The Smithereens, 11, 1989 on Enigma/Capitol

Third studio full-length from New Jersey’s own The Smithereens: Pat DiNizio, Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken, and Mike Mesaros. Belinda Carlisle guests on “Blue Period” and Maria Vidal adds background vocals on “A Girl Like You.”

Apparently the title is inspired by Spinal Tap and Ocean’s 11, but there are only 10 songs. These 10 go to 11? This is the same band that named a song “Especially For You” on their second album, after their first album was called Especially for You. I love all of them.

My copy—via the Worcester Record Riot—is a Speciality Pressing on Capital rainbow-edge labels from the 80s, with original inner liner.

#1980s #1989 #Capitol #Enigma #JimBabjak #MikeMesaros #PatDiNizio #TheSmithereens #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds #WorcesterMA #WorcesterRecordRiot

#NowPlaying THIS masterpiece of a record from 1997

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aICmNwOVUUM&list=OLAK5uy_kAKC7p6TfjK_PGgreqX0ox9ZWkS8Sq6DE&index=2

#90s #90sAlbums #PatDiNizio #TheSmithereens

Seven years ago today, we lost a legend.

(This post is heavily paraphrased from one I wrote a year ago, so if we've been following each other a while, you might recognize the story - this is mostly for the newbies!)

So, here's a bit of a long post/story.

Despite all the weird music I like/listen to, my favorite band will always will be The Smithereens. They play killer British Invasion (and Sabbath/Beach Boys)-inspired rock. Pat DiNizio had the BEST voice and was an INCREDIBLE songwriter, and he passed away today (December 12) in 2017. It still hurts. I was crushed then, and he is still so missed. The Smithereens still tour with other musicians filling in on vocals, just for fun and always in Pat's honor, as he wrote a vast majority of their songs.

So here's the long (but kinda cool/funny) story about Pat, The Smithereens, and one of their biggest hits, "A Girl Like You" (video at the end of this long post!)

I actually got to meet Pat once. He was doing solo acoustic shows across the U.S. and he came to Miami to play Tobacco Road. After his AWESOME solo set (seriously, the guy could play AND sing) I went up to talk to him, my idol, my favorite songwriter ever.

You know how they say never meet your heroes? Pat was a different breed. His songs are all pretty much beautiful or badass love songs, very tight and tidy, great for radio, but the guy goes 'yeah, let's talk, but I gotta take a piss. Come in the bathroom real quick. He's standing there, pissing, and he has the foulest mouth, it's hilarious. He's like fuckin this and that, just the nicest, coolest, funniest down to Earth guy. I was blown away.

Maybe a year later or something, I went to go see The Smithereens live at a festival with my sister. They did a lot of those. (I saw them a total of like, 4 or 5 times I think.)

My sister and I are down in the crowd, and I tell her 'I'm gonna wave at him, I met him recently, maybe he'll recognize me'. And she goes, 'maybe, but I doubt it'. I wave, Pat INSTANTLY recognizes me from stage, and points down at me, and smiles. The man was a LEGEND.

So here's maybe one of their biggest hit songs, "A Girl Like You" (another big one of theirs is "Blood and Roses"). You might recognize one, or both.

The story with "A Girl Like You" is that it was written for the soundtrack to the movie Say Anything (with John Cusack, one of my favorite movies) - but the people doing the movie thought it gave away too much of the plot, so it wasn't included.

Joke was on them though, it became one of the Smithereens' biggest songs.

I'm such a huge fan. I have vinyls, press kits, I adore this band. If you've read this far, you're amazing.

And if you've never heard them, you're in for a treat:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5LwjD8z2mOg

#80smusic #Smithereens #TheSmithereens #80s #80sbands #rockmusic #80smovies #SayAnything #PatDiNizio #JohnCusack #amazingbands #celebrities #legends

Remembering Pat DiNizio from The Smithereens

(October 12, 1955-December 12, 2017)

#Music, #PatDiNizio, #TheSmithereens

Today (and possibly tomorrow, if I don't finish it today) I'm listening to the full chronological discography of the Smithereens/Pat DiNizio solo records. Not including the cover records they/he did (Beatles, Buddy Holly, Who, etc) or the compilations - just EPs and full lengths. Also trying a couple live records of theirs (one is a bootleg) that I haven't heard yet. Even though the Smithereens are my favorite band, I'm notoriously averse to live records of any kind (although I love shows). But I'm gonna try em. The whole thing is like, 9.5 hours.

