The Smithereens: Difference between revisions
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The highest position a Smithereens album attained on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' pop charts was in 1990, when ''11'' peaked at #41 on the strength of the single "A Girl Like You" (which hit #38). "A Girl Like You" was originally written to be the title track for the 1989 [[Cameron Crowe]] film ''[[Say Anything...]]''. |
The highest position a Smithereens album attained on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' pop charts was in 1990, when ''11'' peaked at #41 on the strength of the single "A Girl Like You" (which hit #38). "A Girl Like You" was originally written to be the title track for the 1989 [[Cameron Crowe]] film ''[[Say Anything...]]''. |
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The group is still active and tours frequently. The basic tracks for their next studio album of original material were recorded in early October 2010 and the album is expected to be released in |
The group is still active and tours frequently. The basic tracks for their next studio album of original material were recorded in early October 2010 and the album is expected to be released in May [[2011]]. |
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==Members== |
==Members== |
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Revision as of 06:37, 11 December 2010
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2008) |
The Smithereens |
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The Smithereens are a rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States.[1] The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio (vocals & guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar & vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar & vocals), and Dennis Diken (drums & percussion) . This lineup continued until 2006, when Mesaros left the band and Severo Jornacion took over on bass guitar.
The Smithereens have collaborated with numerous musicians, both in the studio (Suzanne Vega and Belinda Carlisle) and live (Graham Parker and The Kinks). The band's name comes from a Yosemite Sam catchphrase, "Varmint, I'm a-gonna blow you to smithereens!"[2]
Career
Babjak, Diken, and Mesaros are all from Carteret, New Jersey and graduated from Carteret High School in 1975. In 1980, they formed the band with DiNizio, who is from Scotch Plains, New Jersey.[3]
The Smithereens are known for writing and playing catchy 1960s-influenced power pop. The group gained 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. "Blood and Roses" was also featured on the 1980s TV show Miami Vice during the episode 'The Savage' (first aired February 6, 1987).
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.
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. The title and lyrics of their song, "In a Lonely Place," appear to be based on the 1950 Humphrey Bogart film of the same name, including the lyrics, "I was born the day I met you, lived a while when you loved me, died a little when we broke apart." The title and artwork for the album 11 were a nod to the original 1960 Ocean's Eleven film.
The Smithereens starred as themselves and were 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 11 peaked at #41 on the strength of the single "A Girl Like You" (which hit #38). "A Girl Like You" was originally written to be the title track for the 1989 Cameron Crowe film Say Anything....
The group is still active and tours frequently. The basic tracks for their next studio album of original material were recorded in early October 2010 and the album is expected to be released in May 2011.
Members
- Pat DiNizio — Vocals, rhythm guitar
- Jim Babjak — Lead guitar, vocals
- Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion - Bass guitar, vocals
- Dennis Diken — Drums, percussion
Former members
- Mike Mesaros - Bass guitar, vocals
Discography
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)
- Smithereens 11, 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.
- Untitled Studio Album, 2011
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, 2008
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)
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)
- Timecop, 1994 (RCA)
- Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, 1997 (Hollywood)
- Boys Don't Cry, 1999 (Koch)
- Burnzy's Last Call, 1999 (Ripe & Ready/Cellsum Records)
Albums made completely of covers/tribute albums
- Meet The Smithereens!, 2007 (Koch) (A tribute to The Beatles, covering the entire Meet The Beatles! album)
- B-Sides The Beatles, 2008 (Koch) (covers of Beatles B-sides)
- The Smithereens Play Tommy, 2009
Videography
- Smithereens 10, 1991
- The Smithereens: Live In Concert!, 2009
Singles
| Year | Song | Canada | NZ[4] | UK | US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Blood and Roses" | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | Especially for You |
| "Behind the Wall of Sleep" | - | - | - | - | - | 23 | ||
| 1988 | "Only a Memory" | - | - | - | 92 | - | 1 | Green Thoughts |
| "House We Used to Live In" | - | - | - | - | - | 14 | ||
| "Drown in My Own Tears" | - | - | - | - | - | 34 | ||
| 1989 | "A Girl Like You" | 62 | - | - | 38 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| 1990 | "Blues Before and After" | - | - | - | 94 | 18 | 7 | |
| "Yesterday Girl" | 76 | - | - | - | 16 | 20 | ||
| "Blue Period" (with Belinda Carlisle) | - | - | 99 | - | - | - | ||
| 1991 | "Top of the Pops" | 58 | - | - | - | 2 | 19 | Blow Up |
| "Tell Me When Did Things Go So Wrong" | - | - | - | - | 11 | 28 | ||
| 1992 | "Too Much Passion" | 22 | 33 | - | 37 | - | - | |
| 1994 | "Miles from Nowhere" | - | - | - | - | - | 17 | A Date with the Smithereens |
| 1998 | "Downbound Train" | - | - | - | - | - | - | One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen |
References
- ^ The Smithereens' All Music Guide Listing
- ^ http://www.sugarbuzzmagazine.com/bands/smithereens/smithereens.html
- ^ Cahillane, Kevin (2004-10-10). "Not Fade Away: The Smithereens' Monument to Persistence". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
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.
- ^ http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Smithereens&titel=Too+Much+Passion&cat=s