and non-commercial radio), Every Time I have played the song "Dancing Blind" off this album, someone has called me on the listener line and asked "who's that guitarist?" Paul B. Cutler (formerly of 45 Grave, an early '80s punk-metal band) debuted as the new Dream Syndicate guitarist on this album but his style was never hip enough to be appreciated by the alternative crowd. Cutler was more influenced by Eric Clapton than the Lou Reed-style noise-making of the band's previous guitarist. This apparently turned off the Dream Syndicate's original fans but it could have won them a bunch of new fans if the music industry had only bothered to give this album some hype. Along with "Dancing Blind", "Slide Away" sounds like a lost Rolling Stones classic, "Boston" is great singer-songwriter style rock, "Drinking Problem" is about an alcoholic actor on the David Letterman show, and the rest of the songs are solid though probably less immediately memorable. '80s rock radio wanted all '80s guitar bands to sound like either Def Leppard or Stevie Ray Vaughan - anyone who sounded different got pigeon-holed as one of those 'inferior' punk-rockers. This sort of anti-spirit-of-rock narrow-mindedness killed the careers of many talented '80s bands. The Dream Syndicate were one of the major victims.

In 20 years of being a radio DJ (both commercial and non-commercial radio), Every Time I have played the song "Dancing Blind" off this album, someone has called me on the listener line and asked "who's that guitarist?" Paul B. Cutler (formerly of 45 Grave, an early '80s punk-metal band) debuted as the new Dream Syndicate guitarist on this album but his style was never hip enough to be appreciated by the alternative crowd. Cutler was more influenced by Eric Clapton than the Lou Reed-style noise-making of the band's previous guitarist. This apparently turned off the Dream Syndicate's original fans but it could have won them a bunch of new fans if the music industry had only bothered to give this album some hype. Along with "Dancing Blind", "Slide Away" sounds like a lost Rolling Stones classic, "Boston" is great singer-songwriter style rock, "Drinking Problem" is about an alcoholic actor on the David Letterman show, and the rest of the songs are solid though probably less immediately memorable. '80s rock radio wanted all '80s guitar bands to sound like either Def Leppard or Stevie Ray Vaughan - anyone who sounded different got pigeon-holed as one of those 'inferior' punk-rockers. This sort of anti-spirit-of-rock narrow-mindedness killed the careers of many talented '80s bands. The Dream Syndicate were one of the major victims.

After Days Of Wine And Roses and Medicine Show it would be difficult to really stand above the potentials set forth by these two discs. Out Of The Grey is a good set. It is not as strong as the previous two releases. Now, the good stuff, 50 In A 25 Zone, Now I Ride Alone, Let It Rain (cover), and the way the songs express the movement from a great live guitar band into more of a studio oriented band.
The Dream Syndicate was great, just great live on the tour right after Medicine Show right before changing guitarists. That Steve Wynn and Karl Percoda would clash is a given. Live I saw KP play John Coltrane Blues and Medicine Show on his back at 688 in Atlanta, and the rest of the time is was classic power guitarist stance. It was wonderful. SO, how does a band follow the fuzz and wash of lyric and jam? With Out Of The Grey. And that is exactly what this album is, out of the grey.
It is a reach to become a more distinct song band and not simply the greatest band of the paisley underground. If you want to complete your Dream Syndicate collection then of course buy this remastered CD that includes Ballad Of Dwight Frye, Cinnamon Girl, the blues rave Shake Your Hips and Lonely Bull. It's a lot of fun and great car CD because it sounds good loud with the wind and the road.

It seems the cult of the Dream Syndicate prefers the earlier albums. I'm guessing this group is largely made up of people who saw them perform in L.A. in their early 80s heyday. Me, I only caught them live once, in San Francisco, so my opinion is based on the studio work rather than live, and my favorite Dream Syndicate album is "Out Of The Grey". By this time they had undergone some personnel changes, with a new lead guitarist with a much clearer, crisper sound than his predecessor. They no longer sound like they are imitating the Velvet Underground. The songs are the strongest of their career. Since I'm the first Amazon reviewer of this album, I must assume that this one slipped by without a lot of notice when it came out, but it is an excellent album.

I bought this one to replace my earlier disc on the Bigtime label, because the sound quality on that one is terrible. Well, this was a waste of money because to call this new one "remastered" is tantamount to FRAUD. Whoever remastered this version must have been some kind of amateur as there is very little distinction between the two versions, not to mention, the engineer could have boosted the volume quite a bit. If you have the earlier CD don't bother with this one, unless you really want the bonus tracks.

Oh, and by the way, the songs themselves are great!