Kover Albums: The Smithereens

Any rock band that sticks around long enough will eventually do an album of cover songs. Many of these collections turn out as lesser efforts in their catalogs because the album is a 'contractual obligation' or simply a stopgap release to buy time while new original material is being written. Either way, the heart of the artist is often not fully invested.

Meet The Smithereens: Jim Babjak, Severo Jornacion, Dennis Diken, Pat DiNizio

But not this time. Today, we're talking about The Smithereens, the New Jersey rock band who have been keeping their music going strong since the early 80's. If any band was going to tackle a cover album project with all their heart and soul because it's a labor of love, it's The Smithereens.

These guys play rock 'n roll because they love it, because it moves them, and because it's their lifeblood. And, they're not a bunch of pompous 'rock stars'. This band is as down to earth as you could hope for. These are musicians who haven't forgotten the exhilaration of being a kid and hearing "Call Me Lightning", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Til The End Of The Day" or "I Want To Hold Your Hand" for the very first time. They are also no strangers to doing covers of songs they love, often releasing them as B-sides to their own singles and on soundtrack albums.

Since 2007, The Smithereens have released no less than 3 albums of cover songs, and these recordings are far from ordinary. Two are collections of Beatles songs; one is a front-to-back recreation of "Meet The Beatles". The other, a collage of Beatles B-sides, which are just as important as their album sides. The third set is a rip-roaring rendition of the landmark album, "Tommy" by The Who.

All of these tribute recordings are brave undertakings, to be sure. God knows there's plenty of Beatles cover tunes around, and it's regrettable that so many of them are, shall we say, less than good. Plus, there's bound to be a few detractors; those who are shocked or even offended that any band would have the temerity to attempt treading such sacred ground. But I say that those folks just don't get it. This band not only did their damndest to recreate The Beatles' arrangements, they did it while keeping with one of the cardinal rules of doing a good cover version, and that is, that they sound just like themselves. These are great sounding takes of Beatles songs, to be sure, but there's no mistaking that it's anyone but The Smithereens playing them. Also, and I direct this at those detractors, they're not trying to BE The Beatles, or The Who, or think they're better in any way. They're playing this music because they too, are fans, and because it informed and influenced them as musicians. It makes sense that they should play these songs.

Here's a track from each of the 2 Beatles albums, "Meet The Smithereens" and "B-Sides The Beatles". Enjoy!

I recently had a lengthy phone conversation with guitarist/vocalist Jim Babjak of The Smithereens regarding these 3 albums. Jim told me at one point that it was like talking music with a fellow fan over a couple of beers. As a longtime fan of the band, I really appreciated that, and in retrospect, I wish that some of my past conversations with other musicians of repute could have gone half this well!

Jim revealed that  it was singer/guitarist/songwriter Pat DiNizio's idea to take on the "Tommy" album, but confirmed that the spark for it came from covering the song "Christmas" for "The Smithereens Christmas Album". The idea for doing that song came from drummer Dennis Diken, and the band went for it, although the song isn't really about Christmas so much as it is about Tommy. Jim also said that at their concerts, the band would sometimes play the song "Sparks" as a lead-in to their own song, "House We Used To Live In". Plus, they've been fans of The Who since they were kids. Even the earliest incarnations of The Smithereens played songs by The Who, and they continue doing so today. So all of that led to doing "Tommy".

The Grip Weeds at the House of Vibes.

One other thing that Jim shared with me that I was very surprised by was that, at the time, no record company was interested in having an album of new original songs from The Smithereens. They had to do "Tommy" first, in order to be able to record and release their "2011" album. That makes me both a little sad and rather annoyed, considering the longevity of the band and that they are still being creative and writing. Guess it comes down to whatever some suit thinks is marketable. On that note, Jim also related a story about the recording of the Smithereens albums "11" and "Blow Up" for Capitol Records, which I won't repeat verbatim here, but suffice it to say that his advice to other musicians was 'don't listen to the suits'!

Both of the Beatles albums and the "Tommy" album were recorded by Kurt Reil of The Grip Weeds at the House Of Vibes in New Jersey. Jim said the basic tracks for the entire "Tommy" album were all cut in one day(!) and that overall, the recording process for the album went pretty smoothly. Jim did say that The Beatles songs required some "cramming" to get the sound right. I'd say it was well worth the effort! To get an authentic guitar sound for "Tommy", Kristen Pinell of The Grip Weeds lent Jim her '70's gold top Les Paul, loaded with P-90 single coil pickups. As a vintage Hiwatt amp was not available, Jim ran the Les Paul through a Marshall. Together, they got that classic Pete Townshend guitar sound, as you will hear shortly.

Tommy: the 1969 original

Many feel the original 1969 recording by The Who has a rather uncharacteristic sound to it. I agree; it's in check, almost polite. But in a live environment, their natural habitat, The Who were anything but polite. They were explosive, incredibly loud, and often chaotic. Even a passing listen to their astounding "Live At Leeds" album or a screening of "Isle of Wight: 1970" will confirm this. With that in mind, The Smithereens did their best to imagine "Tommy" as if The Who of "Who's Next" or "Live At Leeds" would have done it. The result is, at times, staggering. The entire band did such a great job on this album, but I've gotta give the MVP to Dennis Diken for absolutely nailing Keith Moon's sound, speed and signature fills.

Here's 3 tracks from the "Tommy album". It should be enough for you to get the feel of what an awesome job The Smithereens did in tackling a classic rock album of this magnitude. Play this LOUD!

There's one other thing. You may have noticed that the cover artwork for two of these albums looks somewhat familiar. You're right! The "Tommy" cover art was done by William Stout, whose work you will recognize with just a quick review of his website. The art for "B-Sides the Beatles" was done by Jack Davis, one of the greats of comic illustration, most famous for his work with MAD magazine. Getting Davis to do the artwork was something of a coup for The Smithereens, as Davis rarely does album art anymore.

You can find nearly every recording ever made by The Smithereens at Amazon, or you can visit the store at the band's official website. Music by The Who and The Beatles can easily be found, either at Amazon, most big box stores, or preferably, your local independent music retailer.

I'd like to extend a hearty Thank You to Jim Babjak of The Smithereens for being so generous with his time to talk with me, an independent blog writer, for this feature article. This is a band that truly appreciates their fans. Buy their music. Go to their concerts. You'll have a great time, I promise.