As all the world awaits the upcoming Smithereens disc to hit the shops, the DSP "Reen-egades" offer a "from-the-gut" sneak preview. Staff members Michael Campbell, Frank McGuire, Dave Persails, and Todd Sinclair have ganged up to hurl their thoughts at you, and more to the point, serve notice. Buy this record! As if that weren't enough, Smithereen Pat DiNizio has graciously joined in with his unique and insightful track-by-track commentary for this very special review.
| REVIEWER | 1. "SHE'S GOT A WAY" (3:24) |
| Michael: | Along with "Too Much Passion", probably the only other Smithereens single that could be heard on a number of different radio station formats. Folks, if this song is promoted correctly, and everybody bugs their local radio stations to play it, it's definitely catchy enough to be a breakthrough hit for the Smithereens. You'll be singing it in your sleep. |
| Frank: | One of the best tunes on the CD and a great opener. Hopefully it will catch on with the public and not be thought of as a cover of the Billy Joel tune. Some nice lyrical phrasing and delivery by Pat that doesn't make it sound like a rehash, at least to me. |
| Dave: | This one is Smithereens uptempo pop-rock and a single, if there ever was one. I can't help but wonder if the "she" in this song is Liza. When Pat sings "I'm fine," it reminds me of the Who's "The Kids Are Alright." Nice, subtle harmonies at the end. |
| Todd: | This is a catchy tune whether it's listened to acoustically on the internet or in the full band version heard here. The test of a good strong melody is how well it is able to translate into different musical styles, and this one makes the grade. |
| Pat: | Co-written with Danny Tate ("You Should Know" from SONGS & SOUNDS) at my home Hollingsworth House in NJ, lyrics NOT about a girlfriend, they're about my daughter Liza! |
| REVIEWER | 2. "HOUSE AT THE END OF THE WORLD" (3:35) |
| Michael: | This song has so much potential. Anytime Pat sings with a female lead vocal it seems to work gloriously. Goodness vocalist Carrie Akre is certainly a welcome addition to the distinguished list of the band's talented and beautiful female guest vocalists. However, this song seems to lack structure after the first two verses. It kind of just fades off into a blur of backing vocals. A personal disappointment. |
| Frank: | Didn't like it at first, but it grew on me. Like much of the album, I think Pat took some of the flavor from SONGS & SOUNDS and sprinkled it throughout GOD SAVE - the result being quite a few tunes that don't sound like the "standard" 'reens tune. As a result, I can't wait to hear DARK STANDARDS & BLACK RUBBER SOUL. As always, PAT has found a way to move in a new and interesting direction. |
| Dave: | The recording starts off right away with the female vocal of Carrie Akre. It's not the usual Smithereens fare, but it is a more modern sound. The guest vocal does a lot more than simply fill Pat's quota of female singers per album. This one has the kind of great harmony vocals that soothe the savage beast. |
| Todd: | Like a Sinatra "duets" track on acid, Pat and Carrie Akre sing this brilliantly dreamlike track propelled by Dennis' martial drumming. It's unlike almost any other Smithereens track you have ever heard before, but, oddly enough, it also ranks as one of their best. |
| Pat: | Co-written with Carrie Akre from GOODNESS, the band wrote the music, Carrie wrote the lyrics, There is an entirely different V.I.P.'s version of this song that will be released on LiquidAudio soon. |
| REVIEWER | 3. "EVERYTHING CHANGES" (2:12) |
| Michael: | This all too short song is highlighted by killer bass lines from Mike and Pat's deep vocals messaging your eardrums. I would have liked to have heard another verse to make the song complete. The song just stops leaving me wanting more... |
| Frank: | Reminds me of the "classic" smithereens sound, and could easily fit in to one of the previous albums. But after the interesting twists and quite different sound of HOUSE AT THE END OF THE WORLD, the song just didn't catch my ear. |
| Dave: | Cool guitar riff, ominous, bass-heavy DiNizio vocal, with an organ accompaniment. There's more of the vocal harmonizing that seems to build as this album progresses. And it's short, too. |
