REVIEWS:
Although the music of The Smithereens is very basic and easy to unravel, describing their actual sound can be just a little trickier than you might expect. In terms of chronology and genre-classification, they arose at the beginning of the 1980s, played catchy, stripped-down rock n' roll, and had a sizable presence on college radio throughout the decade. So on one hand, you could dismiss them as college rock, modern rock, post punk, or whatever. But The Reens (as their fans proudly dub them) didn't really sound like most of their colleagues - they were not arty like R.E.M., let alone arty and quirky like The Pixies. No, at their core, The Reens were really just a bar band. Similar to The Replacements I suppose, but not as sleazy and punky. And a bar band is not all they were. What makes them stand out a bit, at least in my opinion, is singer/songwriter/guitarist Pat DiNizio's way of mixing his early influences into the rugged garage rock approach. When I listen to this band, I hear oldies, British Invasion pop, and especially power pop, except for it's all played with more aggression.
Okay, there were other bands doing the retro thing in the '80s, but The Smithereens did it particularly well, thanks to the band's conviction and DiNizio's tuneful songwriting. During their prime, at least (I would say from '86-'89), they were an awesome singles band - and heck, they even made some really enjoyable records. After DiNizio formed the band in 1980, they worked primarily as a bar band for the first half of the decade, just releasing a couple of EPs. But in 1986, they released a full-length LP, Especially For You, which turned out to be a solid showcase of DiNizio's ear for great hooks. The album also featured two of the band's best singles, "Blood And Roses" and "Behind The Wall Of Sleep." The band never topped it, but Green Thoughts followed in 1988, and, boasting the astonishing "Only A Memory," it was nearly as good. For 1989's 11, The Reens hooked up with producer Ed Stasium and went for a more polished arena rock sound. Their third good album in a row, it spawned contemporary album rock staples "Blues Before And After" and their best-remembered song, "A Girl Like You."
Sadly, The Reens didn't take too well to the '90s. In 1991, Blow Up provided the band with its only Top 40 single, "Too Much Passion," but the album as a whole sounded tired, and it didn't leave a lasting impression commercially (11, by contrast, went gold). The band tried to toughen up its sound in 1994 with A Date With The Smithereens, but the record desperately lacked hooks, and that's just about all The Reens had going for them in the first place. Also by this time, "grunge"-influenced bands had taken over both the mainstream and the underground, leaving The Reens sounding horribly dated, and only of interest to their most die-hard fans. After releasing a best of and a rarities disc the following year, the band quietly faded. In 1999, they released the much-obscured God Save The Smithereens on Koch Records.
In all, if you can't get enough of that good, underground '80s music (like me), then The Smithereens are well-worth checking out. Blown To Smithereens: The Best Of The Smithereens, in particular, stands as a powerful testament to the band's strength as a singles unit. Especially For You remains a lost classic to all who love those retro-'60s albums from the '80s. The band certainly have their weaknesses, and they're easy to hear. They were consistent for awhile, but went through a terrible songwriting slump during the earlier '90s. They never strayed from formula either, and DiNizio's insipid lyrics about troubles with females could grow especially tiring after a short time. Perhaps the biggest one of all, though, is that they're just an acquired taste - if you're too sophisticated for garagy, college, rootsy, retro, power pop-influenced rock, then The Smithereens are not the band for you. But their strengths are just as obvious. They're unpretentious, fun, and catchy, catchy, and more catchy! They've also become pretty obscured nowadays, which can be a plus, because they can sound new to so many unknowing listeners. So there you have it, those are my excuses to love them. It's also noteworthy that they've stayed with the same lineup for so many years: DiNizio - rhythm guitar, lead vocals and harmonica; Jim Babjak - lead guitar and vocals; Dennis Diken - drums and vocals; and Mike Mesaros - bass and vocals.
--John Schlegel
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Blood And Roses, Listen To Me Girl, Behind The Wall Of Sleep, Strangers When We Meet, Cigarette, Time And Time Again. LOW POINTS: None.
