The Smithereens - Live in Concert! Greatest Hits and More (Koch)
Smithereens Re-Energize Their Garage Rock Roots at The Court Tavern
By Phil Rainone
Almost 30 years ago The Smithereens (I always thought that was a great name for a band) were formed. With their 60's-influenced power pop sound (they count The Beatles, Bo Brummels, and The Guess Who as major reference points), the group developed a dedicated fan base that has stayed with them for decades.
My memories of the band start in the 70's when they had played at the eclectic Broadway Central Cafe (rebuilt from the ground up, The Blue Moon Cafe carries on the tradition) in South Amboy. (Wayne Tayback, the previous owner and artist, had in recent years done a custom paint job for Jim Babjak's guitar. )
The Smithereens returned to the scene of youthful indiscretions, The Court Tavern in New Brunswick, for four days to capture some of the best rock 'n roll on tape - well, actually a computer - for an album of past, present, and future hits, including a lot of good vibrations along the way!
The single disc, 18-song set of live material is paired with two new tunes, "Since You Went Away and "Any Other Way," both of which are shining power-pop gems that hopefully will be the roots of a new Smithereens album in the near future.
Lead singer and guitarist Pat Dinizio's songwriting has never been better, and the entire group - including Dennis Diken on drums and vocals, Jim Babjak on guitar and vocals, and Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion on bass and vocals - sounds like a band inspired.
Their late-80's/ early 90's hits like "Blood and Roses," "Only a Memory," and their commercial break through rocker, "A Girl Like You," are given a traditional but limb-loosening exorcism, fueled by the ecstatic crowd and a few Budweisers. Garage rock at it's best!! They kick off the disc with the hot rocker "Behind the Wall of Sleep," rallying the faithful and newcomers alike with a story of lust and love. In its live form, it sounds as vibrant and essential as it did originally. "House We Used to Live In" has the band burning through a long psychedelic jam at the end, while you can almost picture Babjak doing his best Pete Townshend-like windmilling! This CD begs to be put out as a DVD also.
The Court Tavern is still owned by Bobby and Eileen Albert, who ran the club when the Smithereens first played there in the early 1980’s. The tickets were $5 like they were in '81, which I thought was a really cool idea, even though tickets were hard to come by.
The two covers included on "Live in Concert" are Buddy Holly's "Well Alright" (Pat Dinizio is a huge Holly fan, brought Buddy's original tape recorder, met his widow, Maria Elaina, and even wrote a song about her) done here as a slow, burning rocker of a love song. The closing number, "Batman Theme" has been one of the Smithereens’ staple cover songs. The otherwise silly 60's TV tune in their hands is twisted into a surf-rock stomper, complete with a quick but pounding drum solo that Dick Dale or The Ventures would be envious of.
The Smithereens are enjoying a renaissance. Besides the release of their live album, they've also released a Beatles' tribute album. "Meet The Smithereens" is an inspired song-by-song cover of "Meet The Beatles," and last Christmas they released a rock 'n' roll Christmas album. They're said to be recording a new batch of songs that will be the first from the band since 1999's "God Save The Smithereens." About a year ago Pat Dinizio had played a solo set in Red Bank for 90.5 The Night. It was a night of passion, inspiration, and rock 'n' roll. With the live album and two cover LP's under their belt, you can almost feel the mojo building
for their future!
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