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\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
The group\u2019s 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 \u201880s, \u201890s 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\u2019 Robin Wilson and John Cowsill.<\/p>\n
As fine and enduring as the Smithereens\u2019 original music is, the group\u2019s 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 \u2018Reens style \u2013 but in honor of DiNizio \u2013 who would have turned 70 on October 12 \u2013 here\u2019s a selection of some of their best non-Beatles covers.<\/p>\n
\u201cGirl Don\u2019t Tell Me\u201d from Girls About Town<\/em> EP (1980)<\/strong>
\nThe Smithereens\u2019 first release was arguably a concept EP, featuring four songs with titles that included the word \u201cgirl.\u201d Alongside three DiNizio originals, the EP includes \u201cGirl Don\u2019t Tell Me,\u201d a song Brian Wilson werote and recorded with the Beach Boys in 1965.<\/p>\n