Did Ya Hear It? The Sonic Differences On The "Date" Box Set

The Mysteries Of The "Date" Box Set

(Reechie compares the sounds found within the vinyl grooves of the DATE WITH THE SMITHEREENS special edition with those of the CD release.)

By Rich Firestone

Copyright 1996 by Rich Firestone.

CD's are certainly a nice, convenient format for collecting and listening to music, but it's far from the coolest, and one only has to make note of vinyl's stubborn refusal to die, its resurgence among music fans, it's warmer-than-digital sound, and full-size graphics to see why. With the exception of the two recent compilations, every Smithereens album has appeared on vinyl, even a limited pressing of BLOW UP (though I have yet to actually SEE a copy of this rarity!). In 1994, when the Smithereens released their lone RCA album, A DATE WITH THE SMITHEREENS, most record companies considered vinyl to be a dead issue, and it was usually only at the request of the artist that a limited number of records were pressed up. One imagines that there was some resistance to doing a vinyl version of DATE, until someone came up with a brilliant idea: A box set of four 45 RPM singles, featuring all of the albums songs, along with a bonus record of three tracks, otherwise unavailable on the CD version. To make things even sweeter, producer Don Dixon came up with alternate mixes of each of the albums songs, mixes that Pat DiNizio referred to as the "Four Track Mixes."

Listening to the vinyl box set mixes of A DATE WITH THE SMITHEREENS is a similar experience to hearing the mono version of the Beatles’ WHITE ALBUM for the first time. At first glance, things don't seem to be that much different, but listen a little closer, and subtle differences start to emerge. Listen further, and some of the differences become much more pronounced, and obvious. Unlike most modern stereo mixes, which are just short of being monaural, the "Four Track Mixes" feature much wider stereo, with the instruments positioned much more separately, and therefore, easier to pick out individually...again, another Beatles’ parallel, similar to the stereo mix of their REVOLVER album.

For the following list, we will consider the Compact Disc/Cassette version of A DATE WITH THE SMITHEREENS as the normal, standard version. The following represent differences found on the vinyl 45 box set. I compared the two by first listening to the CD, then to the vinyl, sometimes stopping to go back to the CD to check on a difference. Did I catch them all? I doubt it...that's where you come in. Do your own comparing, and if you come up with something that I missed, drop us a line, we'd love to hear of more differences between the two versions.

WAR FOR MY MIND- As this is mostly a live studio performance, there's really not much to add or subtract from this track, other than a more widely separated stereo mix.

EVERYTHING I HAVE IS BLUE- Some extra tom tom hits during the first verse ("See me walking..."), before the whole band comes in.

MILES FROM NOWHERE- Dennis' drumstick "clicks" are audible during the intro, there are some extra echoey "Miles...miles...miles" vocals before the last verse, and the fade out is a couple of seconds quicker.

SLEEP THE NIGHT AWAY- Several blasts of harmonica, not audible on the CD version, are present throughout the track.

AFTERNOON TEA- The vibrato guitar is a bit more prominent.

LONG WAY BACK AGAIN- Extra drums during the bridge ("Once she believed...), a voice whispers the lyrics to the last verse in answer to Pat's singing.

LOVE IS GONE- Opens with some acapella background vocals, leading into some studio chatter: A voice (Don Dixon?) says "That's the difference...magic, magic!" Pat answers, "It's magic time!", which leads into Dennis count-in.

POINT OF NO RETURN- The piano is more prominent, and a wider stereo mix.

GOTTI- No opening machine gun sound effects, and Pat's "Whoa's" are omitted. Extra drums in the last verse ("Used to be a Teflon Don...").

SICK OF SEATTLE- Probably the most fun track to compare, as the intro and outro sounds and chatter are extended, and in some cases, completely different than on the CD. For the intro, Jim Babjak can be heard asking, "Where the hell IS this place?," and a few seconds later Dennis Diken answers, "Ah, it's on the other side!" Pat's solo acoustic intro appears to be a completely different take, and even begins with a false start, Pat also doesn't say "All right...let it rock" as he does on the CD. During his solo, a voice asks "Are they grunge yet?" For the outro, we hear a female voice ask "Getting cold?" to which Jim Babjak answers "It IS getting cold" just before the fade out.

CAN'T GO HOME ANYMORE- Only subtle mix differences, such as a less prominent vocal, and wider stereo.

LIFE IS SO BEAUTIFUL- Extra harmonica notes during last verse. Some of Pat's vocals at the end are omitted.

Of course, one of the biggest reasons to search for the vinyl box set version of A DATE WITH THE SMITHEREENS is for the 4th record, featuring three tracks not included on the CD version. Side G features Jim Babjak's rip at the fashion industry, "I'm Sexy," one of the great lost Babjak tracks, that probably should have at least made the CD version as a bonus track. Side H gives us a look into the sketch pad of Pat DiNizio, first with the demo of an otherwise unreleased song, "Keep Me Running," featuring just Pat and his distorted guitar. A large drop out interrupts the song mid-way through (when I heard this for the first time, I thought something had gone kablooey with my stereo!), and the chorus of the song is a bit too similar to "Maria Elena," which may be one reason it was never recorded by the band, but it's a fun song nonetheless, and it also has not been released anywhere other than the box. The raw solo demo of "Everything I Have Is Blue" has turned up on an RCA compilation sold through the Zima beverage company. Unfortunately, rather than giving these tracks the CD treatment as B-sides, RCA chose to not release any commercial singles in the USA for the DATE album (and according to the band, a number of outtakes were available to RCA for just such a purpose, including a cover of the Kinks' "Rosy, Won't You Please Come Home."), and when they finally DID release a single, the TIMECOP tie-in "Time Won't Let Me," they threw in something called "Snippets," featuring the first minute or so of "War For My Mind," "Everything I Have Is Blue," and "Miles From Nowhere"... surely the most useless, wasted B-side in Smithereens' history!

Graphically, the box set has its pros and cons. A few pictures included with the CD, including the "Mystery Date" group photo are missing. However, those that ARE included (the individual photos, each member given his own picture sleeve) are much bigger here than they appear in the CD booklet, and for you lyric readers, the words are printed MUCH larger than their almost microscopic counterparts included with the CD.

Hopefully, somewhere down the line, some enterprising record company will lease A DATE WITH THE SMITHEREENS from RCA, and reissue it as the great lost classic it is, with a few of the more prominent vinyl mixes, and the missing B-sides included as bonus tracks.

A box set of vinyl 45's may have seemed a bit strange at the time, though it was probably just another case of the Smithereens being ahead of everyone else in the cool department: Recently, the Black Crowes released their 3 SNAKES AND ONE CHARM album as a box set of 45's with extra tracks. As usual, though, the Smithereens were there first.