The Smithereens - Green Thoughts (1988)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD.

I saw the video for House We Used To Live In on the MTV and was immediately a Smithereens fan. I thought they sounded like a more popish R.E.M. which was right in my wheelhouse at the time - power pop with lots of hooks. I remained a fan until I lost interest with 1994's A Date With The Smithereens.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "prevails almost in spite of itself."
  
• Billboard: "hooky, guitar-driven pop"
• CashBox: "one of the most important forces in rock and roll music today"
• Stereo Review: "a wonderful record, to be sure"
• Robert Christgau (C+): "I know Pat DiNizio is Beatlesque, but is that why he writes cheerful-sounding love songs that turn out to be kind of mean when you pay attention?"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #60 (May 7, 1988)
• Billboard Pop CD: #26
• CashBox: #52
• Rolling Stone: #49

Tracks: Only A Memory, House We Used To Live In, The World We Know, Drown In My Own Tears, and Green Thoughts are classic Smithereens songs. In fact, they all sound very similar, but not formulaic. Certain songs, like Something New and If The Sun Doesn't Shine, are complete Beatles knockoffs, but if you're going to model your sound on another band, you could do much worse. The only track I'm tempted to skip is Spellbound.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  This takes me back to the summer of 1988. Not by best summer (I worked in a warehouse and lived in a house with no a/c), but I listened to lot of new music back then. My girlfriend at the time had the middle name of Elaine so she loved the song on this album with that title. So, naturally, that song reminds me of her.