10 Hard Rock Bands From The '80s That Should've Been Bigger

These Paisley Underground pillars enjoyed a fascinating but rather under the radar run in the '80s.

Their alternative, neo-psychedelic sound, coupled with frontman Steve Wynn's incendiary lyrics and passionate vocals, made them a compelling, complicated listen. 'The Days of Wine and Roses', the group's 1982 debut LP, blended a more '60s style of rock, namely jangle rock, with the budding post-punk scene at the time.

Unfortunately, their debut arguably remains their most famous effort. Founding member Kendra Smith ditched the group to co-found Opal, an outfit which she also left shortly after their debut LP.

The albums that followed during The Dream Syndicate's '80s run remained in a high class on the quality front but suffered from increasingly diminished returns. Passed around major labels and struggling to remain relevant, the group even considered retirement in 1985. The band's final release before their 1989 split, 'Ghost Stories', is a neatly composed but macabre and often depressing listen.

Wynn's lyrics, once energetic and lively, are dominated here by miserable themes of regret, memory and disappointment. Fans and critics alike were taken aback by its hard, grey atmosphere and emotional lowliness and often overlooked its technical prowess. The group's innovative, imaginative work sadly remains under the radar to this day, even with their reunion in recent years.