Smith joined on bass and brought in drummer Dennis Duck (Mehaffey), who had played in the locally successful Pasadena-based band Human Hands.

Duck suggested the name "the Dream Syndicate" in reference to La Monte Young's early 1960s New York experimental ensemble (better known as the Theatre of Eternal Music), whose members included John Cale and Tony Conrad.

A four-song EP was recorded at the home of Tom Mehren in Pasadena, with Paul B. Cutler engineering and producing,[7] and released on Wynn's Down There label.

[10] Rough Trade Records released the album's lead track, "Tell Me When It's Over", in early 1983 as the A-side of a UK EP which also included a live cover of Neil Young's "Mr.

Live!, the last record to feature Precoda on guitar (he left soon afterward to pursue a career in screenwriting) and the first appearance of bassist Mark Walton.

In 1985, during the band's temporary retirement, Wynn and Dan Stuart of Green on Red wrote 10 songs together that were recorded with Duck, among others, and released by A&M as the album The Lost Weekend under the name Danny & Dusty.

After a brief hiatus (and, as one reviewer said, having taken "a trip through the major-label meat grinder"[10]), Wynn, Duck and Walton joined with Paul B. Cutler (who had produced the group's first EP and played guitar in the proto-goth 45 Grave) to form the next version of the Dream Syndicate.

[14] On September 26–27, 2014, the Dream Syndicate played at The EARL in East Atlanta; they were the band's first shows in the South since 1988, and included Savage Republic as the opening act.

[6] Wynn noted that the album's final track, titled "Kendra's Dream", included vocals from Smith, the band's original bass player, who also wrote the song's lyrics.

A double LP package entitled Live Through the Past Darkly included a DVD of the recent documentary How Did We Find Ourselves Here with commentary from Chris Robinson of Black Crowes, Stephen McCarthy of Long Ryders, David Fricke of Rolling Stone and more.