It seems that every band and/or artist has at some point a disagreement with their recording label(s), and the ’80s alt/psych faves Dream Syndicate are no exception. After an ongoing tangling with Universal Music Group who originally released the band’s second album Medicine Show, they have finally earned the right to reissue its deluxe edition as 42 song 4-CD box expanded collection featuring 29 unreleased recordings from the bands 1983-84 era via their own Down There label, distributed by Fire Records.
The release date is set for October 17, 2024. At the same time, the band has also confirmed a U.S. fall tour entitled The Dream Syndicate Presents Medicine Show.
This expanded deluxe edition CD collection features previously unreleased 1983-84 live recordings, radio sessions, rehearsals, demos and other unreleased from the band’s archive. A stand alone classic original album will also be available on vinyl.
“Let’s see—it took 6 months to make and over 30 years to get Medicine Show back in print,” said Steve Wynn of The Dream Syndicate. “I’d like to think that in both cases it was worth the wait. I can’t wait to get out there and revisit, inhabit and play the whole album on stage every night.”
The unreleased tracks are part of the untold story of Medicine Show – early primitive versions of original songs, cover songs that the band mangled into new forms, finding themselves along the way. No longer, can anyone say “you should have heard the original 1982 lineup on stage” – no, if you skipped the band performing 1983-84, you missed out. Shows from CBGB’s, Zaders, Soap Creek – reveal incendiary magic. In addition to the live shows, the remastered studio album (from the original analog tapes), now sounds as Steve recently declared, “as I remember hearing it while we mixed it.”
