The Smithereens - The Lost Album (2022)

I was an early fan of this group, but life happens and I somewhat lost interest after the release of A Date With The Smithereens. That 1994 album was a step down in quality to my ears so I figured the band was past their prime; I promptly sold my CD. Decades later, I see this Lost Album release advertised and I just can't help myself. I've tried and tried to like it but it just doesn't do it for me. I couldn't quite figure out why and then I actually read a bit about the album's origins.

This album was recorded in 1993, during the time between the Smithereens' contracts with Capitol and RCA. After the Blow Up album in 1991, the band went into the studio and financed new sessions themselves. Even without a contract, the band reportedly cut enough material for two albums. When The Smithereens signed with RCA, roughly half of that material was selected for the aforementioned A Date with The Smithereens. The rest simply sat in the vault until it was released in 2022 as The Lost Album. In the CD's liner notes, bassist Mike Mesaros describes the album as being only about 80% finished and rough mixed. Rather than trying to reconstruct it into some artificially polished 2022 production, the band mastered what they had.

So this album is a rough mix of songs that weren't good enough to be included on an album I didn't like. And there ya go. Still dig the earlier stuff, tho.

Pat DiNizio is in fine form vocally and I hear the occasional crunchy guitar riff but that 80% mentioned above is being mighty generous. What's lacking here is some punchy production work (it's easy to imagine what Don Dixon would have done with this) that includes the band's trademark overdubs to fill out the instrumental sound and choirs on the background vocals. It's not exactly leftover, unfinished filler tracks, but it's pretty close.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: It doesn't work as an album, but there are few tracks worth hearing here, including Out Of This World, Don't Look Down, Monkey Man, and Face The World With Pride. They're just not as good as they could have been.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

2011 (2011)	11 (1989)
Meet The Smithereens! (2007)	Green Thoughts (1988)
Blown To Smithereens (1995)	Especially For You (1986)
Blow Up (1991)