On their first full-length album, The Smithereens conjure up nothing short of a humble masterpiece. Especially For You is a solid collection of boppy, straight-forward rock n' roll with a few ballads thrown in for good measure. This stuff is utterly unoriginal, but The Reens were never about innovation - these songs are well-written, well-played, just the way they were intended to be. And as basic as all this is, the album skillfully evades monotony, as the band come up with a variety of subtle sonic textures to keep things interesting throughout. "Cigarette" is the more impressive of the two ballads, setting the ambience of an Italian love song with some graceful accordion work. "In A Lonely Place" is a bit drear by comparison, but the Latin drumbeat is a skillful touch, and Suzanne Vega's background vocals make the song pretty enough. The harp at the beginning of "Listen To Me Girl" certainly adds to the excitement; some might consider this song mundane melody-wise, and not a highlight, but the way the rhythm guitar meshes with the drums wins me over big time.
If super-catchy is what you're after, proceed directly to the blazing "Behind The Wall Of Sleep," the Beach Boys-style opener "Strangers When We Meet," or the gleeful "Groovy Tuesday." The riffy "Time And Time Again" and the mirthfully bouncing "Crazy Mixed-Up Kid" are just wonderful too. But the album's best song is "Blood And Roses," a tough, melancholy rocker that builds up a great deal of tension, all the while driven by that seductive bassline. The weakest track is the downbeat closer "Alone At Midnight," but even it's harmless. Though the tunes are simple, the band are good musicians, as displayed in their tight, multi-layered rhythm workouts - check out the piano and twin-guitar attack on "Strangers When We Meet," especially! In other words, this is not merely pedestrian punk. Aided by bandleader Pat DiNizio's proficient hook-writing, The Smithereens fulfill their modest bar band ambitions with ease. So buy this if you haven't already, it's fun to no end. I have it on vinyl, so I haven't heard the CD-only "White Castle Blues."
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Only A Memory, Spellbound, If The Sun Doesn't Shine, Green Thoughts. LOW POINTS: Especially For You, Deep Black, Elaine.
Green Thoughts is similar to the debut in style, churning out more college rock influenced by '60s British Invasion pop. However, the mood is toned down a bit, with several more ballads of varying quality. As a result, the album is not as strong, although some of this formula-shifting produces a very positive outcome. In fact, most of the highlights derive from the slower numbers. The darkly swaying "Spellbound" is especially effective, and appropriately titled, as it actually constructs a spellbinding atmosphere. "If The Sun Doesn't Shine" beautifully parrots Beach Boy-esque vocal harmonies, and the folksy title track makes for quite the pleasant closer.
Only problem is, all the worst songs also derive from the ballads. "Especially For You," despite some sexy saxophone playing, brings to mind Elvis Costello's dismal attempts to be a Rat Pack-era crooner. "Deep Black" is dreary and fatigue-inducing, and "Elaine" sounds of a sappy, early '60s ballad. Thankfully, the rest of the album is completely fine. Well, the country-rocker "Something New" is hardly a highlight, but it's inoffensive. What work the most consistently on here are the rockers, most notably the blistering opener "Only A Memory." DiNizio's hopeless, love lorn lyrics to this one are pretty much a mainstay for the entire album, but this menacing track is one of the catchiest, most rousing Smithereens tunes ever. "World We Know" is a good, slower, groovy rock song; the New Wavish "House We Used To Live In" is fun, and "Drown In My Own Tears" packs a whallop. Not as vital as Especially For You, but another strong set of songs.
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: A Girl Like You, Blues Before And After, Yesterday Girl, Blue Period, Baby Be Good. LOW POINTS: Cut Flowers.
Sounds like two important transitions are taking place here, for better or for worse. On the positive end, the production is better than on the last two albums, emphasizing Jim Babjak's tight, loud guitars, ready-made for arena rock. Ed Stasium produced, which is interesting because he inspired the same sort of crunchy power pop common of The Pursuit of Happiness, and he went onto produce for that fine Canadian ensemble (on The Downward Road). But on the bad side, Pat DiNizio's songwriting is starting to wane a little, a flaw that rears its head in some obvious filler material. Henceforth, inconsistency would mark the band's career. Fortunately, though, 11 is still a good album, with enough strong material to make for a rewarding listen.
