This deluxe Medicine Show reissue arrives as an expansive 4xCD box set, collecting 42 Dream Syndicate tracks that span rare live recordings, radio sessions, rehearsals, demos, and previously unreleased material from 1983 to 1984.

Alongside it, the original album returns as a standalone LP, all via Down There Records (distributed by Fire Records). In 1982, The Dream Syndicate started their own record company, Down There Records, to release their self-titled four-song twelve-inch EP, which included the first versions of ‘When You Smile’ and ‘That’s What You Always Say’.

They went on to sign with Slash for The Days of Wine and Roses, followed by A&M for the Medicine Show album. After years, the band has earned the right to reissue Medicine Show as a 42-song, 4xCD set featuring 29 unreleased recordings from the 1983 to 1984 era.

For this special occasion, The Dream Syndicate are resurrecting their Down There label, which will be distributed by Fire Records. Medicine Show has always been a controversial album, even before it was recorded.

The indie rock darlings became the first Paisley Underground band to sign to a major label, hire a mainstream rock producer, change bass players, and spend months recording the album - after having banged out their previous one, The Days of Wine and Roses, in mere hours.

What this new box set reveals is that, as a live band, they were on fire. For the first time ever, the complete WXRT radio broadcast from the original reel-to-reel master tape is included. This is accompanied by rehearsal and live tapes of Kendra, recorded just before her departure.

It’s all part of the story: early, primitive versions of original songs, plenty of cover versions that the band mangled into something new, and a journey of finding themselves along the way. Thankfully, shows from venues like CBGB’s, Zaders, and Soap Creek reveal some incendiary magic.

Beyond the live audio, the album itself has now been remastered from the original analog tapes. Like many psychologically complex albums, Medicine Show took time to truly settle into listeners’ minds. It’s long overdue, but it has finally arrived.