When imported '80s synth-pop ruled the airwaves, Steve Wynn's Dream Syndicate lay in thrall to the time-honoured buzz of the Marshall stack. By mid-decade, they were at the forefront of the new American breed that, in turn, helped repopularise the guitar back across the Atlantic. The final studio album, 1988's Ghost Stories, gets eight add-ons from radio shows, but it's 1989's blistering Live At Raji's that knocks you sideways. Fully restored across two CDs (now including early classics "Tell Me When It's Over" and "When You Smile"), it's the fret-crunching stomp of a band intuitively grasping the punk/garage dynamic.
When imported ’80s synth-pop ruled the airwaves, Steve Wynn’s Dream Syndicate lay in thrall to the time-honoured buzz of the Marshall stack. By mid-decade, they were at the forefront of the new American breed that, in turn, helped repopularise the guitar back across the Atlantic. The final studio album, 1988’s Ghost Stories, gets eight add-ons from radio shows, but it’s 1989’s blistering Live At Raji’s that knocks you sideways. Fully restored across two CDs (now including early classics “Tell Me When It’s Over” and “When You Smile”), it’s the fret-crunching stomp of a band intuitively grasping the punk/garage dynamic.