| B-Sides The Beatles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 2, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | House of Vibes, Highland Park, NJ | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 27:47 | |||
| Label | Koch | |||
| Producer | Pat DiNizio, Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken, Kurt Reil | |||
| The Smithereens chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
B-Sides The Beatles is the ninth studio album by The Smithereens, released September 2, 2008 on Koch Records. The album features the band covering Beatles B-sides released in America in 1964 and early 1965. [2]
B-Sides The Beatles is the Smithereens' second album to entirely comprise Beatles covers, following their 2007 release, Meet The Smithereens! , which was a song-by-song re-creation of The Beatles' 1964 debut American album, Meet The Beatles! . [1] Smithereens co-producer and engineer Kurt Reil explained: "The project started while we were making demos in preparation for the next new original Smithereens album. As the band warmed up on obscure Beatles B-sides they used to play in clubs, we soon realized there was some unfinished Beatles business for The Smithereens, especially in light of the success of Meet The Smithereens!, and the idea for a follow-up was born." [3]
The initial recording sessions for B-Sides The Beatles took place at the same time as the band were recording the Live in Concert! Greatest Hits and More album at The Court Tavern in New Brunswick, New Jersey between January 30 - February 2, 2008. [4] Since The Beatles' early recordings were made between tours in limited time, [5] The Smithereens, according to Reil, "wanted to capture that urgency in their own way". The band recorded the basic tracks for B-Sides The Beatles in Reil's nearby studio during the afternoon, "then I’d pack up my computer and head off down the street to The Court Tavern", said Reil. "I’d hook up to our setup there and record the evening’s show. We did this for four days, bouncing back and forth between the studio and club". Once Reil had completed editing and mixing the live album, the band continued work on B-Sides The Beatles, first adding vocals. Because lead singer Pat DiNizio’s voice was much lower than the Beatles' voices, the keys had to be adjusted, "but that helped us in that it instantly put the songs into a Smithereens context", Reil explained. [4]
Andy White, who in 1962 played drums on The Beatles' original version of "P.S. I Love You", reprises his role for The Smithereens' version on B-Sides The Beatles. [2]
The album cover was created by Jack Davis, one of the founding cartoonists for Mad magazine. [2] [3] Drummer Dennis Diken wrote in the album's liner notes: "MAD's influence on The Smithereens as a group and individuals cannot be overstated. It exposed the follies of our society and showed them for what they were: hypocritical, inane, petty ... and, through the pens of the ingenious writers and artists, hilarious! Our world could be tolerated much easier when we learned to laugh, especially at ourselves. ... I can't begin to count how many kernels of knowledge about books, movies, politics, colloquialisms and social attitudes were zapped into our psyches by MAD". [6]
All songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thank You Girl" | 2:03 | |
| 2. | "There's a Place" | 1:57 | |
| 3. | "I'll Get You" | 2:08 | |
| 4. | "You Can't Do That" | 2:37 | |
| 5. | "Ask Me Why" | 2:27 | |
| 6. | "Cry for a Shadow" | George Harrison, Lennon | 2:26 |
| 7. | "P.S. I Love You" | 2:10 | |
| 8. | "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" | 1:57 | |
| 9. | "If I Fell" | 2:19 | |
| 10. | "Slow Down" | Larry Williams | 3:00 |
| 11. | "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" | 2:39 | |
| 12. | "Some Other Guy" | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Richard Barrett | 2:04 |
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [7]
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.
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.
Beauty and Sadness is the second EP by The Smithereens, released in June 1983 on Little Ricky Records.
11 is the third studio album by American rock band The Smithereens, released on October 24, 1989, by Capitol Records. 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.
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.
Meet The Smithereens! is the seventh studio album by Carteret, New Jersey-based rock band The Smithereens, released in stores on January 16, 2007. The album features the band covering The Beatles' 1964 American album, Meet the Beatles!.
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.
Especially for You is the first full-length album from New Jersey-based rock band The Smithereens, released in July 1986 by Enigma Records.
Live in Concert! Greatest Hits and More is a live album by New Jersey rock band The Smithereens, released in 2008 by Koch Records.
2011 is the eleventh studio album by American rock band The Smithereens, released on April 5, 2011 by eOne Music.
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.
"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.
Christmas with The Smithereens is the eighth studio album by The Smithereens, released 9 October 2007 by Koch Records. The album features the band covering nine Christmas-themed songs along with three originals.
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.
Live is a live EP by the Smithereens, released in 1988 by Restless Records. It was the first release in the Restless Performance Series, which was initiated in January 1988, releasing CD-only live recordings. The EP contains six songs from a show recorded in October 1986 for MTV's "Live from The Ritz" concert series.
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.
Blown to Smithereens: Best of The Smithereens is the first compilation album by The Smithereens, released April 4, 1995 by Capitol Records. It features the band's best-known songs and radio hits from 1983's Beauty and Sadness EP to the 1994 album, A Date with The Smithereens. The album also includes a cover of The Outsiders 1966 hit, "Time Won't Let Me", recorded for the film Timecop and released as a single in August 1994.
Pat DiNizio/Buddy Holly is the fourth solo album by Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens, released in 2009 by Koch Records. The album features DiNizio interpreting eleven songs from the Buddy Holly songbook. The string arrangements, performed by the Encore Chamber String Quartet, were created by Charles Calello, famed for his work with The Four Seasons, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen and Laura Nyro. The album also features 1960s teen idol Bobby Vee on vocals and production by long-time Smithereens collaborator Kurt Reil of The Grip Weeds. The album's liner notes include an essay by noted Buddy Holly authority Bill Griggs along with reminiscences by Bobby Vee.
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.
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.
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