The album's best song, "A Girl Like You," was a minor FM hit, and deservingly so - it's hard, unadulterated rock n' roll, and catchy as hell. The macho rocker "Blues Before And After" is about equally as incredible. By the way, good live versions of these two songs are featured on an old Saturday Night Live episode that Comedy Central reruns five times a month. "Yesterday Girl" is infectious power pop with perky guitar-plucking; "Baby Be Good" grooves wonderfully, tastefully repeating its sing-along chorus many times over. Possibly the band's best ballad, "Blue Period" is exquisite, using cello and a harpsichord solo to its considerable favor. The song also features gorgeous back-up singing by Belinda Carlisle; several of these tunes use female background vocals to augment their choruses (another P.O.H. similarity), but this song is more of a duet between DiNizio and Carlisle, and it works very well.
"Room Without A View" and "William Wilson" are lesser highlights. In fairness, some consider these songs to be counted among the best on the album, and the better tracks are certainly going to vary from fan to fan. They're nice ditties, but they don't do a WHOLE lot for me. The mellower "Maria Elena" and "Kiss Your Tears Away" are pleasant filler. "Cut Flowers" is a more somber ballad, and it's pretty bland. As an album, 11 has a lot of good songs, but it doesn't leave much of a lasting impact (side two tends to lose me). But if you have a compilation and the first two, you'll want to pick up this one eventually.
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Top Of The Pops, Too Much Passion, Girl In Room 12. LOW POINTS: If You Want The Sun To Shine, Evening Dress.
With Ed Stasium returning as producer, Blow Up offers more of the same radio-friendly pop rock of the last album, except with less satisfying results. The biggest problem here rests in the songwriting - the commercialism of this record is all too apparent because it doesn't have that detrimental handful of great rockers that 11 has. Instead, the band just sounds tired on here, performing more trashy ballads (the deadly-boring "Evening Dress"), sometimes with the help of outside songwriters (Diane Warren co-writes the sappy "Get A Hold Of My Heart"; Julian Lennon contributes to the cheerless closer, "If You Want The Sun To Shine"). Plus, like Brian Burks once said about this one, it sounds like the band are starting to repeat themselves; "Anywhere You Are" sounds suspiciously similar to "In A Lonely Place." Overall, Blow Up was the quartet's least-inspired LP by this point.
Exhausted or not, the band still have enough charisma to belt out an average set of tunes, so the record is not a total flop. It's not half-filled with great material like 11, but it does have its moments. Of these, the opener "Top Of The Pops" is the closest thing to a -great- song, a good-natured boogie with monstrous riffing and a fantastic, sing-along refrain. "Too Much Passion" is a successful attempt at Rn'B, highlighted by some domineering strings. Although the repetition factor is in high gear on "Girl In Room 12," with rhythm work and a vocal pattern identical to those in "Blues Before And After," it grooves with the same conviction as their earlier hit. So does "Tell Me When Did Things Go So Wrong," a rocker with engaging lyrics about growing old and losing touch with one's rebelliousness: "We used to do everything we were told not to do/But now we all stand in line like the rest of them do." I also tend to get sucked up in that elaborate arrangement of "Indigo Blues," which includes organ and saxophone; and that acappella break toward the end of the song is very cool! "It's Alright" is catchy and upbeat as well. So, yes, there are highlights on here. Thing is, though, the highlights are very MINOR when compared to the band's previous work, and I can't emphasize enough that Blow Up is seriously lacking in excellent material. As a whole, the disc is enjoyable, but strictly by-the-numbers. For fans only.
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: None. LOW POINTS: Life Is So Beautiful, Long Way Back Again.
Yikes! Okay - I know I accused the last album of being short on great material. But that was before I heard this! I feel as if the band had decided to mock me. It's as though they knew what I was going to write about Blow Up, and they punished me for it here. This is a thoroughly mediocre record, with hardly a noticeable highlight in sight. Most of these songs don't necessarily stand out as bad, but when the best song is probably the one that I consider to be the unquestioned nadir of the best of disc ("Miles From Nowhere"), then you know you've got problems. It's a shame, too, because the band at least attempts to break out of the rut it found itself in on Blow Up. Here, they ditch Ed Stasium, bring back Don Dixon (who produced their first two albums), and add some much needed grit to the guitars. Alas, while A Date With The Smithereens is more aggressive than its predecessor, it's still a fall off. Pat DiNizio's songwriting continues to suffer, and the album as a whole has this unsettlingly bleak, angry tone to it.
