Classic or Dud? The Smithereens

I haven't gotten one of their albums since "11", but have saw them live quite a few times. I like the three albums I still have.

classic, and a killer live band back in the day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hERot7SrVYo

Details for The Smithereens Mega-Box Set (21 DISCS OF RARITIES! 320kbps)

This massive 21-disc box set was available exclusively on patdinizio.com back in 2005 in a limited edition of 500 copies. (One lucky buyer got a special bonus: a free living room show from Pat himself.) It's long been sold out, so here it is in all its glory - nearly 27 hours of demos, rehearsals, outtakes and live performances. Obviously, this is meant for completists, so if you have any interest in this torrent, I urge you to buy the new Smithereens album, "Smithereens 2011" which is a fantastic return to form.

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'especially for you' is one of my favourite 80s records ever. yes, the lyrics are trite and scrape tiresomely from the bottom of the cliche-barrel ....

Especially For You one of the best of the '80s - "Strangers When We Meet", "Behind the Wall of Sleep", and "In a Lonely Place" would be worth the cost of the CD, or even twice the cost of the CD i bought when it was new. Green Thoughts was a decent follow-up, although it felt like a sequel - a bit of a retread of the earlier album but still nearly as good. I still don't know why the song "Especially For You" is on the latter album rather than the album of the same name.

They just released a new album, btw. It starts out good, but trails into dullness before too long (like most late period Smithereens records do).

I always liked "Girl Like You." Someone said they were The Beatles meets AC/DC, which is a winning combination. Should check out more of their stuff other than the album or two I have...

Just heard one of the new songs ("Sorry") on kpft--they haven't changed at all.

Shocking news, sadly -- Pat DiNizio has died

https://www.facebook.com/thesmithereens/posts/1891313274229872

Further statement from the rest of the band

https://www.facebook.com/thesmithereens/posts/1891350624226137

RIP. I loved this band in high school

RIP. Underrated riffy NJ power-pop.

Boo. That last-U2-album-you-bought thread reminded me that a girl I liked in high school gave me a taped copy of Joshua Tree which I didn't like much but I REALLY liked what she had on the b-side: Especially For You. That album is wall to wall hooks.

I worked in a mall record store when I was in high school. We didn't get to choose the 'approved' albums to play in-store, and Green Thoughts was the best of the lot.

I really liked Green Thoughts when it came out. Pretty much every song was a very sour take on romance, which resonated with me at the time. I got a sense that DiNizio was a pretty lonely guy.

I heard "Only a Memory" on the radio and made my mom buy the tape (in a mall record store), which she liked better than I did (though I still really like that song). At some point 10+ years ago or so, I sat next to him on an airplane and 1) he recognized the book I was reading and we chatted about it. He was a really nice guy who treated me like a human being. He was with a child I believe was his daughter. RIP, too soon!!

my first bass teacher was an older college kids who was into "college rock" when I was a little 13/14 rat who wanted to learn Whitesnake and Maiden stuff, anyway he introduced me to REM and also really insisted I learn "Blood and Roses" (which really has a very nice, simple and very melodic bassline) so I always had a certain place in my heart for this band. RIP.

i loved these guys in college, they had such a great throwback sound & goddamn i love Pat’s voice

huge fan of their 2007 Christmas album too
https://youtu.be/Y2B_v2vInLM

xxpost la lechera that’s such a nice memory <3

it was a really nice memory! we were stuck by the bathrooms and utterly crammed into a much-too-small spot for three people. the potential for bad things happening was huge, and nothing bad happened at all. he seemed like a standup guy. plus he knew harvest home and we talked about the widow fortune, and how bette davis played her in the tv miniseries (which is now available on dvd, i learned recently!)

they replayed his 1988 interview with terry gross on fresh air today https://www.npr.org/2017/12/13/570469380/remembering-smithereens-songwriter-and-lead-singer-pat-dinizio

oh nice i’ll give that a listen

Saw the smithereens outside Detroit with a cousin back in '95, and we were both impressed with how friendly and approachable DiNizio was after the show, the three of us chatting about Rickenbackers and other stuff for maybe ten minutes. Nice guy.

RIP

11 was big in my dad's cd rotation for a few years when i was growing up. i doubt i've heard it since '92 or so but damned if i couldn't summon the "girl like you" riff instantly. i'll give it a listen tomorrow. r.i.p.

"In a Lonely Place" -The Smithereens

His voice was just right for this tearjerker. Lyrics may have been cliché, but the vocal delivery, melody and instrumentation made it work

I first heard/saw them on IRS' The Cutting Edge, must've been late summer or early fall of 1986. They scratched a number of itches: loose, propulsive drumming; hooks; easy-to-play songs (I started playing guitar that year, and quickly learned "Blood & Roses," "Behind The Wall Of Sleep," and a few others); and Rickenbackers! Coming off a Jam obsession, whenever I saw a band with Rickenbackers I figured they must have something decent happening. I really dug Especially and Green Thoughts, but never kept up with them after that (and I desperately wanted to see them live in '86-'87, but going to a show alone on a school night was always a non-starter with my parents). I should probably listen to their version of Tommy.

Looking over the track listing for Especially, while I haven't listened to it in 30 years, I could hum (and/or air-drum) every one of those songs. They knew how to put some hooks together.

The Tommy stuff is so good, I forgot how good it is

I listened to "Especially For You" last night for the first time in years. So many good songs.

"Hand of Glory" made me wonder if the album was in John Squire's rotation at the time -- the verses are very "Waterfall."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_IUR6eeQ60

def saw them in the #2 spot at several shows, not as headliners i don't think

Love 'Behind the Wall of Sleep'. Opening line is one of my favourites, just such a concise and evocative image.

I got to know Pat a bit over the years. He was a great guy, and very talented.

Saw them a few times in the Green Thoughts/11 era whenever they came through LA. Never met Pat, but did talk to a super-boisterious Jim Babjak who gave me a guitar pick, revealed that the secrets to their songs was to tune the guitars down a step and play the Kinks ("tune down twice and you'll get Sabbath!") and said that playing on stage with Dave Davies was like playing baseball with Mickey Mantle.

RIP Pat. Those first four albums are master-classes in solid guitar-pop songwriting.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/92052668353/permalink/10156532524588354/