Take Five: Great Covers by The Smithereens

The Smithereens are one of America’s great rock bands. With a deep sense of history and an understanding of what makes rock a vital force, the New Jersey band has made some of strongest music of its era. The Smithereens’ signature sound draws from a well of inspiration that includes girl-groups of the pre-Beatles era and the uber-heavy proto-metal of Black Sabbath. Combining those disparate influences, the Smithereens have made a highly-regarded catalog of music, beginning in 1980 and continuing to this day.

The group’s primary songwriter was rhythm guitarist Pat DiNizio. Alogn with guitarist Jim Babjak, bassist Mike Mesaros and drummer Dennis Diken, he navigated the group through the ‘80s, ‘90s and into the 21st century. Original bassist Mesaros left in 2006 (though he returned for studio work a decade later), and DiNizio died in 2017. But the band continued to this day with a rotating superstar lineup of lead vocalists including Marshall Crenshaw, Gin Blossoms’ Robin Wilson and John Cowsill.

As fine and enduring as the Smithereens’ original music is, the group’s choice of covers reveals a great deal about their influences. The group has even re-created the first two American Beatles albums, with the songs done ‘Reens style – but in honor of DiNizio – who would have turned 70 on October 12 – here’s a selection of some of their best non-Beatles covers.

“Girl Don’t Tell Me” from Girls About Town EP (1980)
The Smithereens’ first release was arguably a concept EP, featuring four songs with titles that included the word “girl.” Alongside three DiNizio originals, the EP includes “Girl Don’t Tell Me,” a song Brian Wilson werote and recorded with the Beach Boys in 1965.

“Hand of Glory” from Especially for You (1986)
Jimmy Silva is not a household name. But the songwriter was a beloved artist, friend to many in the business, and musical compatriot of Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows) and the Beau Brummels’ Sal Valentino. Silva passed died of chicken pox in 1994, and years after his passing, an all-star roster of artists put together a tribute album, 2010’s Through a Faraway Window. But the Smithereens recognized Silva’s talent early: his “Hand of Glory” featured as the only cover on their first album.

“Somethin’ Stupid” – b-side of “Get a Hold of My Heart” (1992)
The Smithereens’ eclectic artistic vision is one of the band’s chief assets. Dennis Diken can (and does!) rhapsodize eloquently on the joys of Joe Meek and Gary Lewis. And even the sole recorded duet by father-and-daughter team Frank and Nancy Sinatra was fair game for the Smithereens, who recorded a lovely version and released it as a non-LP b-side. (It’s also found on the essential Attack of the Smithereens compilation.)

“Well… Alright” from Live in Concert! Greatest Hits and More (2008)
Buddy Holly is perhaps an obvious influence on most any band of the rock era, but the Smithereens paid tribute to the rock pioneer with their reading of Holly’s 1956 song. In the process, they honor Holly and truly make the song their own.

“Eyesight to the Blind” from The Smithereens Play Tommy (2009)
The Who crafted one of the great rock operas with 1969’s double album Tommy. And they crafted one of the very best rock albums of the ‘70s with Who’s Next. By the time of the latter, the band had developed a harder-edged, powerful sound. The Smithereens came up with a novel concept: What would Tommy sound if it had been recorded in the studio with the Who’s ‘70s approach? The answer was The Smithereens Play Tommy. The original album had one cover, an inventive reading of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Eyesight to the Blind.” The ‘Reens rock it up.