Out of the Grey | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 23, 1986 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 66:29 (1997 reissue) | |||
Label | Big Time Records/Chrysalis | |||
Producer | Paul B. Cutler | |||
The Dream Syndicate chronology | ||||
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Out of the Grey is the third studio album by The Dream Syndicate, a Los Angeles-based alternative rock band, released in 1986.
Out of the Grey was released in 1986 as the first studio album after the band was dropped from A&M Records due to disappointing sales after the release of the 1984 album This Is Not the New Dream Syndicate Album......Live!. The band pondered its future and even retired temporarily, [1] while lead singer and songwriter Steve Wynn made a record with Dan Stuart (as Danny & Dusty). [2] The duo's album, Lost Weekend (1985), was produced by Paul B. Cutler, who also produced The Dream Syndicate's eponymous first EP (1982). Jamming with Cutler, a guitar player, rekindled the desire in Wynn to bring The Dream Syndicate together again. [3] The band reformed after some personnel changes, [1] most notably the replacement of lead guitarist Karl Precoda by Cutler. [4] The band's sound changed also, to a "considerably more aggressive, but simultaneously country-inflected outlook." [1] The "more mainstream" sound, however, did not lead to commercial success. [5]
The response to the album from fans and critics was positive, and after its release the band toured Europe before going on its first American tour in two years. [2] Right after the release of the record, when the band seemed to be "back on track," the label, Big Time Records, folded, to the band's detriment; it went back into inactivity and Wynn played acoustic solo dates for a while. [3]
The album was followed by an EP, 50 in a 25 Zone, which contained additional tracks including Slim Harpo's "Shake Your Hips." Two singles were released from the album: Alice Cooper's "Ballad of Dwight Fry" in mid-1986, and Eric Clapton and Bonnie Bramlett's "Let It Rain" in 1987. [1] The song "Boston" is an homage to Van Morrison; [4] Wynn explained that the song refers to the time Morrison spent in Boston between the breakup of Them and the start of his solo career. [6]
Originally released on vinyl, the album was released on CD with a few bonus tracks, and in 1997 on Normal Records with 5 more tracks than the original album had.
According to Mikal Gilmore, Out of the Grey is a "bracing work of redemption" after the band's breakup; he considers it their finest album. [7] According to Don Waller, writing for the Los Angeles Times , "the brain-cloudy 'Boston' and the violent '50 in a 25 Zone' are stark and dark and mark this still-developing outfit as a force to be reckoned with long after all the local New York Dolls imitators have settled down into comfortable lives as light-truck salesmen". [8] A reviewer for The Michigan Daily commented on the "relatively polished sound" and singled out "Boston", "50 in a 25 Zone", and "Now I Ride Alone" for praise. [9]
All songs by Steve Wynn except otherwise indicated.
The Bangles is an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including "Manic Monday" (1986), "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), "Hazy Shade of Winter" (1987), "In Your Room" (1988), and "Eternal Flame" (1989).
The Dream Syndicate is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1981 to 1989, and reunited since 2012. The band is associated with neo-psychedelia and the Paisley Underground music movement; of the bands in that movement, according to the Los Angeles Times, the Dream Syndicate "rocked with the highest degree of unbridled passion and conviction." Though never commercially successful, the band met with considerable acclaim, especially for its songwriting and guitar playing. Bandleader Steve Wynn reformed the band in 2012, and a fifth studio album was released in February 2017.
Steven Lawrence Wynn is an American singer and songwriter. He led the band The Dream Syndicate from 1981 to 1989 in Los Angeles, afterward began a solo career, and then reformed The Dream Syndicate in 2012.
Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid 1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owing a particular debt to 1960s groups such as Love and the Byrds, but more generally referencing a wide range of pop and garage rock revival.
Bonnie Bramlett is an American singer and occasional actress known for performing with her husband, Delaney Bramlett, as Delaney & Bonnie. She continues to sing as a solo artist.
Green on Red was an American rock band, formed in the Tucson, Arizona punk scene, but based for most of its career in Los Angeles, California, where it was loosely associated with the Paisley Underground. Earlier records have the wide-screen psychedelic sound of first-wave desert rock, while later releases tended more towards traditional country rock.
Eric Clapton is the debut studio album by British rock musician Eric Clapton, released in August 1970 under Atco and Polydor Records.
Delaney & Bonnie were an American duo of singer-songwriters Delaney Bramlett and Bonnie Bramlett. In 1969 and 1970, they fronted a rock/soul ensemble, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, whose members at different times included Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Leon Russell, Bobby Whitlock, Dave Mason, Steve Howe, Rita Coolidge, and King Curtis.
The Three O'Clock is an American alternative rock group associated with the Los Angeles 1980s Paisley Underground scene. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term "Paisley Underground" to describe a subset of the 1980s L.A. music scene which included bands such as Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, Green on Red, the Long Ryders and the Bangles.
The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012.
True West is a guitar band, often considered part of the Paisley Underground. Singer Gavin Blair and guitarists Richard McGrath and Russ Tolman are the nucleus of the group.
Michael Quercio is an American musician. He is the founder, bassist and lead singer of The Three O'Clock, and coined the term Paisley Underground as the name of a musical subgenre.
Eric Clapton at His Best is a two-LP compilation of Eric Clapton's work after he left his earlier band Cream, released in September 1972. It was concurrently released with a two-LP compilation of Cream tracks, Heavy Cream, along with "at His Best" solo retrospectives by Cream's other members Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.
Delaine Alvin "Delaney" Bramlett was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Bramlett is best known for his musical partnership with his then-wife Bonnie Bramlett in the band Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, which included a wide variety of other musicians, many of whom were successful in other contexts.
Sam Lapides is an American singer-songwriter, known as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the bands Ghosthouse and Folkminers. He cites Paul Westerberg, The Replacements, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan as influences. His folk-rock sound has been classified as Americana (music). Throughout his career, he has produced a variety of recordings and completed numerous tours of the United States and Europe.
Live at Raji's is a live album and by Los Angeles band The Dream Syndicate.
Ghost Stories is the fourth studio album by the Los Angeles-based alternative rock band The Dream Syndicate. It was released in 1988, just a year before the band broke up. The album was re-released in 2004, with eight additional tracks recorded live for radio.
Paul B. Cutler is an American producer and guitarist, best known for his work with the Dream Syndicate and 45 Grave.
The Universe Inside is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock band The Dream Syndicate. It was released on April 10, 2020 under Anti-.
How Did I Find Myself Here? is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band the Dream Syndicate. It was released on September 8, 2017, almost 30 years after the band's last album, and after three years of touring. The recording band included front man Steve Wynn and former band members, as well as a collaborator on Wynn's side projects.