From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology Explained

From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology
Type:	compilation
Artist:	The Smithereens
Cover:	From_Jersey_It_Came!_The_Smithereens_Anthology.jpg
Released:	September 7, 2004^[1]
Recorded:	1980–1999
Genre:	Rock
Length:	2:16:40
Label:	Capitol
Prev Title:	God Save The Smithereens
Prev Year:	1999
Next Title:	Extended Versions
Next Year:	2006

From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology is a two-disc, career-spanning compilation album 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" and an instrumental mix of "If You Want the Sun to Shine"; and The Smithereens' version of "Downbound Train", originally recorded for the Bruce Springsteen tribute album, One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen.

Track listing

Adapted from the album's liner notes.^[2]

All tracks written by Pat DiNizio, except where noted.

Disc one

1. "Girls About Town" — 2:53
   • from Girls About Town EP (1980)
2. "Back to Balboa" (Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken, DiNizio, Mike Mesaros) — 1:58
   • previously unreleased; recorded summer 1982 at Rock Bite Studio, New York City
3. "Much Too Much" (Diken, DiNizio)— 2:24
   • from Beauty and Sadness EP (1983); 1988 remix by Ed Stasium
4. "Beauty and Sadness" — 3:24
   • from Beauty and Sadness EP (1983); 1988 remix by Ed Stasium
5. "Blood and Roses" — 3:35
   • from Especially for You (1986)
6. "Strangers When We Meet" — 3:45
   • from Especially for You (1986)
7. "In a Lonely Place" — 4:04
   • from Especially for You (1986)
8. "Behind the Wall of Sleep" — 3:24
   • from Especially for You (1986)
9. "White Castle Blues" (Live) (Babjak, Robert Banta) — 7:42
   • previously unreleased; recorded live May 22, 1987 at The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, New Jersey; album version originally released as bonus track from Especially for You (1986)
10. "Cigarette" — 2:27
    • from Especially for You (1986)
11. "Crazy Mixed-Up Kid" — 2:07
    • from Especially for You (1986)
12. "Time and Time Again" — 3:06
    • from Especially for You (1986)
13. "Something New" — 1:56
    • from Green Thoughts (1988)
14. "Only a Memory" — 3:43
    • from Green Thoughts (1988)
15. "If the Sun Doesn't Shine" — 3:32
    • from Green Thoughts (1988)
16. "Drown in My Own Tears" — 3:12
    • from Green Thoughts (1988)
17. "Especially for You'" (Babjak, DiNizio) — 3:07
    • from Green Thoughts (1988)
18. "House We Used to Live In" — 4:03
    • from Green Thoughts (1988)
19. "Elaine" (1980 Demo) — 3:00
    • previously unreleased; recorded early 1980 at Odyssey Studio, Long Branch, New Jersey
20. "Elaine" — 2:33
    • from Green Thoughts (1988)
21. "One After 909" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) — 3:36
    • B-side to "Top of the Pops" (1991); recorded during the Green Thoughts sessions, December 1987

Disc two

1. "A Girl Like You" — 4:42
   • from 11 (1989)
2. "Blues Before and After" — 3:15
   • from 11 (1989)
3. "Blue Period" — 2:57
   • from 11 (1989)
4. "Yesterday Girl" — 3:27
   • from 11 (1989)
5. "Cut Flowers" (Honeys Mix) (Babjak, DiNizio) — 3:00
   • previously unreleased; alternate mix – album version from 11 (1989)
6. "Baby Be Good" — 3:20
   • from 11 (1989)
7. "Now and Then" (Babjak) — 3:50
   • from Blow Up (1991)
8. "Too Much Passion" — 4:35
   • from Blow Up (1991)
9. "Tell Me When Did Things Go So Wrong" — 2:22
   • from Blow Up (1991)
10. "If You Want the Sun to Shine" (Instrumental) (DiNizio, Julian Lennon) — 5:50
    • B-side to "Too Much Passion" (1992); album version from Blow Up (1991)
11. "Top of the Pops" — 4:32
    • from Blow Up (1991)
12. "Evening Dress" — 3:12
    • from Blow Up (1991)
13. "Miles from Nowhere" — 4:18
    • from A Date with The Smithereens (1994)
14. "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)
15. "Everything I Have Is Blue" (Guitar Mix) — 4:21
    • promotional single (1994); remix by Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie; album version from A Date with The Smithereens (1994)
16. "She's Got a Way" (Babjak, Diken, DiNizio, Mesaros, Danny Tate) — 3:24
    • from God Save The Smithereens (1999)
17. "Downbound Train" (Bruce Springsteen) — 3:48
    • recorded 24 January 1997 at Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, Illinois;^[3] from One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen (1997)
18. "I Believe" (Babjak, Diken, DiNizio, Mesaros, Tate) — 3:12
    • from God Save The Smithereens (1999)

