Live (The Smithereens EP)

Last updated
Live
The Smithereens Live EP cover.jpg
EP (live)by
ReleasedJanuary 1988 [1]
RecordedOctober 1986
Venue The Ritz, New York City
Genre Rock
Length24:39
Label Restless Records
The Smithereens chronology
Especially for You
(1986)
Live
(1988)
Green Thoughts
(1988)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Live is a live EP by the Smithereens, released in 1988 by Restless Records. [4] [5] It was the first release in the Restless Performance Series, which was initiated in January 1988, releasing CD-only live recordings. [1] The EP contains six songs from a show recorded in October 1986 for MTV's "Live from The Ritz" concert series. [2]

Contents

The EP was reissued for digital download in September 2011 as New York City 1986 with the same track listing. [6]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that "the six selections (a perfect cover of the Who’s "The Seeker" joins the group’s own tunes) [are] flawless, the performance crisp and exciting." [4] AllMusic felt that the EP "preserves the band in top form, with Pat DiNizio's vocals boasting a tougher edge than he displays in the studio and Jim Babjak's guitar gaining some additional on-stage crunch." They commented that the EP is likely to be appreciated by fans only, but also shows why the Smithereens were "a potent live attraction." [2]

Track listing

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

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Blood and Roses" 5:42
2."Behind the Wall of Sleep" 3:20
3."Beauty and Sadness" 4:12
4."Alone at Midnight" 3:56
5."Strangers When We Meet" 4:10
6."The Seeker" Pete Townshend 3:19

Personnel

The Smithereens
Technical

Related Research Articles

The Smithereens American rock band

The Smithereens are 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>11</i> (The Smithereens album) 1989 studio album by The Smithereens

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.

<i>Green Thoughts</i> album by The Smithereens

Green Thoughts is the second studio album by The Smithereens, released in March 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>Meet The Smithereens!</i> 2007 studio album by The Smithereens

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!.

<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.

Strangers When We Meet (The Smithereens song) 1986 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.

Behind the Wall of Sleep (The Smithereens song) 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.

In a Lonely Place (song) 1986 single by The Smithereens

"In a Lonely Place" is a song by the American alternative rock group The Smithereens, released in 1986. It is the third single released in support of their debut album Especially for You. It features Suzanne Vega on background vocals, as well as guest musicians Frank Christian on acoustic guitar and Jeffrey Berman on vibraphone.

<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>Blown to Smithereens: Best of The Smithereens</i> 1995 greatest hits album by The Smithereens

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.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 De Savia, Tom (30 July 1988). "Coast to Coast". Cash Box . p. 6. Retrieved 29 June 2021. The series was initiated in January with a Smithereen's live E.P., which made impressive noise within the industry. All "Performance Series" discs are C.D. only, all are live recordings.
  2. 1 2 3 Deming, Mark. "The Smithereens live - review on AllMusic". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  3. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 650.
  4. 1 2 "Smithereens". Trouser Press. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  5. Goldstein, Patrick (19 June 1988). "Wild Style: While we're rappin', the good..." Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 29 June 2021. Our candidate is Restless Records' unique live CD-only series, which the local label inaugurated earlier this year with "Live" by the Smithereens.
  6. "New York City 1986 (Live) - EP". iTunes.apple.com. Retrieved on 11 February 2018.