| Todd: | Is this often lyrically gloomy band actually presenting us with the sunny refrain "everything changes but nothing is stronger than love"? The horror! Well, false alarm. There's still gloom lurking in the lyrical shadows along with a pretty good creepy melody to boot. |
| Pat: | An off-handed tribute or homage to JJ Burnel's group THE STRANGLERS. End harmonies inspired by THE ASSOCIATION. A plain fact; "Everything changes, but nothing is stronger than love." |
| REVIEWER | 4. "FLOWERS IN THE BLOOD" (3:35) |
| Michael: | What would a Smithereens album be without a song mentioning the color blue or blood? Yet another composition depicting death, sadness, and all things dark. Virtually guaranteed to get zero radio time, but who cares? Don't you have a CD player in your car? This is a classic Smithereens tune- turn it up and let that last bass note vibrate your speakers. |
| Frank: | Luckily, this wasn't a rehash of BLOOD & ROSES, as I'd feared. (And HOUSE wasn't a revamp of HOUSE WE USED TO LIVE IN). Love the guitar - which is more prominent throughout the entire mix (with Pat's vocal more "buried" in the mix and not as prominent) of the CD than on past releases, if i'm not mistaken. Sounds like a neat second single and should be great performed live. After hearing the CD for the first time, this riff & refrain stuck in my head the most. |
| Dave: | Guitar rock, and reminiscent of the noisy, distorted, late 80's sound of R.E.M.'s Peter Buck. |
| Todd: | The Smithereens exorcise their disturbed subject's inner demons herein while they simultaneously exercise their rock muscles. Throughout the song's shifting moody tempos, you may swear that you hear echoes of the "Date" album in your head, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're going "schizo" as well. |
| Pat: | A song about addiction and self-destruction written for and about a musician friend of mine. |
| REVIEWER | 5. "THE LONG LONELINESS" (1:39) |
| Michael: | I'm not sure if I was happy or upset that this song clocked in way under two minutes. While it reinforced my belief that a good song does not need to eclipse the two minute mark (i.e. a few pre-1965 Beatles songs), it left me wondering what would have transpired if another verse and a short bridge had been added. However, it should be noted that this one is 99 seconds of pure pop satisfaction. |
| Frank: | To be honest, the only tune on the whole CD that could have been included on GT and E4U. I think it has the overall best melody of all the tunes on the CD, and the most reminiscent of the "classic" pop-song structure. My second favorite. |
| Dave: | Here's a dish of lighter contrast pop. This is the sound that caused Pat DiNizio to be compared to Elvis Costello in the 1980's. Another short and sweet tune. |
| Todd: | Infectiously hooky 60's-style pop with a chugging rhythm section that is reminiscent of "Today It's You" from Pat's "Songs and Sounds" solo album. Like that other tune, it takes care of its hummable musical business quickly and succinctly. |
| Pat: | Title taken from the autobiography of Dorothy Day, founder of the CATHOLIC WORKER, musically inspired by the album "Beatles '65". |
| REVIEWER | 6. "SOMEDAY" (3:30) |
| Michael: | Immediately this song provokes memories of "Alone at Midnight" from Especially for You. A ballad in which the lyrics are moving, but the music isn't tiresome. However, I'm not a fan of the staccato backing vocals that appear near the end of the song. |
| Frank: | Closest to the obligatory "acoustic ballad" (Lonely Place, Cigarette, etc) even though it's not. Maybe it will be performed that way live? |
| Dave: | This tune is one of those that gets better with repeated listenings. It's got screeching guitar work, but it isn't over the top. |
| Todd: | This tune's intro zips in like an arrow through your heart, practically foreshadowing the dripping pain in Pat's vocals and Jim Babjak's agonizing guitar chords. A definite winner that deserves to be honorably enshrined in the Smithereens' "ballads hall of fame". |
| Pat: | A conversation between two lovers. |
| REVIEWER | 7. "THE AGE OF INNOCENCE" (4:07) |
