Published on May 7, 1999
Time once again for another edition of “bands I’ve let slide”,
those groups whose work I have really enjoyed when I’ve listened to
them, but haven’t gotten around to digging out of the archives for
some time.
Today’s subject: Pat DiNizio and The Smithereens, a group I
always have thought were underappreciated in their time. I first
got into this group thanks to their 1989 release
11, and it wasn’t long afterwards that I found myself in the
used record store picking up a copy of their 1988 release (and
second full-length album)
Green Thoughts. While the group’s sound was still very much
in development, the overall feel of this album is a good one,
showing that the band was very close to having all their skills
polished.
The song I once remembered this album for was “Only A Memory,”
which the radio station I worked for in college had the 12-inch
single for. The crispness of the sound still wasn’t there, but
DiNizio, guitarist Jim Babjak, bassist Mike Mesaros and drummer
Dennis Diken were jelling together as a band, and this particular
song showed how much progress had been made since their first
full-length effort
Especially For You. (In all fairness, the album’s sound
could be the result of producer Don Dixon.)
The more I’ve listened to this album, the more I’ve grown to
understand that “Only A Memory” is not the sole track that defines
Green Thoughts. There is “House We Used To Live In,” a slab
of pop that is fresh and fun to listen to. There is “Drown In My
Own Tears,” a song that dares to make the pain one feels enjoyable.
There is the title track, which sends the album forth in a pop fury
that one might never have experienced before.
But what sets
Green Thoughts apart from other albums of this genre and
time period is that this is a more solid album than one might have
expected from a sophomore release. Tracks like “The World We Know,”
“Deep Black,” “Spellbound” and “Especially For You” might never
have gotten airplay or a lot of attention, but they do say volumes
about who this band was in 1988, and where they were headed in the
very near future.
Granted, this is an album that you have to live with for a few
listens in order to truly appreciate it. Plus, if you’re coming off
of discovery of the band through albums like
11, this one will pale in comparison for a while. It’s been
some time since I listened to
11, so I was able to approach
Green Thoughts with fresh ears.
Green Thoughts appears to be out of print at the moment, but
is well worth the search. Anyone who is an afficionado of good
power-pop should add this one to their collection, as should fans
of The Smithereens. Even though it’s not their “best” work, it’s
not far off the target.