Alright, technically, there are hooks here and there. "War For My Mind" is good in principle, at least - it's a fitting opener for this seething setlist, with a slow, crunchy guitar riff and lyrics that assume the persona of an outcast sociopath. I will say that the dissonant main riff of "Everything I Have Is Blue" sounds pretty cool when the drums come crashing in, even if the riff does sound like a complete rip-off of Alice In Chains' "It Ain't Like That." Still a good song, tho'. Maybe it's the best on here, or maybe it's the aforementioned "Miles From Nowhere," which kicks off with a haunting riff before turning into a mildly melodic, mid-tempo rocker (I rather like the verses, actually). The depressing "Afternoon Tea" is pretty good as ballads go, and "Point Of No Return" is an okay melancholy rocker. Those are the first five songs. Elsewhere, "Gotti" is a palatable mid-tempo rocker (I love the distorted bass break in the middle), although it seems that DiNizio is making a plea to free the organized crime don (about whom I know nothing, honestly). I'm not sure what to make of that. If he's being sarcastic, then I wouldn't know it, because it's still a mediocre song, and therefore doesn't deserve a detailed lyrical analysis. The waltzing "Sick Of Seattle" is another standout (relatively speaking), appropriately admonishing the scene that rendered bands like The Smithereens so out of date. Be forewarned, though, as even the best songs are still just average, and you have to strive to hear the hooks.
The rest is really mediocre, and, in a couple of cases, complete crap. As on the last album, they close with a terrible ballad, "Life Is So Beautiful." "Long Way Back Again" is just stupidly repetitive. It's nice to see the boys trying out more blues, but "Sleep The Night Away" and "Can't Go Home Anymore" fail to provide the same guilty fun of "Indigo Blues." So, I hate to say it, but Date With is a really uninspired, utterly formula Reens disc, and not even essential for fans - there's not a single track on here you need. For completists only.
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: It's a COMPILATION. "A Girl Like You," "Only A Memory," "Blood And Roses," "Beauty And Sadness." LOW POINTS: "Miles From Nowhere," "In A Lonely Place."
This is a compilation, so what do I possibly say? Well, The Smithereens were an above average retro college rock quartet to emerge from the 1980s, and they've been underrated as such. Although Pat DiNizio's songwriting could be spotty, his band had one excellent album in them, Especially For You. In addition, they were a TREMENDOUS singles outfit, a fact that is abundantly clear through this hugely entertaining, chronological retrospective. While some spoiled rock stars like Billy Idol have "best of" albums that are still cluttered with garbage, this disc truly lives up to its promise to represent a very good band.
Songs like "A Girl Like You," "Only A Memory," "Blues Before And After," "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" and "Top Of The Pops" display the muscular, riffy rock music that won The Smithereens the great respect of their fans. "Blood And Roses," "Yesterday Girl," "Blue Period" and "Too Much Passion" are brilliant showcases of DiNizio's knack for a good melody. The collection includes "Beauty And Sadness," a sumptuous neo-psychedelic tune with an innovative drum beat that brings to mind "Tomorrow Never Knows." The song is the title track off of a 1983 EP that I regret to say I used to own, but don't anymore (so I can't review it right away). There's also a non-album track, a cover of the Golden Oldie "Time Won't Let Me," from the Timecop soundtrack; it's average. I just don't think that "In A Lonely Place" and "Miles From Nowhere" were good selections. But overall, the disc is very solid. If you have any kind of ear for genuine, unpretentious rock n' roll, and you don't have this, by all means, purchase it as soon as possible! If you need something fun and catchy to listen to, this collection never fails to deliver. Avoid its crappy bastardization, Ten Best: The Best Of The Smithereens.
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