Meet the Smithereens!

Smithereens

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 16, 2007)
• Original Release Date: January 16, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Koch Records
• ASIN: B000025YLP
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (122 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,390 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Sometimes recording even a single Beatles cover can be a perilous undertaking. So for the Smithereens to have the impudence to rerecord Meet the Beatles in its entirety (even though some purists don't recognize it as canonical) is like taking the studio to edge of the cliff. But wait! While reaching the Fab Four stratosphere is impossible, this New Jersey pop combo, whose last record was released in 1999, comes about as close as any band could in celebrating the 43rd anniversary of this groundbreaking record. Sure, the lead-vocal fury that Lennon and McCartney created in 1964 can't be restored, and the three-part harmonies are less than hair-raising. But from the opening three chords of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," the Smithereens are respectful to the album's legacy, and let virtually no element slip past them. There's that "1-2-3-4!" countdown to "I Saw Her Standing There," the same virile harmonica in "Little Child," and a doo-wop tang to the ever-underappreciated "This Boy." And when "Not a Second Time" fades out the last of the album's 28 minutes, it leaves you wondering if the boys are bold enough to take a crack at Abbey Road in September 2009. --Scott Holter

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Cover, January 24, 2007

By	Oshram (Lakewood, OH United States) - See all my reviews

While the Beatles' influence on the Smithereens could always be heard, it takes a particularly special type of genius to cover one of your influences in such a way that captures the spirit of the original and yet reflects your own style. This is especially difficult with a group as outstanding and well known as the Beatles, and yet the Smithereens manage it here in a major way; 'All My Loving' sounds like it could be a DeNizio composition. This is a must for any Smithereens fan; I always knew this was an underrated band, but this album proves beyond any doubt the Smithereens are one of the best bands out there. An almost impossible idea pulled off with class and style. Bravo.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Smithereens Plus The Beatles Equals "Fab Four" Treat!, January 17, 2007

By	TAS - See all my reviews

The Smithereens show "all their loving" for the "Meet The Beatles" album with this wonderful tribute to the fab four's 1964 U. S. release. And what an excellent labor of love it is! The Smithereens affectionately invoke the original spirit of the Beatles' landmark album while still managing to sound unmistakably like the Smithereens in the process. Pat DiNizio's distinctive vocals make the band's version of "This Boy" both poignantly wistful and beautiful at the same time. His feverish harmonica playing on "Little Child" is a bluesy-rock jam that builds on the original John Lennon mouth organ blueprint. Jim Babjak prods his guitar to power pop and crunch on rockers like "Hold Me Tight" and he even takes a rare lead vocal turn on "Don't Bother Me". Severo "the Thrilla" Jornacion thrills on pulsating bass. Dennis Diken masterfully switches gears from propulsive drumming on "I Saw Her Standing There" to a rhumba beat on "Till There Was You". He trades vocals with Pat on "Little Child" and follows Ringo's example by doing the lead vocal duties on "I Wanna Be Your Man". The sum of the parts equals a whole lot of fun for Smithereens and Beatles fans alike as The Smithereens joyously celebrate an album that has obviously inspired them and pretty much everyone else who loves rock `n' roll. The Smithereens have taken on a daunting task here but it all works remarkably well from infectious beginning to triumphant end.

The CD comes with a fun booklet that includes informative liner notes by Dennis Diken, Beatles experts/historians like Bruce Spizer, Andy Babiuk, Dave Connolly, musician Lenny Kaye and concert promoter Sid Bernstein. The Smithereens "meet the Beatles" and what a delightful get-together it is!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant cover from a great band, May 12, 2007

By	BethG (Georgetown, KY) - See all my reviews

The Smithereens are NO Joke! I started listening to these guys when I was in college in the late 1980's. There has always been a Beatles influence in their music. In fact if I remember right a music critic once described their music as "the Beatles meet AC/DC".

While I never got to see the Beatles during their heyday (I was born in 1966), I have grown to love their music. I find the Smithereens album to be an acknowledgement and a "thank you" from them and bands like them that own a lot of their musical influence to the Beatles. Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

And if you want acknowledgement of true Beatles fans from back in the day of how great this tribute cover album is, my in-laws, who were in college during the Beatles invasion, LOVE THIS ALBUM!