专辑简介

by Amy Hanson

Even though the Dream Syndicate's true blue fans had screamed "sellout" when their comparatively restrained LP, Medicine Show, hit the streets, and despite replacing the departing Dave Provost with bassist Mark Walton, the band hit the road to tour the album in fine fettle. Songs recorded at their July 7, 1984, Aragon Ballroom show in Chicago for the local WXRT radio station's Sunday Night Unconcert Series would be released later that year as the stunning This Is Not the New Dream Syndicate EP. Five songs long, it proved not only a riveting masterpiece, but also the Dream Syndicate's so-called swan song. These songs were never intended for commercial release -- there are no overdubs or electronic tweaking jobs to be found here. And that's just as well, because the band sounds raw and rough, slipshod, and absolutely stunning. The driving opener, "Tell Me When It's Over," the title track from the band's second EP, rubs shoulders with a drunken-sounding "Bullet With My Name on It" and surly cousin "Armed With an Empty Gun." As good as these songs come across, however, what really distinguishes the EP is a near-ten-minute version of Medicine Show's "John Coltrane Stereo Blues" which blends paisley underground sensibilities with spit-biting passion and staccato guitar. An absolutely raw gem, this set would become the last they'd release before disbanding in the wake of This Is Not the New Dream Syndicate's poor sales. A must-have for any fan.