''From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology'' is a two-disc, career-spanning
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
by the Smithereens, released in 2004. It features most of the band's singles, as well as album and EP tracks, non-album B-sides and a handful of rarities.
Overview
The album contains 39 songs spanning 1980 to 1999, and includes five previously unreleased tracks: a 1980 demo of "Elaine"; the surf rock instrumental, "Back to Balboa"; a 1987 live recording of "White Castle Blues"; an alternate mix of "Cut Flowers"; and a 1992 demo of "Love is Gone".
Also included are an alternate mix of "Everything I Have Is Blue", which was only released as a promotional single; two B-sides, "
One After 909
"One After 909" (sometimes titled "The One After 909" in early recordings) is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1970 album '' Let It Be''. It was written by John Lennon, with input from Paul McCartney, and was credited to the ...
" and an instrumental mix of "If You Want the Sun to Shine"; and The Smithereens' version of "
Downbound Train
"Downbound Train" is a song that appears on the 1984 Bruce Springsteen album ''Born in the U.S.A.'' The song is a lament to a lost spouse, and takes on a melancholy tone. Author Christopher Sandford described the song as beginning "like a Keith ...
", originally recorded for the
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
tribute album, ''One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen''.
Track listing
Adapted from the album's liner notes.
All tracks written by Pat DiNizio, except where noted.
Disc one
# "Girls About Town" — 2:53
#*from '' Girls About Town'' EP (1980)
# "Back to Balboa" (
Jim Babjak
Jim Babjak (born November 17, 1957) is an American guitarist and ex-banker. He is the lead guitar player and co-founder of The Smithereens. Babjak has written and sung several songs for the band. He also is the leader of the band ''Buzzed Meg''.
...
,
Dennis Diken
Dennis Diken (born February 25, 1957) is an American drummer, DJ, author, music historian, and founding member of the band the Smithereens, which he formed in 1980 with Pat DiNizio, Jim Babjak, and Mike Mesaros in Carteret, New Jersey. Besides ...
, DiNizio, Mike Mesaros) — 1:58
#*previously unreleased; recorded summer 1982 at Rock Bite Studio,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
# "Much Too Much" (Diken, DiNizio)— 2:24
#*from '' Beauty and Sadness'' EP (1983); 1988 remix by Ed Stasium
# "Beauty and Sadness" — 3:24
#*from ''Beauty and Sadness'' EP (1983); 1988 remix by Ed Stasium
# " Blood and Roses" — 3:35
#*from ''
Especially for You
"Especially for You" is a song performed by Australian recording artists Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan from Donovan's debut album, ''Ten Good Reasons'' (1989). The song was released as his album's second single on 28 November 1988 and was wri ...
In a Lonely Place
''In a Lonely Place'' is a 1950 American film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame, produced for Bogart's Santana Productions. The script was written by Andrew P. Solt from Edmund H. North's adaptation o ...
" — 4:04
#*from ''Especially for You'' (1986)
# " Behind the Wall of Sleep" — 3:24
#*from ''Especially for You'' (1986)
# "White Castle Blues" (Live) (Babjak, Robert Banta) — 7:42
#*previously unreleased; recorded live May 22, 1987 at The Stone Pony, Asbury Park,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
; album version originally released as bonus track from ''Especially for You'' (1986)
# "Cigarette" — 2:27
#*from ''Especially for You'' (1986)
# "Crazy Mixed-Up Kid" — 2:07
#*from ''Especially for You'' (1986)
# "Time and Time Again" — 3:06
#*from ''Especially for You'' (1986)
# "Something New" — 1:56
#*from ''
Green Thoughts
''Green Thoughts'' is the second studio album by the Smithereens, released in March 1988 by Enigma/Capitol Records.Only a Memory" — 3:43
#*from ''Green Thoughts'' (1988)
# "If the Sun Doesn't Shine" — 3:32
#*from ''Green Thoughts'' (1988)
# "
Drown in My Own Tears
"Drown in My Own Tears", originally credited as "I'll Drown in My Tears", is a song written by Henry Glover. It is best known in the version released as a single in 1956 by Ray Charles on the Atlantic record label.
History
"Drown in My Own Tear ...
" — 3:12
#*from ''Green Thoughts'' (1988)
# "Especially for You'" (Babjak, DiNizio) — 3:07
#*from ''Green Thoughts'' (1988)
# " House We Used to Live In" — 4:03
#*from ''Green Thoughts'' (1988)
# "Elaine" (1980 Demo) — 3:00
#*previously unreleased; recorded early 1980 at Odyssey Studio,
Long Branch, New Jersey
Long Branch is a beachside City (New Jersey), city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 30,719,< ...
One After 909
"One After 909" (sometimes titled "The One After 909" in early recordings) is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1970 album '' Let It Be''. It was written by John Lennon, with input from Paul McCartney, and was credited to the ...
" (
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
,
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
) — 3:36
#*
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
to "
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
" (1991); recorded during the ''Green Thoughts'' sessions, December 1987
Yesterday Girl
''Yesterday Girl'' (german: Abschied von gestern, "Farewell to Yesterday") is a 1966 drama film directed and written by Alexander Kluge. The film is based on the short story "Anita G." (1962), which is also by Alexander Kluge. The film tells the ...
