The Smithereens

(Brett Milano has followed the Smithereens throughout their career, and his work has appeared in several publications, especially in the Boston press. His goodwill is noted not only by fellow fans, but also by the Smithereens themselves. The band commissioned Brett to write the fine liner notes for the BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS compilation. In this article from 1986, Brett offered a preview of the ESPECIALLY FOR YOU album and a mini-history of the band up to that time. With deep appreciation, this look back is reprinted here.)

Copyright 1986 by Brett Milano.

A lot of people are going to hear of the Smithereens this year, and it's about bloody time. For the last six years, The Smithereens have been one the best undiscovered bands in New York. So how come you haven't heard of Sadness was a limited release on a small label; or on the legal problems that put them out of commission for a year; or on their reluctance to do long tours. All that is about to change, with their overdue first album, Especially For You, on Enigma. Quite simply, it's a masterwork of pop-craft. Twelve songs, all with massive hooks, emotional clout and lively delivery (the guitars don't jangle, they bite). Add a handful of big names -- Don Dixon as producer, Suzanne Vega on guest vocal, and Crenshaw on keyboards -- and the result may be the best pop 'n' roll album since the dB's' Like This.

The Smithereens are four long-time friends, songwriter Pat DiNizio on vocals and guitars; Jim Babjak on guitar; Mike Mesaros on bass; and Dennis Diken on drums. "Most of us have known each other since grade school, so petty ego problems don't exist in this band," says DiNizio. Their first vinyl was a 1980 EP, Girls About Town, featuring four songs with the word "girl" in the titles, but the creative breakthrough was Beauty And Sadness.

Around this time The Smithereens landed a regular gig as a backup band for songwriting legend Otis Blackwell, who wrote Presley's "Return to Sender," Jerry Lee's "Great Balls of Fire," and other classics. "I always dreamed of writing with Otis, but I don't know if he had any respect for my kind of songwriting," says DiNizio. "I learned from him that you have to carry on, whatever happens. Here he was, a 50-year-old guy backed up by a band in their mid-20's. He was a good role model." They cut two albums together (good luck finding 'em) before Blackwell got impatient with The Smithereens for doing tours on their own.

It took two more years for the Smithereens to get a record deal, but the new LP reflects everything they've learned. The sound is a little darker and less Mersey-ish than the old days, though no less tuneful. Romance remains DiNizio's favorite subject, "becase that's what interests me most." There is one cheerful song written by old friend Steve Forbert. Currently the band has a video in the works, and one of their songs is even appearing in a movie soundtrack, the forthcoming Dangerously Close, so the Smithereens' unsung-hero days should be over.

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