| Michael: | Unlike any other Smithereens composition I can think of, this bouncy piece should be a surprise to even the long-time fan. Add trombonist Christopher Washburne from the Boston Art Quartet to the Smithereens musical mix and you have a very catchy, "tap your feet, snap your fingers" composition that, to me, sounds like something Big Star might have attempted 25 years ago. |
| Frank: | Didn't really care for it on first listen, but it has grown on me. I at first thought it sounded awkward, but I've come to like the flow of it. The brass, etc. gives it a sound unlike that of any other 'reens tune in past memory, but it does sound like an offshoot of SONGS & SOUNDS. |
| Dave: | Could have been written by Ray Davies. It's a whole song written around a groovin' guitar riff. And what's this, a trombone? It's the new Smithereens, kids. |
| Todd: | A parable for our times. "Now the time has come in the age of violence to say goodbye to the age of innocence". A nifty trombone part actually enhances the song's jazzy vibe not unlike the way the trumpet did essentially the same thing for the Beatles' "Penny Lane". |
| Pat: | Musically inspired by late '60's KINKS, lyrically about our society in decline. |
| REVIEWER | 8. "GLOOMY SUNDAY" (3:40) |
| Michael: | Amazingly, the Smithereens make this song even more gloomy than the original. Pat's disturbed voice is a perfect compliment to the dismal music, including a haunting organ that punctuates the ending of this dreary tune. A dark classic covered in a way only the Smithereens could capture. Makes it hard to believe that two days later one can wake up on a "Groovy Tuesday". |
| Frank: | A nice take of the classic. Maybe a possible third "single" (radio promo). |
| Dave: | I must say, I like this studio version better than the live performances I've heard. The guitars push this depressing song along. (And these guitars are gently weeping, folks.) More organ here, too. |
| Todd: | Death takes a "Holiday". Billie Holiday's suicidally bluesy number as edgily interpreted by the band and with Pat in his best grungy lounge singer voice. |
| Pat: | Our take on the Billie Holiday classic, arrangement inspired by The Beatles' White Album, a song that was actually banned at one time for inspiring several suicides! |
| REVIEWER | 9. "I BELIEVE" (3:12) |
| Michael: | An infectious tune that, if I had my way, would be the second single from the album. The song pumps you up with Pat and Jim's power chords and Denny's superb drum work. Overall an excellent song with a Revolver-like sound. |
| Frank: | Great guitar and drum work on this track, but like some others on the entire CD, Pat's vocals sound a bit buried and muddied in the mix. The overall melody also seems similar to YOU SHOULD KNOW from SONGS & SOUNDS. Add in the obvious Kinks/Byrds sound, and the song feels like an old favorite, but again lacks the spark of the other tunes that Pat seemed to steer in a new direction. |
| Dave: | Fast rocker, with a ringing, patented Smithereens guitar solo. (And Roger McGuinn is in the house.) An early favorite. |
| Todd: | Snap, crackle and power pop. Another one of my new favorites. |
| Pat: | Lyrically about the Afterlife, co-written with Danny Tate. |
| REVIEWER | 10. "ALL REVVED UP" (2:08) |
| Michael: | I keep getting a funny image when I hear this song. I imagine the Smithereens and the Beach Boys in a Saturday morning cartoon fighting the forces of evil. It's called, of course, "The Beach Boys Meet The Smithereens." After our heroes return victorious, they share the stage for a little ditty before the animation credits roll... This is that song. |
| Frank: | A much more subdued version of the tune I first heard during the Court Tavern workshops last summer. Pat played and sang it with much more of a harder edge live. Don't know why, but the pacing of this studio rendition reminds me of the Beach Boys, circa late 60s. A pleasant enough tune, but again, nothing that really turned me head like TRY, INNOCENCE and END OF WORLD. |
| Dave: | A little lighter version than the Smithereens presented on stage a year ago. It's the Beach Boys meet the Smithereens. |