" — 3:27
#*from ''11'' (1989)
# "Cut Flowers" (Honeys Mix) (Babjak, DiNizio) — 3:00
#*previously unreleased; alternate mix – album version from ''11'' (1989)
# "Baby Be Good" — 3:20
#*from ''11'' (1989)
# "Now and Then" (Babjak) — 3:50
#*from '' Blow Up'' (1991)
# " Too Much Passion" — 4:35
#*from ''Blow Up'' (1991)
# " Tell Me When Did Things Go So Wrong" — 2:22
#*from ''Blow Up'' (1991)
# "If You Want the Sun to Shine" (Instrumental) (DiNizio,
Julian Lennon
Julian Charles John Lennon (born John Charles Julian Lennon; 8 April 1963) is an English musician. He is the son of Beatles member John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia, and he is named after his paternal grandmother, Julia Lennon. Julian in ...
) — 5:50
#*B-side to "Too Much Passion" (1992); album version from ''Blow Up'' (1991)
# "
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
" — 4:32
#*from ''Blow Up'' (1991)
# "Evening Dress" — 3:12
#*from ''Blow Up'' (1991)
# " Miles from Nowhere" — 4:18
#*from '' A Date with The Smithereens'' (1994)
# "Love is Gone" (Babjak Studio Demo) (Babjak) — 3:38
#*previously unreleased; recorded December 1992 at Trax East Recording Studio, South River, New Jersey; album version from ''A Date with The Smithereens'' (1994)
# "Everything I Have Is Blue" (Guitar Mix) — 4:21
#*promotional single (1994); remix by
Sean Slade
Sean Slade (born 14 November 1957) is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer. On many of his productions he worked in partnership with Paul Q. Kolderie.
Career
Slade was born in Lansing, Michigan, United States. He graduated from Yal ...
and
Paul Q. Kolderie
Paul Q. Kolderie is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer. He has worked with Pixies, Radiohead, Orangutang, Hole, Dinosaur Jr., Juliana Hatfield, Wax, Warren Zevon, Uncle Tupelo, Throwing Muses, Morphine, the Mighty Mighty Bosstone ...
; album version from ''A Date with The Smithereens'' (1994)
# "She's Got a Way" (Babjak, Diken, DiNizio, Mesaros, Danny Tate) — 3:24
#*from '' God Save The Smithereens'' (1999)
# "
Downbound Train
"Downbound Train" is a song that appears on the 1984 Bruce Springsteen album ''Born in the U.S.A.'' The song is a lament to a lost spouse, and takes on a melancholy tone. Author Christopher Sandford described the song as beginning "like a Keith ...
" (
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
) — 3:48
#*recorded 24 January 1997 at
Chicago Recording Company
Chicago Recording Company, or CRC, is a recording studio in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1975. Boasting twelve studios, CRC is the largest recording company in the Midwest, and the largest independent studio in the country.
History Early histor ...
,
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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Yahoo! GeoCities
Yahoo! GeoCities was a web hosting service that allowed users to create and publish websites for free and to browse user-created websites by their theme or interest. GeoCities was started in November 1994 by David Bohnett and John Rezner, and w ...
. Retrieved on 15 August 2018. from ''One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen'' (1997)
# "I Believe" (Babjak, Diken, DiNizio, Mesaros, Tate) — 3:12
#*from ''God Save The Smithereens'' (1999)
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
;The Smithereens
* Pat DiNizio – lead vocals, guitar
*
Jim Babjak
Jim Babjak (born November 17, 1957) is an American guitarist and ex-banker. He is the lead guitar player and co-founder of The Smithereens. Babjak has written and sung several songs for the band. He also is the leader of the band ''Buzzed Meg''.
...
Dennis Diken
Dennis Diken (born February 25, 1957) is an American drummer, DJ, author, music historian, and founding member of the band the Smithereens, which he formed in 1980 with Pat DiNizio, Jim Babjak, and Mike Mesaros in Carteret, New Jersey. Besides ...
Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as " Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, " Cynical Girl," and "Whenever You're on My Mind." He i ...
– Hammond organ and piano (Disc one, track 6)
*Jeffrey Berman – vibraphone (Disc one, track 7)
* Frank Christian – acoustic guitar (Disc one, track 7)
*
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered the ...
Melissa Hasin
Melissa "Missy" Hasin, (born November 3, 1954) is an American cellist who was raised in Newport Beach, California.
Biography
Although her parents wanted her to stick with classical music, she played the electric bass in various blues and ...
The Grip Weeds
The Grip Weeds are an American rock band from Highland Park, New Jersey.
History
The Grip Weeds were formed in 1988 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, by brothers Rick Reil (guitar) and Kurt Reil (drums). The band is named after the fictional charact ...
Andy Shernoff
Andy Shernoff (born April 19, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer.
He is a founding member of The Dictators, one of the original New York punk bands, in which he wrote nearly all of the songs, played bass guitar and k ...