#TheSmithereens #PatDiNizio #80sRock #80sMusic #90sRock #90sMusic @wendigo

Today (October 24) in 1989, one of the greatest records of all time was released. Today is the 35th anniversary of '11' by the Smithereens. Containing one of their biggest hits (A Girl Like You), I've listened to this countless times. I re-bought a CD copy once. I have it on vinyl. It's beyond fantastic. They're my favorite band for a reason. Records like this! 🔥

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3enOPsLfdrehNuOHyZhlCEuDBc1_xfKc

#PowerPop #TheSmithereens #1980s #80s #80sRock #80sMusic #PatDiNizio #80sRecords #80sAlbums #AGirlLikeYou

20 years ago today on September 7, 2004, my favorite band The Smithereens released this killer 2 CD set of some of their best songs. I was 24 and I bought it then despite having most of these songs from their records. And still have my copy, I just found it in my old CD book.

Definitely worth a listen, this has some classics and also some interesting covers - and you KNOW those Smithereens boys love (and are great at) covers, just as their inspirations the Beatles were before them.

RIP Pat DiNizio, one of the nicest, realest dudes I ever met. Looks like I'll be listening to some Smithereens this next week.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBJowm4q7MUfNJHpAa53D0lSSWoI4E0fW&si=YzsRx389PMZuAQ8e

#Smithereens #TheSmithereens #NewJersey #NewJerseyBands #PatDiNizio #80s #80sMusic #80sRock

A favorite in my collection. Got this probably close to 1999. It's traveled across the USA with me from Florida to New Hampshire to Arizona. I don't know Lisa or Lance, but I sure am glad they sold me this on eBay all those years ago.

July marks the anniversary of the first Smithereens LP Especially for You. It's a special record for me, I've loved it since I first heard it in the 90s. My old Hotmail account was even based on the title of the last track, Alone at Midnight (one of my favorite songs ever - check its bassline! 🤯)

Mike Mesaros was hugely influential to my own bass playing growing up in bands, he's my favorite bass player ever. So talented. In the pocket a lot, but he shines on every Smithereens record. He pulls out these effortless, outrageous licks and solos. And he's a joker, he's drawn a mustache on himself here. 😂

I can't imagine a world without this album. It's like Buddy Holly, Springsteen and the best parts of the British Invasion mixed.

FROM JERSEY IT CAME

Listen to the masterpiece that is Especially for You here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy4u88AKUauLnSB9S1mLHPUn4ozBrsnR2&si=EMntXX3ytvEXvd7b

#TheSmithereens #JerseyBands #80sRock #80s #EspeciallyForYou #NewJersey #NJ #PatDiNizio #vinyl #records #PictureDiscs #VinylCollection #VinylCollectors #80sRecords #80sVinyl #RecordCollection #RecordCollectors

30 years ago today (April 26), my favorite band released one of my favorite albums. In 1994 my 14th birthday had just passed, I was getting even more into music, and A Date with the Smithereens was MINDBLOWING then. And to me, it still is. This is a RIPPER of a fucking album. From the opening of War for My Mind to lighter tracks to maybe one of my favorite songs of all TIME, Sleep the Night Away.

A Date is also an interesting look back at peak Big Record Label as the rise of big 90s bands like Nirvana (who LOVED the Smithereens, they'd play their tape in their tour van) and kinda 80s rock like the Smithereens (despite being British Invasion flavored) taking a bit of a backseat to heavier, newer rock bands. I loved both.

And 30 years later, I STILL play this one REGULARLY. They recently put out a box set with four 45s and a bunch of extra songs - I don't have the box, but I heard the extra songs, and they are AWESOME.

RIP Pat DiNizio, and long live the Smithereens (who still perform and tour with other singers, something I'm sure Pat would have loved).

Here it is, in all its glory: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP0IenmeCOtzOo7x_6-4rXQLabOz1xXMn&si=kEEcwhjWp_qsCIi4

#TheSmithereens #90s #1990s #90sRock #90sBands #80s #80sBands #PatDiNizio #ADateWithTheSmithereens

Still blown away 30 years later at how damn cool this song is, hearing this when I was 14 when it came out in 1994 was mindblowing. The wild creeping walking bassline, the odd riffs and changes, the guitar and bass flair- just a crazy, fantastic song. What a piece of music.

There's a lot of reasons why the Smithereens are my favorite band, and songs like this are big ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgiiSiEwFb8

#TheSmithereens #ADateWithTheSmithereens #90sRock #90s #1990s #90sBands #80sBands #PatDinizio #JimBabjak #MikeMesaros #DennisDiken @wendigo