A Date with the Smithereens
Encyclopedia
A Date with the Smithereens is the fifth album by the New Jersey
rock band
The Smithereens
, released in 1994. It is seen as a stylistic departure by the band, as A Date is mainly influenced by hard rock
and heavy metal
, while previous albums have leaned more towards straightforward pop rock
. The title is meant to be ironic as nearly all songs on the album are hate-inspired.
left the band prior to the recording of the album, which is said to have inspired some of the hatred expressed in this album.
The album was originally planned to be released about a year before it actually was, but Capitol Records
was near dropping The Smithereens. The reason for this is that their previous album, Blow Up, was not tolerated well by listeners and lost a lot of fans.
The Smithereens planned to start recording on the album in December 1992, but the recording was postponed to February 1993, because of The Smashing Pumpkins album Vig was working on. In July, Butch Vig gave up on the Smithereens, and shortly after, Capitol Records dropped them.
After The Smithereens were dropped by Capitol, they went to RCA Records
. As revenge at Capitol, they even considered naming the new album after Capitol's president, but the idea was never used. In the end, the Smithereens decided to use their old producer, Don Dixon for the album.
album A Date with Elvis
and the cover is based on a picture of four thugs standing on a street in New York featured in a book Dennis Diken
owned. Also, the font used for the title was based on the sleeve of a soundtrack album called "The theme from Ben Casey." As another reference to older albums, the cover includes the RCA Victor
logo with Nipper
the dog on it and it also included a logo saying "Living Stereo." The album came out on cassette, CD, and a box set of four seven-inch vinyl records. On the cassette and CD covers, the background color is red, but on the cover of the box set of records, the background color is light blue.
With:
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
The Smithereens
The Smithereens
The Smithereens are a rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio , Jim Babjak , Mike Mesaros , and Dennis Diken...
, released in 1994. It is seen as a stylistic departure by the band, as A Date is mainly influenced by hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, while previous albums have leaned more towards straightforward pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
. The title is meant to be ironic as nearly all songs on the album are hate-inspired.
Details
Frontman Pat DiNizio explained the darkness of the album saying: "So why's it so dark? Well, I'm not a particularly happy person these days, and I do feel that society's going to hell in a handbag. You can hear that in the first song: 'Guess what, there's a black cloud inside of my head, don't mess around with me or you'll find yourself dead.' If you live in New York City, you can feel that way, like everyone around you is a walking time bomb." Also, producer Butch VigButch Vig
Butch Vig is an American musician and record producer, best known internationally as the drummer of the Madison, Wisconsin-based alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of multi-platinum selling album Nevermind by Nirvana....
left the band prior to the recording of the album, which is said to have inspired some of the hatred expressed in this album.
The album was originally planned to be released about a year before it actually was, but Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
was near dropping The Smithereens. The reason for this is that their previous album, Blow Up, was not tolerated well by listeners and lost a lot of fans.
The Smithereens planned to start recording on the album in December 1992, but the recording was postponed to February 1993, because of The Smashing Pumpkins album Vig was working on. In July, Butch Vig gave up on the Smithereens, and shortly after, Capitol Records dropped them.
After The Smithereens were dropped by Capitol, they went to RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. As revenge at Capitol, they even considered naming the new album after Capitol's president, but the idea was never used. In the end, the Smithereens decided to use their old producer, Don Dixon for the album.
Artwork and title
The album title is based on the 19591959 in music
-Events:*January 5 – The first sessions for Ella Fitzgerald's George and Ira Gershwin Songbook are held.*January 12 – Tamla Records is founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit, Michigan....
album A Date with Elvis
A Date With Elvis
A Date with Elvis is the eighth album by Elvis Presley, issued on RCA Victor Records in July 1959. It is a compilation of previously unreleased material from an August 1956 recording session at 20th Century Fox Stage One, two from Radio Recorders in Hollywood, and multiple sessions at Sun Studio....
and the cover is based on a picture of four thugs standing on a street in New York featured in a book Dennis Diken
Dennis Diken
Dennis Diken co-founded the NJ band The Smithereens. Besides playing with The Smithereens, Dennis is a fill-in DJ on WFMU.As a musician and record producer, Diken has worked with The Smithereens, Ben E. King, Mary Weiss of 1960s girl group The Shangri-Las, Dave Amels, and R...
owned. Also, the font used for the title was based on the sleeve of a soundtrack album called "The theme from Ben Casey." As another reference to older albums, the cover includes the RCA Victor
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
logo with Nipper
Nipper
Nipper was a dog that served as the model for a painting titled His Late Master's Voice. This image was the basis for the dog and trumpet logo used by several audio recording and associated brands: His Master's Voice, HMV, RCA, Victor Talking Machine Company, RCA Victor and JVC.- Biography :Nipper...
the dog on it and it also included a logo saying "Living Stereo." The album came out on cassette, CD, and a box set of four seven-inch vinyl records. On the cassette and CD covers, the background color is red, but on the cover of the box set of records, the background color is light blue.
Aftermath
This album was not as well received as the other albums by fans. As a result of this, RCA dropped them after that album, leaving them without a record label for years.Track listing
Sources: Discogs, AllmusicPersonnel
- Pat DiNizioPat DiNizioPat DiNizio , of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, is the lead singer, songwriter, and member of the band The Smithereens, which he formed in 1980 with Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken and Mike Mesaros, from Carteret, New Jersey....
– Vocals, Guitar, and Harmonica - Jim BabjakJim BabjakJim Babjak , is the lead guitar player and founding member of The Smithereens. He has written and sung several songs for the band...
– Guitars and Vocals - Dennis DikenDennis DikenDennis Diken co-founded the NJ band The Smithereens. Besides playing with The Smithereens, Dennis is a fill-in DJ on WFMU.As a musician and record producer, Diken has worked with The Smithereens, Ben E. King, Mary Weiss of 1960s girl group The Shangri-Las, Dave Amels, and R...
– Drums, Percussion, and Vocals - Mike Mesarios – Bass and Vocals
With:
- Lou ReedLou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
– Guitar solos for "Point of No Return" and "Long Way Back Again"
Singles
| Song | US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Miles from Nowhere" | - | - | #17 | - |