| Todd: | Originally introduced as a riff-heavy song at the "Smithereens Workshop" concerts last year in New Jersey, this has metamorphosed into a catchy Phil Spector vs. Brian Wilson production number. Short, sweet and altogether wonderful. |
| Pat: | A Millenium song lyrically, originally about the Hale-Bop Comet people, but also about a couple I knew who were having marital problems! |
| REVIEWER | 11. "EVEN IF I NEVER GET BACK HOME" (2:44) |
| Michael: | Easily my favorite track on the disc. It combines everything that Smithereens fans have grown to love into one song. The raw power of Jim's guitar. Mike's deep, inventive bass lines. Denny's solid, to-the-point drumming. And, of course, Pat's emotional baritone vocal. Reminds me a little of "Blood and Roses". |
| Frank: | The same mold as EVERYTHING CHANGES. Pleasant enough, but no surprises. |
| Dave: | This song sounds like an outtake from Smithereens 11 that was heated up for A Date With, and finally born again here. There's a bit of backward guitar at the end, ala "House We Used To Live In." |
| Todd: | This one sounds like it could have been an outtake from the "A Date With the Smithereens" album. It contains hulking monster riffs and chilling Mike Mesaros bass lines along with a little bit of Beatlesque backwards tape thrown in at the end. This one ought to convince any potential doubters that the lads can still rock with the best of 'em. |
| Pat: | A ghost song. |
| REVIEWER | 12. "TRY" (4:10) |
| Michael: | A very interesting and welcome departure from the norm. You don't hear Pat sing the blues very often, but here it is! This wouldn't have been out of place on Pat's solo release Songs and Sounds. A blues-influenced number, it is an experiment that works perfectly. Ex-Blood, Sweat and Tears trumpeter Lew Soloff gets a trumpet solo here- a nice touch. |
| Frank: | The most interesting & unsmithereen-like tune on the whole cd. Very bluesy and would have fit on SONGS & SOUNDS. Maybe this is where the input from the other three came into play, since all songwriting credit is given to the entire band. Otherwise, all of the tunes have the trademark DiNizio style all over them, and without individual credits, or other local vocals, it's really hard to tell who wrote what. Too bad, I would have liked to have known. |
| Dave: | The acoustic guitar in this reminds me of the Beatles' White Album demos. There are subtle horns throughout, with more of the DiNizio blues/jazz influences coming through. |
| Todd: | Like a film noir movie soundtrack with a jazz-influenced feel to it. A daring excursion into musically uncharted Smithereens territory. I can like really dig it, man. |
| Pat: | Lyrically about confronting one's own mortality, musically inspired by the album "MY GOALS BEYOND" by Mahavishnu John McLaughlin. Featuring Lew Soloff from BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS on trumpet. |
| REVIEWER | 13. "THE LAST GOOD TIME" (3:26) |
| Michael: | Could easily be mistaken as an outtake from A Date With the Smithereens. This tune could get played on any heavy metal station tomorrow and nobody would think twice. However, although the guitar work reminds me of Angus and Malcolm, the lyrics and musical sensibility remind me of the Smithereens. If you like to play your Smithereens loud, this is the one to turn up to 11. |
| Frank: | Melody sounds very familiar to a previous 'reens tune, but I can't pin it down. Again, fits in the mold of the classic 'reens tune. I think placing TRY as the final track might have ended the CD on a more interesting note. |
| Dave: | More Smithereens heavy rock, just my brand. This one features some guitar torture that reminds me of Marc Bolan. (And I'll bet it's DiNizio doing the fancy fret work.) Simply put, this is an ass-kicker. |
| Todd: | This eerie tune oozes and throbs like an open wound. I find myself constantly humming this ode to death and destruction like an unlikely commercial jingle that I just can't get out of my head. Forget "Auld Lang Syne". This millenial "end of the world" tune is 1999's scary New Year's eve anthem. |
| Pat: | About the coming Millenium and the notion of "the end of the world". "GOODBYE, GOODBYE, GOODBYE..." |
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