11 (The Smithereens album)

Last updated
11
The Smithereens - 11.png
Studio album by
The Smithereens
ReleasedOctober 24, 1989
RecordedJune–July 1989
StudioAmerican Recording, Los Angeles
Rumbo Recorders, Los Angeles
The Grey Room, Los Angeles
Genre Rock
Length33:57
Label Capitol
Producer Ed Stasium
The Smithereens chronology
Green Thoughts
(1988)		11
(1989)		 Blow Up
(1991)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]

11 is the third studio album by American rock band The Smithereens, released on October 24, 1989, by Capitol Records. [4] It includes the Billboard Top 40 single "A Girl Like You". The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in June 1990. [5]

Contents

The album title was inspired by the film Ocean's 11 , "with a little push from Spinal Tap's famous line, "This one goes to 11", according to guitarist Jim Babjak. [6]

Background

The Smithereens switched producers for the album, going from Don Dixon, who had produced their first two albums, to Ed Stasium, who had produced albums by The Ramones and Living Colour. "I'm not sure what we were looking for...maybe a heavier guitar sound, like in "A Girl Like You". We were trying to preserve our integrity, yet find a home on radio", lead singer Pat DiNizio said. [4]

"A Girl Like You" was written by DiNizio on assignment for Cameron Crowe's film Say Anything... . DiNizio based the lyrics on bits of dialogue in the screenplay. When the film's producer asked DiNizio to change the lyrics because it revealed too much of the plot, he refused, and the band decided to keep the song for their next album, 11. [7] [5] Madonna was originally enlisted to sing the harmony vocals, but failed to show up for the recording session. [6] Instead, the band got Maria Vidal to do the vocals.

The song peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and at No. 3 on the magazine's Modern Rock chart. It became the band's first Top 40 entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 38 and spending 20 weeks on the chart. [5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Pat DiNizio, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Girl Like You" 4:42
2."Blues Before and After" 3:15
3."Blue Period" 2:57
4."Baby Be Good" 3:20
5."Room Without a View" 4:09
6."Yesterday Girl" 3:27
7."Cut Flowers" Jim Babjak, DiNizio3:40
8."William Wilson" 3:33
9."Maria Elena" 2:48
10."Kiss Your Tears Away" 3:10

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [8]

The Smithereens
Additional musicians
Production personnel

Charts

Chart performance for 11
Chart (1989)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [9] 96
US Top Pop Albums (Billboard) [10] 41

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Smithereens</span> American rock band

The Smithereens is an American rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio, Jim Babjak, Mike Mesaros, and Dennis Diken. This original lineup continued until 2006, when Mesaros left the band and Severo Jornacion took over on bass guitar until Mesaros' return in 2016. After DiNizio died in 2017, the band continued performing live shows as a trio with various guest vocalists.

<i>Girls About Town</i> (EP) 1980 EP by The Smithereens

Girls About Town is the debut EP by the American rock band The Smithereens. It was released on 31 October 1980 on the band's own D-Tone Records. The EP contains four songs with the word ‘girl‘ in the title, including "Girl Don't Tell Me," a song originally recorded by The Beach Boys.

<i>Beauty and Sadness</i> (EP) 1983 EP by The Smithereens

Beauty and Sadness is the second EP by The Smithereens, released in June 1983 on Little Ricky Records.

<i>Green Thoughts</i> 1988 studio album by the Smithereens

Green Thoughts is the second studio album by the Smithereens, released March 22, 1988 by Enigma/Capitol Records. The single, "Only a Memory", reached No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart in 1988.

<i>A Date with The Smithereens</i> 1994 studio album by The Smithereens

A Date with the Smithereens is the fifth album by the New Jersey rock band The Smithereens, released in 1994. It is seen as a stylistically consistent with the melodic pop sensibilities of their earliest albums, along with the more rock-driven sound and production of their most commercially successful releases.

<i>God Save The Smithereens</i> 1999 studio album by The Smithereens

God Save The Smithereens is the sixth studio album by The Smithereens, released on 19 October 1999 on Velvel/Koch Records. Produced by Don Fleming, it was originally intended to be a concept album based on the idea of the world ending as soon as the year 2000 started. It was the last studio album to feature bassist Mike Mesaros, who left the band in 2006, but returned ten years later for occasional live dates. "She's Got a Way" was released as a promo single.

<i>Especially for You</i> (The Smithereens album) 1986 studio album by The Smithereens

Especially for You is the first full-length album from New Jersey-based rock band The Smithereens, released in July 1986 by Enigma Records.

