The Smithereens

The Smithereens

The Smithereens are a rock group from Carteret, New Jersey. The group, formed in 1980, consists of Pat DiNizio (lead singer/guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar), Mike Mesaros (bass), and Dennis Diken (drums). The group gained some notoriety 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.

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 11 peaked at #41 on the strength of the single "A Girl Like You" (which hit #38). The group is still active and tours frequently.

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)
• 11, 1989 (Enigma/Capitol)
• Blow Up, 1991 (Capitol)
• A Date with the Smithereens, 1994 (BMG/Excelsior)
• Downbound Train, 1998 (Capitol)
• God Save the Smithereens, 1999 (Velvel/Koch Entertainment)
• Meet the Smithereens, To be released on January 16 2007 on Koch
• Currently Untitled, To be released in May or June 2007

Live albums

• Live, 1987 (Restless)
• Instant Live: Music Midtown Festival Atlanta, GA 5/1/04, 2005 (Instant Live Recordings)

Greatest Hits Compilations

• Blown To Smithereens: Best of the Smithereens, 1995 (Capitol Records)
• Best of the Smithereens, 1998 (EMI)
• Best of The Smithereens, 2006 (EMI)

Collections of rarities or alternate versions of songs

• Attack of The Smithereens: Rarities, 1995 (Capitol)
• From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology, 2004 (Capitol)
• God Save The Smithereens Deluxe Edition, 2005 (Koch)
• Extended Versions, 2006 (Sony)

Soundtracks they are featured on

• Dangerously Close Soundtrack, 1986 (Enigma)
• Burglar Soundtrack, 1987 (MCA)
• I Was a Teenage Zombie Soundtrack, 1987 (Capitol
• Under the Boardwalk Soundtrack, 1988 (Enigma)
• Encino Man Soundtrack, 1992 (Hollywood Records)
• Romy & Michele's High School Reunion Soundtrack, 1997(Hollywood Records)
• Boys Don't Cry Soundtrack, 1999 (Koch)
• Burnzy's Last Call Motion Picture Soundtrack, 1999 (Ripe & Ready/Cellsum Records)

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

External links

• Official Smithereens website
• Template:Last.fm
• The Smithereens discography at MusicBrainz