9456 - JEFF BECK PERFORMING THIS WEEK... LIVE AT RONNIE'S SCOTT, DISC ONE (2015)

JEFF BECK
''JEFF BECK PERFORMING THIS WEEK... LIVE AT RONNIE'S SCOTT, DISC ONE''
JUNE 2 2015
106:52

DISC ONE (62:40)
1 Beck's Bolero 03:29
2 Eternity's Breath 01:14
3 Stratus 04:47
4 Cause We've Ended As Lovers 05:17
5 Behind The Veil 05:09
6 You Never Know 03:21
7 Nadia 03:41
8 Blast From The Past 04:40
9 Led Boots 04:23
10 Angels (Footsteps) 05:41
11 Scatterbrain 04:32
12 Goodbye Pork Pie Hat; Brush With The Blues 06:15
13 Peace Boogie 04:20
14 Big Block 05:49
15 A Day In The Life 04:46
16 Where Were You 02:49

DISC TWO (44:12)
1 People Get Ready With Joss Stone 05:06
2 Blanket With Imogen Heap 06:28
3 Little Brown Bird With Eric Clapton 04:26
4 You Need Love With Eric Clapton 04:21
5 Rollin' And Tumblin' With Imogen Heap 04:38
6 Race With The Devil 02:19
7 Crazy Legs 02:02
8 Train Kept Me Rollin' 02:10
9 My Baby Left Me 02:35
10 Matchbox 02:26
11 Baby Blue 02:30
12 Honky Tonk 05:08


BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

While he was as innovative as Jimmy Page, as tasteful as Eric Clapton, and nearly as visionary as Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck never achieved the same commercial success as any of those contemporaries, primarily because of the haphazard way he approached his career. After Rod Stewart left the Jeff Beck Group in 1971, Beck never worked with a charismatic lead singer who could have helped sell his music to a wide audience. Furthermore, he was simply too idiosyncratic, moving from heavy metal to jazz fusion within a blink of an eye. As his career progressed, he became more fascinated by automobiles than guitars, releasing only one album during the course of the '90s. All the while, Beck retained the respect of fellow guitarists, who found his reclusiveness all the more alluring.

Beck began his musical career following a short stint at London's Wimbledon Art College. He earned a reputation by supporting Lord Sutch, which helped him land the job as the Yardbirds' lead guitarist following the departure of Eric Clapton. Beck stayed with the Yardbirds for nearly two years, leaving in late 1966 with the pretense that he was retiring from music. He returned several months later with "Love Is Blue," a single he played poorly because he detested the song. Later in 1967, he formed the Jeff Beck Group with vocalist Rod Stewart, bassist Ron Wood, and drummer Aynsley Dunbar, who was quickly replaced by Mickey Waller; keyboardist Nicky Hopkins joined in early 1968. With their crushingly loud reworkings of blues songs and vocal and guitar interplay, the Jeff Beck Group established the template for heavy metal. Neither of the band's records, Truth (1968) or Beck-Ola (a 1969 album that was recorded with new drummer Tony Newman), was particularly successful, and the bandmembers tended to fight regularly, especially on their frequent tours of the U.S. In 1970, Stewart and Wood left to join the Faces, and Beck broke up the group.

Beck had intended to form a power trio with Vanilla Fudge members Carmine Appice (drums) and Tim Bogert (bass), but those plans were derailed when he suffered a serious car crash in 1970. By the time he recuperated in 1971, Bogart and Appice were playing in Cactus, so the guitarist formed a new version of the Jeff Beck Group. Featuring keyboardist Max Middleton, drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Clive Chaman, and vocalist Bobby Tench, the new band recorded Rough and Ready (1971) and Jeff Beck Group (1972). Neither album attracted much attention. Cactus dissolved in late 1972, and Beck, Bogert, and Appice formed a power trio the following year. The group's lone studio album -- a live record was released in Japan but never in the U.K. or U.S. -- was widely panned due to its plodding arrangements and weak vocals, and the group disbanded the following year.

For about 18 months, Beck remained quiet, re-emerging in 1975 with Blow by Blow. Produced by George Martin, Blow by Blow was an all-instrumental jazz fusion album that received strong reviews. Beck collaborated with Jan Hammer, a former keyboardist for Mahavishnu Orchestra, for 1976's Wired, and supported the album with a co-headlining tour with Hammer's band. The tour was documented on the 1977 album Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group -- Live.

