The Smithereens – Blood and Roses (live at the Court Tavern, cool video!)

If you enjoyed the previous link to the interview with Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizio, you’ll be happy to know that there is more news from the band. The live album that was recorded at the band’s old stomping grounds of The Court Tavern earlier this year, finally has a track listing and release date! And according to Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizio, we’ll see a DVD release at a later point, as well. Read onward for the press release, as well as the personal message from Pat.

The Smithereens – I Want To Hold Your Hand

The Smithereens are in the midst of a great creative rebirth, having put out a great tribute to Meet The Beatles, cleverly titled Meet The Smithereens, which was well received. They followed that release with a Christmas CD at the end of 2007 that had the goal to recapture the spirit and quality of classic Christmas releases that they had grown up with, such as the Beach Boys Christmas album. With the release of Christmas with the Smithereens, they accomplished all of that, and then some. The CD was one of my favorite purchases of last year, and promises to be a Christmas CD that will get a lot of play in my house during the yearly holiday season, and perhaps even a few spins outside of those winter months. It’s that good.

The Smithereens – Christmas Time All Over The World

I first got into the Smithereens in the late 80’s, captured as many rock fans were, by the 11 album release, which contained one of the songs that many people know from the band, A Girl Like You. The track sucked me into purchasing the album (back when people still bought music, right? That’s a joke) and I was hooked on the ‘Reens. Bought Blow Up day of release, and did the same with A Date With The Smithereens, which in my opinion, is one of the more underappreciated albums in the catalog.

It was the tour for Date that gave me my first chance to see the band live, and I would end up seeing them four times on that tour, including a show at the world famous Cleveland Agora, and also a show in Columbus, OH at the Newport Music Hall, where a band called Weezer opened the 3 band bill, playing to a crowd of about 10 people. Certainly Weezer have had a few accomplishments since that day, but on that day, they had what amounted to band practice on stage! The Smithereens were the first band that I got a chance to hang out with backstage, after that show, and they were (and are still) the coolest band I’ve ever gotten the chance to hang out with. Exactly the same regular guy image that they present on stage. That’s what you got when you met the band backstage, outside the club, etc.

They were also one of the first bands that I saw that would get mid-set, and throw the setlist straight out the window. Yell out Groovy Tuesday, and you’ll get it. Time and Time Again? Sure. One of the best live bands out there. Check out the Extended Versions live release, recorded on that 1994 tour for proof. There are just a few songs from the Smithereens catalog that perhaps I have never seen live. That was one thing of many that has always impressed me about the band. They have an amazing command of their entire catalog, and can somehow pull out the most obscure album track at a moment’s notice. It was always amazing to watch, because you really never knew what you were going to get at a Smithereens show, although if you had seen the band before, you knew that you were going to see an amazing show!

The Smithereens – House We Used To Live In

The band had a double live CD slated for release in the mid-90’s that got scrapped, and perhaps Extended Versions was sourced partially from those recordings. Hopefully someday, we might get that full double live CD. And now that I think about it, there was a Smithereens live DVD that was talked about last year, that hasn’t materialized at this point. Anyway, the good news is, that we’ve got a new Smithereens live release headed our way shortly, and the setlist is a barnburner…with two new tracks…..and plenty to look forward to. God Save The Smithereens, and let them keep making records forever!

Here’s the official press release and track listing for The Smithereens: Live in Concert from Koch Records:

NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire – April 14, 2008) – KOCH Records is pleased to announce the newest album by rock band The Smithereens. “Live In Concert – Greatest Hits and More” features music from The Smithereens’ four-night stint at The Court in New Brunswick, New Jersey, a musical home away from home for the group, which took place January 30th – February 2nd, 2008. The band, all hailing from surrounding Central Jersey towns, played the Court Tavern often at the start of their career.

The album features live recordings of two brand new songs, “Any Other Way” and “Since You Went Away.” The set also includes Buddy Holly’s classic (and a big influence for The Smithereens) “Well Alright,” and the ripping interpretation of the “Batman” theme, a live staple for the band.

For the past 25 years, The Smithereens have toured non-stop, recording and releasing Gold and Platinum albums that spawned Top 40 radio hits such as “A Girl Like You,” “Too Much Passion,” “Blood And Roses,” “Only a Memory” and “Behind The Wall Of Sleep.” But at the beginning of that long and successful road, the loved group spent many sweaty, rock filled evenings in the damp, close quartered basement of The Court.

Live at The Court takes us back to that hallowed ground and brings back the energy and edginess that was present at the beginning of The Smithereens’ career. The club was packed for every performance, and the love and energy for the Smithereens is evident on each track.

This album features the Smithereens in their natural habitat, playing great music for their hometown fans. It shines a light on the love of their fans, and what the group is about.

Additionally, Pat DiNizio shared the following information with the Steve Hoffman Music Forum:

link to original posting

Pat DiNizio (of the Smithereens) asked me to post his message about the forthcoming “Smithereens Live In Concert!” CD to the Steve Hoffman Music Forum. He writes:

There will definitely be an expanded (including interviews with the band, fans, writers, record producers, etc.) KOCH full-length “THE SMITHEREENS LIVE IN CONCERT!” DVD Video forthcoming at some point (but not released by KOCH simultaneously with the official CD release on May 27th), including the entire 79:00-long Court Tavern Concert, as well as lots of historical documents, extremely rare video and audio materials from the band vault, and very possibly, a brand-new documentary about the band . The Final 24-track live mix is pretty amazing, a great job done by engineer/producer Kurt Reil, and the mastering by Joe Lambert at Trutone, NYC, is very full-bodied, and in-your-face …There are non-CD release two bonus tracks (there wasn’t enough CD time available or left on the disc to include them on one CD!), “GREEN THOUGHTS” & “IN A LONELY PLACE”, which sound pretty awesome, and will most likely be given away at retail on some level-
There will also probably be 5 or 6 final edit DVD Live Concert Song Performances which will most likely be included as part of a online retail package to encourage folks to enjoy the entire live Smithereens concert experience, rather than just an individual track here or there…We’re still figuring it out as we go along, but we do know that for maximum enjoyment and excitement, if possible, the CD should be listened to in its entirety, from beginning to end, as it was sequenced and arranged to closely and accurately replicate a real-life Smithereens Concert…

– PAT DINIZIO

For more information go to www.officialsmithereens.com

(and for even more info, visit Pat DiNizio’s great and frequently updated website.)

Track Listing:

1. Behind The Wall of Sleep
2. Drown in My Own Tears
3. Miles from Nowhere
4. Room Without a View
5. Only a Memory
6. House We Used to Live In
7. Spellbound
8. Since You Went Away
9. She’s Got a Way
10. Yesterday Girl
11. Well Alright
12. Especially For You
13. Any Other Way
14. Top of the Pops
15. Time and Time Again
16. Blood And Roses
17. A Girl Like You
18. Batman

Great interview

part one

part two