The Days of Wine and Roses is the second record and the debut full-length album by American
alternative rock band
the Dream Syndicate. Produced by
Chris D. (of
the Flesh Eaters/
Divine Horsemen), it was recorded in Los Angeles in September 1982 and released later that year on Chris D.'s
Ruby Records, which was a division of
Slash Records. It was released for the first time on
CD in 1993. 2001 and 2015 reissues on CD featured different bonus tracks.
The phrase "days of wine and roses" is originally from the poem "Vitae Summa Brevis" by the English writer
Ernest Dowson (1867–1900):
They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while, then closes
Within a dream.
The album is ranked number 99 in Blender's 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever.[8]
Track listing
This is the track listing of the original release. Later re-releases have included bonus tracks from the earlier Down There EP, rehearsals, alternate takes, and the 1981 single recorded by
15 Minutes (a
Steve Wynn collaboration with members of the
Davis, California band
Alternate Learning).