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[2]

The Smithereens

• Pat DiNizio – lead vocals, guitar
• Jim Babjak – guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals (Disc one, track 9; disc two, track 14)
• Dennis Diken – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Mike Mesaros – bass, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Marshall Crenshaw – 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 – vocals (Disc one, track 7)
• Joe Kernich – piano (Disc one, track 8)
• Kenny Margolis – keyboards, piano, organ, accordion, harpsichord
• Don Dixon – piano, guitar, percussion, backing vocals
• Marti Jones – backing vocals (Disc one, track 13)
• Steve Berlin – saxophone (Disc one, track 17)
• Maria Vidal – backing vocals (Disc two, track 1)
• Michael Hamilton – guitar, keyboards, Mellotron
• Belinda Carlisle – vocals (Disc two, track 3)
• Gerri Sutyak – cello (Disc two, track 3)
• Ed Stasium – backing vocals, percussion
• The Honeys – backing vocals (Disc two, tracks 5, 6)
• The Cowsills – backing vocals (Disc two, track 7)
• Diana Graselli – backing vocals (Disc two, tracks 8, 11)
• Alex Acuña – percussion (Disc two, track 8)
• Sid Paige, Joel Derouin, Berj Garabedian, Michele Richards – violin (Disc two, track 8)
• Larry Corbett, Suzie Katayama, Melissa Hasin – cello (Disc two, track 8)
• David Campbell – String arrangements (Disc two, tracks 8, 10)
• Kevin Savigar – keyboards (Disc two, track 10)
• Maria Vidal – backing vocals (Disc two, track 11)
• The Grip Weeds – backing vocals (Disc two, track 14)
• Bill Maryniak – organ (Disc two, track 17)

Production personnel

• The Smithereens – producer (Disc one, track 1; disc two, tracks 13, 15)
• Andy Shernoff – producer (Disc one, track 2)
• Alan Betrock – producer (Disc one, tracks 3, 4)
• Don Dixon – producer (Disc one, tracks 5–8, 10–18, 20, 21; disc two, tracks 13, 15), liner notes
• Ed Stasium – producer (Disc two, tracks 1–12)
• Lou Giordano – associate producer (Disc two, tracks 13, 15)
• Jim Babjak – producer (Disc two, track 14)
• Don Fleming – producer (Disc two, tracks 16, 18)
• Mike Mesaros – producer (Disc two, track 17)
• David English – compilation producer
• Dennis Diken – supervising producer, track annotations
• Kevin Bartley – mastering
• Diana Barnes – art direction
• Bill Merryfield – design
• Tim Gabor – illustrations
• Michael Halsband – photography
• Deborah Feingold – photography

External links

• From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology on Discogs.com. Retrieved on 9 February 2018.

Notes and References

1. "From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology". Officialsmithereens.com. Retrieved on 9 February 2018.
2. From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology. CD liner notes. The Smithereens. Capitol Records. 2004.
3. "Various Artists/One Step Up - Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen". Yahoo! GeoCities. Retrieved on 15 August 2018.