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The Smithereens Play Tommy | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 5 May 2009 | |||
Studio | House Of Vibes, Highland Park, New Jersey | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 41:21 | |||
Label | E1 Music | |||
Producer | Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken, Pat DiNizio, Kurt Reil | |||
The Smithereens chronology | ||||
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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. [1]
It is The Smithereens' fourth cover album in a row, following two albums devoted entirely to Beatles songs ( Meet The Smithereens! and B-Sides The Beatles ) and an album of Christmas-themed songs ( Christmas with The Smithereens ). [1]
The album cover is illustrated by William Stout, who also designed The Who's bootleg albums Who's Zoo and Tales from the Who. [2] [3]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
PopMatters | [4] |
Ultimate Guitar | [5] |
Allmusic's Mark Deming rated the album three stars out of five, saying that, "the feel of the album is pretty close to The Who's version," and that "guitarist Jim Babjak may lack Townshend's epic vision and sense of flourish, but he gets the crunchy bash of this music right, and drummer Dennis Diken and bassist Severo Jornacion find a way to pare down the style of the most manic rhythm section in rock history while achieving some approximation of their power and musical sense". Deming added that, although lead vocalist Pat DiNizio's "deep, moody tone" doesn't match Roger Daltrey's singing style, the songs suit "the dark, dramatic feel of DiNizio's instrument, and Babjak and Diken contribute lead vocals on a few tunes that demand something lighter". However, Deming concluded that the album is "little more than an oddity for Smithereens completists and Who fans obsessive enough to want every cover version of their favorite band's work. In short, this gets an A for effort but a C− for practical utility". [1]
Will Layman of PopMatters rated the album 5 out of 10 and said "The Smithereens, packing dosed-up guitars that ring with power and full-throated singing, are up to the task of playing Tommy. The band, in short, sounds a whole lot like The Who. ... Loyal to the original to a fault, this record does too little to distinguish itself". There were a few exceptions, though, according to Layman, ""Acid Queen" is absolutely outstanding, with DiNizio sounding just like himself ... remaking the tune not only in the vocals but also in how the arrangement is layered in the brief bridge. And there are flashes in other songs". [4]
In his review for Musoscribe, Bill Kopp said that The Smithereens' reinterpretation of Tommy "in fact improves on it in a number of ways. First, the ‘Reens strip away the album’s lesser tracks. ... Second, The Smithereens answer the question posed in [the album's] liner notes: "What if the Live at Leeds or Who's Next [era] Who had recorded a proper, all-out rock studio version of Tommy‘s best songs?" Kopp added that "The Smithereens Play Tommy isn’t meant to replace your well-worn copy of the Who album, and it shouldn’t. But this loving and energetic tribute does serve as an enjoyable rethinking of that set. The Smithereens are well suited to the challenge of covering an iconic work without losing their own identity in the process". [6]
All songs written by Pete Townshend, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Overture" | 3:30 | |
2. | "It's a Boy" | 1:33 | |
3. | "Amazing Journey" | 3:15 | |
4. | "Sparks" | 3:31 | |
5. | "Eyesight to the Blind" | Sonny Boy Williamson II | 2:10 |
6. | "Christmas" | 3:23 | |
7. | "Acid Queen" | 3:29 | |
8. | "Pinball Wizard" | 3:02 | |
9. | "Go to the Mirror" | 3:31 | |
10. | "Tommy Can You Hear Me?" | 1:09 | |
11. | "Sensation" | 2:26 | |
12. | "I'm Free" | 2:31 | |
13. | "We're Not Gonna Take It"/"See Me Feel Me"/"Listening to You" | 7:48 |
The Smithereens is an American rock band from Carteret, New Jersey. 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.
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.
Jim Babjak is an American guitarist and ex-banker. He is the lead guitar player and co-founder of The Smithereens. Babjak has written and sung several songs for the band. He also is the leader of the band Buzzed Meg.
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.
Dennis Diken is an American drummer, DJ, author, music historian, and founding member of the band the Smithereens, which he formed in 1980 with Pat DiNizio, Jim Babjak, and Mike Mesaros in Carteret, New Jersey. Besides playing with the Smithereens, Diken is a fill-in DJ on WFMU as well as a liner notes author and reissue project researcher. As a musician, Diken has recorded or toured with, among others, Ronnie Spector, Dave Davies, Nancy Sinatra, Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las and Ben E. King, and worked with musicians such as Dave Amels and R. Stevie Moore.
2011 is the eleventh studio album by American rock band The Smithereens, released on April 5, 2011 by eOne Music.
"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" 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.