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The Smithereens - Especially for You Audio CD

A fair review of the The Smithereens "Especially for You" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Smithereens reviews here, or go back to the The Smithereens tabs.

The Smithereens Band: The Smithereens
Title: Especially for You
Rating:
Release Date: 1992-04-07
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Strangers When We Meet 2: Listen to Me Girl 3: Groovy Tuesday 4: Cigarette 5: I Don't Want to Lose You 6: Time and Time Again 7: Behind the Wall of Sleep 8: In a Lonely Place 9: Blood and Roses 10: Crazy Mixed-Up Kid 11: Hand of Glory 12: Alone at Midnight 13: White Castle Blues [*] 14: Mr. Eliminator [*]

Timeless music, still fresh
Not that they were flops, but I always expected them to do better with sales than they did. The Smithereens were the critics darlings, which probably doomed them. Re-listening to this, I think I understand the problem. They are just damn good musicians that do not fit into whatever the current trendy category is.

The music is not dated. It is the bar band of your dreams. I can't believe I have not listened to this in 10 years. It will still sound good 40 years from now. Don't wait till then, listen to them now. .


i still love this album
I love everything about 'For You'. I bought this album on cassette when I was a kid after hearing 'Blood and Roses', and just now decided to revisit it. Listening to it again, I'm not driven to nostalgia. Instead I find myself appreciating the great pop hooks, clever lyrics, and great performances on each and every track.

'For You' is a necessity for every late '80s pop aficionado. .


Stunning Blends Of Dark and Light
And it truly stands out on their debut release Especially For You. The Smithereens truly have a great sound. So many great songs with catchy melodies, hooks, lyrics. . . . . Time And Time Again, Strangers When We Meet, Blood And Roses, Crazy Mixed Up Kid, Behind The Wall Of Sleep, and Alone At Midnight. To me this is a great mix of 1980's alternative and 60's pop. There are so many dark themes and some happy go lucky lighter ones. Not too mention ear catching vocal harmonies and catchy instrumentation.

The Smithereens debut sounds great twenty years later. Whereas The Smithereens would make other good CD's, somehow this debut one stands at their best.


The album that put The Smithereens on the map
To my mind, it's still their very best effort. Especially For You was the first full-length album by The Smithereens. Every song on the album is a keeper; for me, the highlights are Behind The Wall Of Sleep and In A Lonely Place. There are a lot of catchy tunes here, and the band did a good job of mixing moods and tempos.

The engineering by Don Dixon also deserves special mention. I saw the band live during the Especially For You tour; Dixon gets the sound of the band spot-on, not cleaning up their sound like the later albums engineered by Ed Stasium (11, Blow Up).

The vinyl album had only the first 12 tracks. The original CD from Enigma added White Castle Blues, one of the few songs by The Smithereens that is not written and sung by Pat DiNizio; instead, we are treated to a rough but passionate vocal by the drummer, Dennis Diken. The reissue CD adds a cover of Mr Eliminator.


Best Album of The Eighties?
People like to name check the Beatles when reviewing the Smithereens (hell, they even went for it with 2007's "Meet The Smithereens"). Maybe the best rock album of the nineteen-eighties, from one of its most criminally neglected bands. But I think that's misleading and limiting. Early on, it was clear that The Who were at least equally influential, and good for us that it was so. Adding equal measures of Who crunch to Beatles jangle, the Smithereens were, foremost the work of poet Pat Dinizio. For someone like me who mainly listened to the beat, the Smithereens crafted lyrics that mattered. So while up-tempo ravers like "I Don't Want To Lost You" were aimed right at me, change-ups like "Cigarette" chill me too. Trivia bonus: word is that "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" was written about Runaways & Bangles's bassist Michael Steele. "Well she held a bass guitar and she was playing in a band / And she stood just like Bill Wyman". You decide. An important album from the 1980's. Five stars.


You can see a complete list of all The Smithereens discography, or go back to the The Smithereens tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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