The Smithereens: Meet The Smithereens! : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

The improbably long-lived Smithereens have never been shy about their British Invasion influences -- now they make them more obvious with an inessential but fun tribute to the Beatles' American debut album. The Smithereens cover all twelve Meet the Beatles!'s tracks, hewing closely to the original arrangements, down to the hand claps in "I Want to Hold Your Hand." They add some deadpan vocals and a bit of extra guitar crunch, particularly goosing the ballad "Till There Was You" -- and against all odds they succeed in making forty-three-year-old music sound new again.

GAVIN EDWARDS

(Posted: Feb 8, 2007)

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Give us your review of Meet The Smithereens!

Review 1 of 3

4of 5 Stars

This Cd is a lot of fun. I don't think anyone (the band included) would pick this over the original, but it answers the "what would Meet The Beatles sound like if that guy who sang "A Girl Like You' did it"...well, now you know.

Pat's voice is much lower than John or Paul’s, and so they don't have the same vocal punch, I Want To Hold Your Hand actually avoids the high note "HAAAAAAAND" and that is disappointing, however this is a tribute, not Meet The Beatles by the Smithereens Singers (aka a copy project) so after a few listens, it's the diferences that are the most interesting.

One thing that struck me was how much The Smithereens kinda ripped off The Beatles on melody. With Pat singing, they can't hide (not that they want to)how Beatlesque their melodies can be.

The other thing is that I can't imagine another set of 12 songs that could sound as fresh and relivant nearly 45 years later.

So - Meet The Smithereens - ****, Meet The Beatles - *******************

Jun 1, 2007 13:48:31

Review 2 of 3

5of 5 Stars

Inessential? Not to me. If anyone is qualified to record these songs and do justice to them, it's the Smithereens. This is a CD to buy and to cherish, and not just because it happens to be a CD full of Beatles' songs.

Let's hope that this release will lead to bigger and better things for this ("improbably") ageless and timeless band.

Feb 9, 2007 13:00:47

Review 3 of 3

5of 5 Stars

Given your magazine's longstanding devotion to the Beatles and the legacy of their music, I hope you play this album up bigtime. It deserves to be a bestseller and could certainly introduce many young people to the vital music of the EARLY Beatles.

Feb 1, 2007 07:42:25

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