Hard rockers and pop gems: Smithereens to release 'The Lost Album' on Sept. 23
It's destiny.
The new lost Smithereens album, aptly named “The Lost Album,” was recorded in 1993 with late lead singer Pat DiNizio and will be released on Sept. 23 by Sunset Blvd. Records on all digital formats and CD. The band was between record contracts with Capitol and RCA at the time of the recording.
“This was all we knew how to do. The three of us grew up together and always wanted to be together and play together,” said Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken, who formed the group with fellow Carteret native Jim Babjak and Mike Mesaros. They were joined by DiNizio of Scotch Plains in 1980. “It kind of seemed like it was our destiny and we felt that we were still very vital, no matter what some people were saying. There was always that forward-looking sense to the way we did this. We always said ‘What’s next?’ "
The band had released songs like “Blood and Roses, “Behind the Wall of Sleep,” “Only a Memory,” “House We Used to Live In,” “A Girl Like You,” “Yesterday Girl” and more while on Capitol Records from 1986 to 1991.
“At the time we thought RCA, there was a lot of great history there,” Diken said. “We liked being a part of that, and a fresh start was another way of looking at it.”
Between labels, the guys went into Crystal Sound Studios in New York City in the fall of 1993, laying down the songs that would eventually be on “The Lost Album.” The music, and the mood, is a bit more buoyant and groovy than the songs on 1994 RCA debut, “A Date with the Smithereens.”
The “Date” songs were previously demoed, and later re-recorded with Don Dixon producing.
“The Lost Album” was produced by the Smithereens. The project was held when the band’s energies became focused on the “A Date with the Smithereens” release.
“It was the first time we went in with the intention of producing a full album by ourselves,” said Diken of “The Lost Album.” “We had good ears in the studio from the studio owner and engineer, Larry Buxbaum, now deceased. He was a real good engineer and sounding board for us, as most engineers can be in the studio.”
The 12 tracks feature Smithereens' hard rockers, moody melodics, pop gems and randy rave-ups that rank with the best work the band has ever put on record.
“Pretty Little Lies” is an alluring whimsical charmer with a dark side, and “Face the World with Pride” is a gamboling rocker with hints of the Beatles' classics “I've just Seen a Face” and “Paperback Writer.”
“Love Runs Wild” is a luxurious power ballad, while “All Through the Night” is a moving lullaby that closes the proceedings with a stirring vocal performance by DiNizio.
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Frontman DiNizio passed away in 2017 at the age of 62. The Smithereens have moved forward with a rotating lineup of lead singers, including Marshall Crenshaw, and Robin Wilson of the Gin Blossoms.
“We're really fortunate that we have Marshall and Robin, who fit right in and were able to do what they do with our music. It almost seems they were meant to be,” Diken said. “We're lucky. The three of us still love to play and we love to play together.”
Crenshaw had previously recorded with the band in the studio as a guest artist, and they shared some bills, too. Wilson met the guys at a record in-store show in Arizona in 1988 when Wilson was a clerk there.
“The thing about Marshall and Robin, they get what we're doing,” Diken said. “It's one thing to have a talented vocalist step in and interpret the songs, it could or could not work, depending on the situation. But if the singer comes in and understands what the music's about or they have a little history with us, that goes a long way.”
Upcoming Jersey shows include a free one on Saturday Sept. 10, with Max Weinberg's Jukebox and Ray Andersen's Bowie and Beyond tribute at the Union County Board of County Commissioners Fall Concert at Oak Ridge Park in Clark, and a holiday party Dec. 3 at the Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center in their hometown.
Songs from “The Lost Album” will be making their way onto the setlists. Future endeavors will include more releases from the band's archives, and a new Smithereens album in 2023, with both Crenshaw and Wilson on vocals.
“We've had such a solid following of so many people for so many years, people keep coming to see us and they dig what we do,” Diken said. “It's the only reason we can keep doing this. We're very grateful for that.”
Go: The Smithereens with Max Weinberg's Jukebox and Ray Andersen's Bowie and Beyond, 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, Union County Board of County Commissioners Fall Concert at Oak Ridge Park, 136 Oak Ridge Road, Clark. Free. ucnj.org/calendar. Attendees advised to bring blankets or lawn chairs.
Asbury Park Porchfest
This year's Asbury Park Porchfest has found a new lane.
Or should we say Lanes?
The AP Porchfest, which features more than 100 music acts on more than two dozen porches throughout the city, will begin with a noon performance Saturday, Sept. 10, on the loading dock of Asbury Lanes, which will be curated by the Transparent Clinch Gallery.
Jarod Clemons and the Late Nights, Cranston Dean, Natalie Farrell, Vin Brue and the Long Branch Davidians, Jake Thistle, and Jack West will be playing throughout the day there.
Remember Jones, Chris Brown, Nick Clemons, the Cucumbers, Chill Smith and many more area and beyond artists are coming through to city porches this year. The Asbury Park Homeowners Association founded the city's Porchfest in 2016. The Porchfest concept was begun in Ithaca, N.Y., in 2007, and has spread throughout the country.
There's also a Porchfest in Caldwell on Saturday; the Historic Forest Hill section of Newark on Sept. 24; Hightstown on Sept. 25; and Red Bank on Oct. 9.
Visit www.apporchfest.org for more info on the Asbury Park edition.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers music and entertainment for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: The Smithereens to release new 'Lost Album' on Sept. 23
