Customer Reviews

Date With the Smithereens

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was let down the first time I heard this, (Unlike the first time I heard "Strangers When We Meet" from Especially for You - I was in my car and played it 4-6(?) times before I heard the rest of the tape) - but after repeated listenings "Date" grew on me.

The album is very dark and moody - this album came right out when Seattle Grunge exploded and you can hear how it effected the band in the production and moody writing. I think the time they spent with the Record Cemetary of America was just a BAD time for the group or Pat was listening to too many Black Sabbath LP's, who knows?

Some songs just dont have killer hooks, and are played at too slow a tempo and just plod on, but its not a total waste of plastic by far. The best songs on is the upbeat (but downcast) "Love Is Gone" written by Jim Babjak, and Pat's "Miles From Nowhere", and the heavy "Everything I Have Is Blue".

BTW get the original CD from a Used or Cutout bin, not the budget reissue with the deleted liner notes and lyrics.

This criminally overlooked release by the Smithereens ranks as one of the best pop albums of the 90s. The songs and performances are as good as anything the band released in their prime late eighties period.
If you do not own this, do yourself a favor as "Date" is as great a pop jem as "11" and "Blow Up". Long live The Smithereens.

I have been a fan of this band ever since I heard "Blood and Roses", and ran out and bought vinyl the next day. I have every one of their albums but the last, having bought "Date" maybe 2 years ago in the cutouts.

I'm not sure why everyone is so down on this album. The only bad thing I can say is that several of the songs sound very similar to each other - so OK, Pat's imagination was a little (...) during this period. But a couple songs really stand out. "Gotti" is a great rock tune, while I think "Afternoon Tea" is perhaps now my favorite Smithereens song. (I happen to think their mellow stuff is underrated - I think they stand among my favorites from this band).

This is not a terrific collection, but it DID whet my appetite for more, rather than convince me the band is dead. Of course, the 6 years of silence had me worried. Now I've gotta go out and get their most recent.

I absolutely love the Smithereens, and although this album certainly is not their best work, neither is it a complete waste.

By the extremely high standards that the band set on their first few albums, yes, they do seem to be phoning it in. There's a feeling of directionlessness here, so this is a poor concept album. However, the power pop and Merseybeat tracks - Miles From Nowhere, Point Of No Return, Love Is Gone, Long Way Back Again and the fabulously Revolver-like Gotti - stand up for themselves. So buy it, program your CD player to just hit the highlights, and pretend this is an EP.

The Smithereens are unabashedly derivative of "classic" rock; they excel at making music the way it was done in the mid- to late-60s. They love doing what they do (this is patently obvious to anyone who's seen them perform live) and while they have not gained a mass market appeal, they have gained a loyal cult following that loves hearing them do their thing. I hope there are enough of us to keep their efforts worthwhile.

I love the Smithereens. This fab foursome makes great music. I thought this album was a great comeback after their last effort, but unfortunately it was unable to produce another "A Girl Like You" single. Still, the hooks and the guitar work are right on. I saw them on the tour that promoted this album and they played the first three tracks -- they ROCKED.

Date With The Smithereens reunited the band with engineer Don Dixon, who was responsible for the band's two best albums (Especially For You and Green Thoughts). The band is back to sounding its best, and there are some good songs here. Unfortunately, the album doesn't really come together; too many of the songs sound too much alike, largely because of the similar tempos. Think of the chugging beat of Blood and Roses applied to every song, and you have the overall impression that this album gives the listener. It's not really QUITE like that, but somehow it ends up feeling that way.

Two editions of Date With The Smithereens were issued; the CD, and a boxed set of 7" 45rpm records with two songs on each side. The 45rpm version features different mixes of the songs than the CD, so serious Smithereens fans will want to have both versions.

With a unique Beatlesque sound, and powered by the single Blood and Roses, The Smithereens appeared to have a world of promise, when their debut album, Especially For You (1986) was released. With a ton of great songs, in a variety of styles, the band led by Pat DiNizio, could delve into the dark side, rock out, or get melancholy and sensitive. For whatever reasons, the band was never really able to top their first album, in terms of great songs from start to finish, in their next few studio releases. The band's sound evolved, but not very much, and after a while the music started to sound a bit recycled. Except for hard core fans, the public mostly moved on, and eventually the band ceased producing new music.

A Date with the Smithereens (1994) is at the tail end of their initial active period. Musically it is very familiar territory for the band, a nice mix of dark toned melodic rock, slow halting ballads, and a little coffee house blues. There's not much of the Beatles influence, as the tone of the songs is mostly downbeat, and perhaps a trifle depressing at times. The band is aggressive on War In My Mind, and displays some energy on Can't Go Home Again, Love is Gone, and Everything I Have is Blue, all good songs, but that's about it for the upbeat stuff. Love Is Gone, and Long Way Back Again are the best of the midtempo tunes. Sleepy songs, like Afternoon Tea, Life is So Beautiful, Sleep the Night Away, and Sick of Seattle may drag things down a bit lower than you care to go. If you are familiar with their previous albums, this record has musical variety similar to Blow Up (1991), but with a more raw sound. Disappointingly, Jim Babjack's solos are rather limited, and mostly lack the fire that he is very well capable of.

The Smithereens' music is basically built on chord progressions, rather than riffs, which gives them a rather similar sound, from album to album. That sameness, may or may not, appease your musical tastes. It seems that the band ran out of things to say, until they decided to cover material by others, notably The Beatles, and more recently The Who's classic concept album Tommy. The Smithereens are a talented group, and while covering the music of others may be inspirational to them, and provide an outlet for their talent, one can't help but hope that the band does have more to say, and someday will produce more original music.

This is the Smithereens strongest album since 11. Filled with great pop hooks and Pat DiNuzio's bitter lyrics, every song has drive. Even the album name and cover are a riot, reminding you these guys are the anti-pretty boys.

Standout tracks: War for My Mind, Can't go Home Anymore, Miles from Nowhere.

Power pop at its best. Pick this one up!

I've liked the Smithereens for a long time, but let's face it, every band has some uneven periods, and a few weak albums. This one just isn't gripping... it fizzles out quickly in the second half. Focus on getting one of the "classic" CDs or a best-of compilation. You won't miss what's here.