<i>Live in Concert! Greatest Hits and More</i> 2008 live album by The Smithereens

Live in Concert! Greatest Hits and More is a live album by New Jersey rock band The Smithereens, released in 2008 by Koch Records.

<i>Blow Up</i> (The Smithereens album) 1991 studio album by The Smithereens

Blow Up is the fourth full-length studio album by the Smithereens, released in September 1991 by Capitol Records. The album charted at #120 in the U.S. in October 1991. The album's second single, "Too Much Passion", became the group's second top-40 single, peaking at #37. Top of the Pops was released as the first single of the album.

<i>2011</i> (album) 2011 studio album by The Smithereens

2011 is the eleventh studio album by American rock band The Smithereens, released on April 5, 2011 by eOne Music.

<i>The Smithereens Play Tommy</i> 2009 studio album by The Smithereens

The Smithereens Play Tommy is the tenth studio album by Carteret, New Jersey-based rock band The Smithereens, released on 5 May 2009 by E1 Music. The album features the band covering highlights from The Who's 1969 concept album, Tommy, creating an abridged version of the original story. The Smithereens edited the original album's 24 selections down to 13 songs, with a total running time of 41 minutes, compared to the original's 75 minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strangers When We Meet (The Smithereens song)</span> 1987 single by The Smithereens

"Strangers When We Meet" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens, released as a European-only single in 1987. It is the fourth single released in support of their debut album Especially for You.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Behind the Wall of Sleep (The Smithereens song)</span> 1986 single by The Smithereens

"Behind the Wall of Sleep" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens, released in 1986. It is the second single released in support of their debut album Especially for You.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Girl Like You (The Smithereens song)</span> 1989 single by The Smithereens

"A Girl Like You" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens. It is the first single released in support of their third album 11.

<i>The Best of The Smithereens</i> 1997 compilation album by The Smithereens

The Best of The Smithereens is a compilation album by Carteret, New Jersey-based rock band The Smithereens, released in 1997.

<i>Attack of the Smithereens</i> 1995 compilation album by The Smithereens

Attack of the Smithereens is a rarities compilation album by The Smithereens, released in 1995 by Capitol Records. It contains a number of B-sides and rare tracks as well as previously unreleased demos and live recordings.

<i>From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology</i> 2004 compilation album by The Smithereens

From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology is a two-disc, career-spanning compilation album by the Smithereens, released in 2004. It features most of the band's singles, as well as album and EP tracks, non-album B-sides and a handful of rarities.

<i>Pat DiNizio</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Pat DiNizio

Pat DiNizio is the third solo album by Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens, released in 2007 by East West Records. Following two solo albums that showed DiNizio moving away from the sound and style of The Smithereens to explore new musical directions, Pat DiNizio sees him return to 1960s-style pop with a big guitar sound. The album features Smithereens members Jim Babjak and Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion on guitar and bass respectively, as well as Kurt Reil of The Grip Weeds on drums, who also handles production duties.

<i>Covers</i> (The Smithereens) 2018 compilation album by The Smithereens

Covers is a compilation album by The Smithereens, released in May 2018 by Sunset Blvd Records. It was originally released as a digital download on iTunes in May 2014. The album features 22 cover songs recorded by the band between 1980 and 2008. Most of the songs have previously been released as b-sides or on tribute albums and soundtracks.

<i>The Lost Album</i> (The Smithereens album) 2022 studio album by the Smithereens

The Lost Album is the twelfth studio album by American rock band the Smithereens, released on September 23, 2022, by Sunset Blvd Records. It comprises tracks recorded in 1993 for an abandoned album, and is the first album of previously unreleased original material in eleven years, since the release of 2011 in 2011.

References

  1. ↑ "11 - The Smithereens - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  2. ↑ Kot, Greg (26 October 1989). "The Smithereens 11". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Concise (5th Edition). Omnibus Press. ISBN   9780857125958 . Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  4. 1 2 11. Officialsmithereens.com. Retrieved on 25 July 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Junior, Chris M. (31 May 2010). "The Smithereens are still rocking after 30 years". Goldmine . Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Babjak, Jim (20 June 2012). "Smithereens 11: Guitarist Jim Babjak Breaks Down 11 Essential Smithereens Tracks". Guitarworld.com . Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  7. ↑ Freeman, Paul (20 September 1990). "Smash For Smithereens". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  8. ↑ The Smithereens - 11 (CD liner notes). Capitol Records. 1989. 7777-91194-2
  9. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 257.
  10. ↑ "The Smithereens Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved 25 July 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.