Customer Reviews

Green Thoughts

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Smithereens were one of the top forgotten band of the 1980s & Green Thoughts was a top notch album.
Spearheaded by the top 40 hit Only A Memory there were no weak tracks on this collection. AOR favorites House We Used To Live In, World We Know & Drown In My Own Tears made this a must have for fans of the band. Toss in concert favorites Something New, Deep Black & the title song & you have one of the most underrated albums of that entire decade!
Recommended for fans & for those who want to explore a really great album.

I found this cd through some random thrift shop pillaging and have been praising the heavens ever since. Green Thoughts is one of those albums that are so amazingly catchy and beautiful to the ears you have to listen to it on repeat ten-thousand times over.

The tracks on Green Thoughts focus around heartache but despite their emo-esque titles (i.e. Drown In My Own Tears, Deep Black, If The Sun Dosen't Shine) its amazingly accessible 1987 vibe puts across more than just the loneliness of a relationship gone sour. Green Thoughts is The Car's with soul and and Elvis Costello with power chords.

If you happen to be looking for an album with some beautiful melody and heartfelt lyrics, Green Thoughts is where it's at. It really is incredible.

The songs on here are a lttle lighter than on their first release and they try to branch out musically a little more with songs like "Especially For You" and "Spellbound", neither of which is in their tried-and-true Beatles-Who-Kinks vein. Like all their CD's, this is consistent all the way through.

The Smithereens a Carteret, New Jersey based band, had just come off a successful album "Especially For You", which produced their classic radio hit "Blood And Roses". 1988 brought us "Green Thoughts" #60, which I think is their best long player. Led by lead singer and guitarist Pat DiNizio (who has put out several good solo discs as well), lead guitarist Jim Babjak, bassist Mike Mesaros and drummer Dennis Diken. "Green Thoughts", is a pop-rock masterpiece to these ears. You have such songs as, "Only A Memory"- #1 mainstream rock, #92 hot 100, love that guitar by Jim Babjak, backing vocals by Marti Jones who's 1988 album "Used Guitars" is a pretty good album.

"House We Used To Live In"- #14 mainstream rock, another fine power-pop rocker.

"Something New"- Kind of country-pop, kind of resembles the early Kinks in many ways.

"The World We Know"- A great rocker with vocals by the late Del Shannon.

"Especially For You"- A 60's sounding AM type song, great sax by Los Lobos Steve Berlin.

"Drown In My Own Tears"- #34 mainstream rock, another great power popper.

"Deep Black"- Steady beat track, with Pat's deeper voice here.

"Elaine"- Punchy little pop number, good guitar by Jim.

"Spellbound"- Alfred hitchcock, A hypnotic tune.

"If The Sun Doesn't Shine"- A simple pop song.

"Green Thoughts"- finishes with this jangly popper.

Produced by Don Dixon, who was a hot producer during the 80's.

The Smithereens got derailed after their album "Date With The Smithereens", (it was during the grunge era.) and just nver recovered. They did release "Meet The Smithereens" in 2007 and had a little success with that, doing the whole "Meet The Beatles", album.

Green Thoughts is one of those albums that just kicks you in the pants every time you hear it - I wore out the cassette in my old Camaro in the late 80's, and I'm going to do the same with the CD in my Altima now in the late aughts. The gutteral guitar hooks, the thumping bass, the half-growl vocals, the pounding drums: they're all here in a nearly perfect example of straight-up rock-n-roll! Top selections: Drown in my Own Tears, World We Know, and every other track as well!

the smithereens were and are a great band. they started in the early 1980,s their first official full length album was called- especially for you, and was released in 1986.green thoughts which is their second was released in 1988.some people think the first album is the best,however i think they made alot of good records and green thoughts is one of the better ones.the smithereens have never been afraid to show their influences such as the beatles,the who,the kinks and others. in my opinion the great cuts on this one are;only a memory,house we used to live in,the world we know,especially for you,drown in my own tears,spellbound and green thoughts!if you like the smithereens get this cd!!i hope they remaster all the smithereens 80,s and 90,s records!!

Pat DiNizio, the Smithereens' main songwriter, said somewhere that he loves the Beatles as well as Black Sabbath. Green thoughts is full of lovely little tunes that the band infuses with a megaton of energy. Crackling, buzzing guitars and a rock solid back beat complement the mellow croon of Pat DiNizio perfectly. Nobody has done heavy power pop better.

Second Smithereens album. Along with Especially For You, makes up the truly important work of this truly important band.

Video killed the Radio Star. If this music came out in 1968, this band would have been a headline act. However in the MTV world, if your not pretty, you don't play. I recommend these guys to everyone.

Bueno tener este album debido a su sonido peculiar, algunas de sus canciones hasta fueron programadas aca en la radio en Guanatos...es + el Kala (Rostros Ocultos) se encargó de hacer un cover el cual fue un exito en español - con los Smithreens nunca lo fue - ("Tiempo de Cambiar" o "Something New"). Saludos de neta. Mork