The Days of Wine and Roses was the second album and the debut full-length album by American alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band Dream Syndicate

Dream Syndicate

The Dream Syndicate was an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California active from 1981 to 1989. The band was associated with the Paisley Underground music movement.-History:...

. Produced by Chris D.

Chris D.

Chris D., real name Chris Desjardins, is a punk poet, rock critic, singer, writer, actor and filmmaker. Chris D. is best known as the lead singer and founder of the early Los Angeles punk/deathrock band The Flesh Eaters. Desjardins was a feature writer at Slash magazine in 1977, when he formed a...

 (of The Flesh Eaters

The Flesh Eaters

The Flesh Eaters may refer to:*The Flesh Eaters *The Flesh Eaters...

/The Divine Horsemen

The Divine Horsemen

Divine Horsemen were a punk/roots band founded in 1983 by Chris D. , formerly of L.A. punk rock band The Flesh Eaters. The band developed a distinctive alt country- type sound. They took their name from a voodoo term; a worshiper who is possessed by loa during a ceremony is said to be being ridden...

), it was recorded in Los Angeles in September 1982 and released later that year on Chris D.'s Ruby Records

Ruby Records

Ruby Records was a record label subsidiary of Slash Records, started in 1981.Ruby was distributed through the same independent distributors that handled its corporate parent, Slash. When Warner Bros...

, which was a division of Slash Records

Slash Records

Slash Records is a record label in Los Angeles, originally specializing in local and punk rock bands.The label was formed in 1978 by Bob Biggs as an outgrowth of the Los Angeles-based fanzine, Slash. Biggs, a painter, initiated the label with a seven-inch single from The Germs in 1978. A full album...

. It was released on CD

Compact Disc

The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

 in 1993.

The phrase "days of wine and roses" is originally from the poem "Vitae Summa Brevis" by the English writer Ernest Dowson

Ernest Dowson

Ernest Christopher Dowson , born in Lee, London, was an English poet, novelist and writer of short stories, associated with the Decadent movement.- Biography :...

 (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.

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 15 Minutes single recorded by Steve Wynn, intended as his fifteen minutes of fame.

All tracks written by Steve Wynn

Steve Wynn (songwriter)

Steve Wynn is a songwriter based in New York . He led the band the Dream Syndicate from 1981 to 1989 and afterward began a solo career.- Career in bands :...

 except as noted.

Side One:

1. "Tell Me When It's Over"
2. "Definitely Clean"
3. "That's What You Always Say"
4. "Then She Remembers"
5. "Halloween" (Precoda)

Side Two:

1. "When You Smile"
2. "Until Lately"
3. "Too Little, Too Late"
4. "The Days of Wine and Roses"

Bonus Tracks (2001 Rhino reissue)

1. "Sure Thing" (Down There EP Version)
2. "That's What You Always Say" (Down There EP Version)
3. "When You Smile" (Down There EP Version)
4. "Some Kinda Itch" (Down There EP Version)
5. "Too Little, Too Late" (Rehearsal Version)
6. "Definitely Clean" (Rehearsal Version)
7. "That's What You Always Say" (15 Minutes)
8. "Last Chance For You" (15 Minutes)

Original lineup

• Vocals, Guitar - Steve Wynn
• Guitar - Karl Precoda
• Bass - Kendra Smith
  Kendra Smith
  Kendra Smith is an American musician who was a founding member of Dream Syndicate, a member of Opal, and later recorded as a solo artist.-Biography:...
  
  
• Drums - Dennis Duck
• Engineer - Pat Burnette
• Producer - Chris D.
  Chris D.
  Chris D., real name Chris Desjardins, is a punk poet, rock critic, singer, writer, actor and filmmaker. Chris D. is best known as the lead singer and founder of the early Los Angeles punk/deathrock band The Flesh Eaters. Desjardins was a feature writer at Slash magazine in 1977, when he formed a...
  
  
• Vocals on "Too Little, Too Late" by Kendra Smith
  Kendra Smith
  Kendra Smith is an American musician who was a founding member of Dream Syndicate, a member of Opal, and later recorded as a solo artist.-Biography:...
  
  .