The Smithereens
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| The Smithereens | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Carteret, New Jersey, USA |
| Genre(s) | Rock College rock Powerpop |
| Years active | 1980 — present |
| Label(s) | d-tone (1980-1985) Capitol/Enigma (1985-1991) RCA (1992-1994) Koch (1998-Present) |
| Website | http://www.officialsmithereens.com/ |
| Members | |
| Pat DiNizio — vocals & guitar Jim Babjak — guitar & vocals Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion - bass guitar & vocals Dennis Diken — drums & percussion |
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| Former members | |
| Mike Mesaros - bass guitar & vocals | |
The Smithereens are a rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group, formed in 1980, has consisted of Pat DiNizio (vocals & guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar & vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar & vocals), and Dennis Diken (drums & percussion) until 2006, when Mike parted ways with the band. Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion currently fills his spot.
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[edit] Career
Babjak, Diken and Mesaros are all from Carteret, New Jersey and had graduated in 1975 from Carteret High School. The three joined together to form the band in 1980 with DiNizio, who is from Scotch Plains, New Jersey.[1]
The Smithereens are known for writing and playing catchy 1960s-influenced power pop. The group gained some publicity when a single from its first album, "Blood and Roses", was included on the soundtrack for, and as the theme song of the 1986 Albert Pyun movie, Dangerously Close, and the video got some moderately heavy rotation on MTV. The group spent some time in its initial semi-celebrity phase defending itself in Rolling Stone against thinly-veiled accusations of sounding too much like The Byrds and The Beatles, pointing out that its Marshall Amplifier-heavy live sound was closer to heavy metal than it was to The Beatles. The Smithereens have always worn their inspirations proudly, but the band also influenced other musicians, most notably Kurt Cobain during the period he was writing Nevermind. Ironically, some feel the Smithereens (like many early 1990s bands) were hurt by the rise of grunge music.
Along with a basic Eastern-coast roots-rock sound that owed much to the inspirations of DiNizio, including Buddy Holly, The Who, The Clash, Elvis Costello, and Nick Lowe, the Smithereens deployed a uniquely retro obsession with Mod, the late British Invasion pop of John's Children and The Move, and other artifacts of fifties and sixties culture that lent its music substance and style.
The Smithereens featured as the entertainment in the indoor beach party scene of the Troma film Class of Nuke 'Em High, playing the song "Much Too Much".
The highest position a Smithereens album attained on the Billboard pop charts was in 1990, when Smithereens 11 peaked at #41 on the strength of the single "A Girl Like You" (which hit #38).
The Smithereens have collaborated with numerous musicians, both in the studio (Suzanne Vega and Belinda Carlisle) and live (Graham Parker and The Kinks).
The group, which has long had a reputation for playing excellent live shows, is still active and tours frequently.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- Girls About Town, 1980 (d-tone)
- Beauty and Sadness, 1983 (Little Ricky Records/Capitol)
- Especially for You, 1986 (Enigma/Capitol)
- Green Thoughts, 1988 (Enigma/Capitol)
- 11 (The Smithereens album), 1989 (Enigma/Capitol)
- Blow Up, 1991 (Capitol)
- A Date with the Smithereens, 1994 (BMG/Excelsior)
- God Save the Smithereens, 1999 (Velvel/Koch Entertainment)
- Christmas with The Smithereens, 2007 (Koch) includes three original seasonal songs
[edit] Live albums
- Live, 1987 (Restless)
- Instant Live: Music Midtown Festival Atlanta, GA 5/1/04, 2005 (Instant Live Recordings)
- The Smithereens - Extended Versions, 2006 (Sony BMG)
- Live At The Court: Greatest Hits and More, To be released in May 27 2008
[edit] Compilations
- Blown to Smithereens: Best of the Smithereens, 1995 (Capitol Records)
- Attack of the Smithereens, 1995 (Capitol Records)
- Best of the Smithereens, 1998 (EMI)
- From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology, 2004 (Capitol Records)
[edit] Soundtrack albums featuring The Smithereens
- Dangerously Close, 1986 (Enigma)
- Burglar, 1987 (MCA)
- I Was a Teenage Zombie, 1987 (Capitol
- Under the Boardwalk, 1988 (Enigma)
- Encino Man, 1992 (Hollywood Records)
- Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, 1997(Hollywood Records)
- Boys Don't Cry, 1999 (Koch)
- Burnzy's Last Call, 1999 (Ripe & Ready/Cellsum Records)
[edit] Albums made completely of covers/Tribute albums
- Meet the Smithereens, 2007 (Koch) (A tribute to The Beatles, covering the entire 'Meet The Beatles' album.) Named as a Disney Family Entertainment album of the year for 2007
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | UK | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Blood and Roses" | - | - | #14 | - | Especially for You |
| 1986 | "Behind the Wall of Sleep" | - | - | #23 | - | Especially for You |
| 1988 | "Only a Memory" | #92 | - | #1 | - | Green Thoughts |
| 1988 | "House We Used to Live In" | - | - | #14 | - | Green Thoughts |
| 1988 | "Drown in My Own Tears" | - | - | #34 | - | Green Thoughts |
| 1989 | "A Girl Like You" | #38 | #3 | #2 | - | 11 |
| 1990 | "Blues Before and After" | #94 | #18 | #7 | - | 11 |
| 1990 | "Yesterday Girl" | - | #16 | #20 | - | 11 |
| 1990 | "Blue Period" (with Belinda Carlisle) | - | - | - | #99 | 11 |
| 1991 | "Top of the Pops" | - | #2 | #19 | - | Blow Up |
| 1991 | "Tell Me When Did Things Go So Wrong" | - | #11 | #28 | - | Blow Up |
| 1992 | "Too Much Passion" | #37 | - | - | - | Blow Up |
| 1994 | "Miles from Nowhere" | - | - | #17 | - | A Date with the Smithereens |
| 1998 | "Downbound Train" | - | - | - | - | One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen |
[edit] References
- ^ Cahillane, Kevin. "Not Fade Away: The Smithereens' Monument to Persistence", The New York Times, October 10, 2004. Accessed November 3, 2007. "The band formed in 1980 when three Carteret High School graduates (class of 1975) and childhood friends (Mr. Babjak, Dennis Diken on drums and Mike Mesaros on bass) met Pat DiNizio, a Scotch Plains singer-songwriter-garbage man."
