Friday, April 6, 2018

Steve Wynn reissues coming from Omnivore Recordings

Steve Wynn's Kerosene Man
For much of the decade of the 1980s, Dream Syndicate was the leading light of the “Paisley Underground” scene in L.A. Fronted by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Steve Wynn, the band were critical darlings, and although they released but a handful of albums during their first run at the brass ring (The Days of Wine and Roses being a bona fide classic of the indie-rock era), they would be a major influence on bands to follow.

When the band broke up in wake of the release of 1988’s Ghost Stories, Wynn set out on a solo career that is still going strong some 30+ years later. Wynn launched his career with the release of 1990’s critically-acclaimed Kerosene Man album, following it up a couple of years later with the equally-excellent Dazzling Display. Both albums have been in-and-out-of-print over the years, but on April 27th, 2018 Omnivore Recordings will reissue both discs as deluxe expanded editions.

Kerosene Man offered suffering Dream Syndicate fans eleven new original songs, which Wynn recorded with a little help from friends like Concrete Blonde’s Johnette Napolitano, D.J. Bonebrake of X, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, and former Dream Syndicate bandmate Mark Walton. The album introduced Wynn as a significant solo artist and displayed new facets to his songwriting and performing skills. The album has been expanded with six live tracks culled from the rare promotional LP Straight to the Swapmeet: Legendary Authorized Bootleg.

Wynn writes in the new liner notes for Kerosene Man, “sure, I was nervous. I had spent most of my adult life making music with the Dream Syndicate – a very good, successful band, with musicians I still considered very good friends. Bands break up because the members hate each other, or because nobody cares, or because someone in the band joins the Rolling Stones, or something. That wasn’t the case with us. I just wanted to try something different. I wanted to play different kinds of music, make new sounds, play with new people. I wasn’t running away from anything. I was just running towards something new.”

Steve Wynn's Dazzling Display
Released two years after his solo debut, Wynn’s Dazzling Display also featured talented friends like Vicki Peterson of the Bangles, Peter Buck of R.E.M., and Flo & Eddie (Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan of the Turtles and the Mothers of Invention). The expanded edition of the album also includes five rare live bonus tracks. The reissue versions were both overseen by Wynn himself.

Writes Wynn, “I’ve had the chance to revisit Dazzling Display in the course of writing these liner notes and putting together this reissue and, as is often the case, time has brought its merits into focus. Here’s the bottom line. It’s a really fun record. It was made with a fan’s enthusiasm as a reflection of the things that made me happy and got me excited in 1991. It may not have been the right record for its time and it may not have been the right record for this particular recording artist. But it sure feels good to listen to it now.”

Buy the CDs from Amazon.com:
Steve Wynn’s Kerosene Man
Steve Wynn’s Dazzling Display

Kerosene Man track listing:
1. Tears Won’t Help
2. Carolyn
3. The Blue Drifter
4. Younger
5. Under The Weather
6. Here On Earth As Well
7. Something To Remember Me By
8. Killing Time
9. Conspiracy Of The Heart
10. Kerosene Man
11. Anthem
12. Younger *
13. Something To Remember Me By *
14. Graveyard Train *
15. Tell Me When It’s Over *
16. Burn *
17. The Groom’s Still Waiting At The Alter *

Dazzling Display track listing:
1. Drag
2. Tuesday
3. When She Comes Around
4. A Dazzling Display
5. Halo
6. Dandy In Disguise
7. Grace
8. As It Should Be
9. Bonnie And Clyde
10. 405
11. Close Your Eyes
12. Light Of Hope
13. Kool Thing *
14. Boy In The Bubble *
15. Conspiracy Of The Heart *
16. Watching The River Flow *
17. Crazy Feeling *

* Bonus live tracks

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