After the Hammer tour, Beck retired to his estate outside of London and remained quiet for three years. He returned in 1980 with There and Back, which featured contributions from Hammer. Following the tour for There and Back, Beck retired again, returning five years later with the slick, Nile Rodgers-produced Flash. A pop/rock album recorded with a variety of vocalists, Flash featured Beck's only hit single, the Stewart-sung "People Get Ready," and also boasted "Escape," which won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental. During 1987, he played lead guitar on Mick Jagger's second solo album, Primitive Cool. There was another long wait between Flash and 1989's Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop with Terry Bozzio and Tony Hymas. Though the album sold only moderately well, Guitar Shop received uniformly strong reviews and won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental. Beck supported the album with a tour, this time co-headlining with guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Again, Beck entered semi-retirement upon the completion of the tour.

In 1992, Beck played lead guitar on Roger Waters' comeback album, Amused to Death. A year later, he released Crazy Legs, a tribute to Gene Vincent and his lead guitarist, Cliff Gallup, which was recorded with Big Town Playboys. Beck remained quiet after the album's release prior to resurfacing in 1999 with Who Else! You Had It Coming followed in 2001 and his 14th release, Jeff, was issued on Epic two years later. An excellent live set, Performing This Week: Live at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, was released in 2008 by Eagle Records. Emotion & Commotion, Beck's first new studio album in seven years, appeared in the spring of 2010. It was greeted by considerable acclaim, including winning two Grammy Awards in 2011 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Appropriately, Beck released a live album called Live and Exclusive from the Grammy Museum in the fall of 2010, followed by Rock & Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul), a salute to Beck's hero featuring vocals by Imelda May.

Over the next few years, Beck gigged regularly, highlighted by a 2013 joint tour with Brian Wilson; the duo planned to record together but those plans fell apart. In April 2015, Beck released Live+, a record culled from concerts given in August 2014 augmented by two new studio cuts.

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9455 - DAWES - ALL YOUR FAVORITE BANDS (2015)

DAWES
''ALL YOUR FAVORITE BANDS''
JUNE 2 2015
47:30

1 Things Happen 04:03
2 Somewhere Along The Way 05:37
3 Don't Send Me Away 04:52
4 All Your Favorite Bands (Jonny Fritz, Taylor Goldsmith) 03:30
5 I Can' Think About It Now 06:12
6 To Be Completely Honest 04:39
7 Waiting For Your Call 04:06
8 Right On Time 04:45
9 Now That It's Too Late, Maria 09:41
Tracks By Taylor Goldsmith, Except 4

Richard Bennett/Guitar (Acoustic)
Brent Bishop Assistant Engineer
Dawes Primary Artist
Paul Franklin/Pedal Steel
Wylie Gelber/Bass Guitar
Griffin Goldsmith/Drums, Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Taylor Goldsmith/Guitar, Vocals
Ann McCrary/Vocals (Background)
Frieda McCrary/Vocals (Background)
Regina McCrary/Tambourine, Vocals (Background)
David Rawlings/Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background)
Tay Strathairn/Keyboards, Vocals (Background)
Gillian Welch/Vocals (Background)

REVIEW/AMG
by Matt Collar
At the start of Dawes' fourth studio effort, 2015's All Your Favorite Bands, lead singer Taylor Goldsmith kicks off the sanguine opener "Things Happen" by admitting "I could go on talking, or I could stop/Wring out each memory til I get every drop." This sentiment, ripe with a post-breakup emotional stew of yearning, anger, and eventual acceptance, colors all the tracks on this tight, impeccably crafted album. Influenced by the passionate '70s country-rock and singer/songwriter sound of artists like Jackson Browne and groups like the Band, Los Angeles' Dawes have quietly built a loyal following with their own brand of memorable and often poignant folk-rock. Produced by journeyman composer and guitarist David Rawlings (Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, the Decemberists) at Nashville's Woodland Studios, All Your Favorite Bands has a warm, organic texture that's at once raw and immediate, sophisticated and polished. It's perhaps the closest Dawes has come to capturing their live sound. Each song is performed with an intimate, personal intensity, making it feel like they’re playing it only for you. Cuts like the urgent, minor-key "I Can't Think About It Now," with its gospel-style female backing vocals, and the heartbreakingly honest "Waiting for Your Call" are rootsy anthems that combine Goldsmith's poetic, literate lyrics, crisp vocal harmonies, and evocative, Dire Straits-influenced guitars with the hushed ripple of a Hammond organ. These songs, while efficiently constructed, have plenty of breathing room -- there are actual guitar solos here, and jazz-like drum accents. Of course, a big part of what makes Dawes' songs so palpable is Goldsmith's knack for highlighting those often mundane details in life that initially seem insignificant, but take on greater meaning in hindsight. On the title track he sings "When I think of you, you've still got on that hat that says 'Let's Party'/I hope that thing is never thrown away," and later, "I hope your brother's El Camino runs forever." Although most likely directed at a former flame, with the song's insistent, piano-driven vibe it sometimes feels more like a message of goodwill toward the band's own fans. Similarly, on the ruminative breakup number "Don't Send Me Away," Goldsmith transforms his car into a mausoleum of regret with the line "I'm getting on the freeway/Your jacket's in my car/Your ashes in my ashtray/And I'm there with you, wherever you are." It's this gift for capturing intangible longing that drives much of All Your Favorite Bands. Goldsmith perhaps expresses this the best on the tragic ballad "To Be Completely Honest." He sings "I think I know how it ends/The universe continues expanding while we discuss particulars of just being friends/And maybe that makes everything okay/Your memory the defect at the heart of every promise." Ultimately, All Your Favorite Bands is a comforting album, leaving you with the notion that whatever happens in your life, good, bad, or indifferent, all things take on a beautiful if bittersweet meaning when viewed through the rear-view mirror.

BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Pemberton Roach
California-based roots rock band Dawes were formed in the Los Angeles suburb of North Hills by brothers Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith (lead vocals/guitar and drums, respectively), Wylie Gelber (bass), and Alex Casnoff (guitar). They were previously in the band Simon Dawes, but after Blake Mills left the group, they changed the name (and added Casnoff, who was soon replaced by Tay Strathairn). Unlike the more intense indie rock sound they had as Simon Dawes, Dawes were heavily influenced by the gentle, acoustic-based musical trappings and rich vocal harmony of the Laurel Canyon sound (Crosby, Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell), as well as by the shambling, romanticized Americana of the Band. After connecting with producer Jonathan Wilson, the group began participating in informal jam sessions at Wilson's house with Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, the Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench, and the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson. The loose feel of these get-togethers informed the group's aptly titled 2009 debut North Hills. The album was recorded in Laurel Canyon live to analog tape, which lent Dawes' recorded sound an authentically vintage vibe.

The band's second album, 2011's Nothing Is Wrong had a similar feel to the debut and peaked at number 23 on the Billboard album charts. That same year, the band had a pair of unique experiences: playing at the Occupy Wall Street protests and appearing as themselves on a prime-time network television show (Parenthood). Stories Don't End, the group's hotly anticipated third studio album, arrived in 2013. Recorded in Nashville at the esteemed Woodland Studios with producer David Rawlings (Gillian Welch, Old Crow Medicine Show), the Hub-issued All Your Favorite Bands arrived in June 2015.

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9454 - CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD - BETTY'S BLENDS VOLUME TWO (2015)

CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD
''BETTY'S BLENDS VOLUME TWO"
JUNE 2 2015
68:12

1 Vibration & Light Suite 16:51
2 Rosalee 10:33
3 They Love Each Other 07:20
4 Like a Tumbleweed in Eden 12:12
5 Shore Power 05:35
6 Burn Slow 07:53
7 Lost My Drivin' Wheel 08:24

REVIEW
By Chuck Armstrong (Diffuser.com)
Following the 2013 release of Betty’s S.F. Blends, Volume One and their third full-length album, 2014′s Phosphorescent Harvest, Chris Robinson Brotherhood are back with an exciting double-LP: Betty’s Blends, Volume Two: Best From the West. Taking cues from Volume One, the CRB once again joined forces with Betty Cantor-Jackson, legendary archivist for the Grateful Dead, and allowed her to curate the new live album.

“It’s Betty’s trip, man … we’re just on it,” Chris Robinson gratefully says. “We’re Betty’s house band!”

Set for release on June 2, the double-LP features that were captured throughout the CRB’s 2014 summer tour across the western side of the country; “Shore Power” was recorded at Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, California.

“[Volume One] was taken from just one set of shows. This one, Betty recorded … I don’t know how many shows,” Robinson explains. “It’s a bit smaller of a presentation [than Volume One]; it’s only four sides, two pieces of vinyl. And it won’t just be vinyl only — we’re doing 2,000 [double-LP] sets, 2,000 CDs and 2,000 downloads. Everything is limited. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

BIOGRAPHY (CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD)/AMG
by Bradley Torreano
Founded in 2011 by Chris Robinson, the Black Crowes frontman, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood came together around guitarist Neal Casal, drummer George Sluppick, bassist Mark Dutton, and Black Crowes keyboard player Adam MacDougall. The group's studio debut, Big Moon Ritual, arrived in June the following year, with its sequel, The Magic Door, appearing just three months later. The single "Older Guys" was released at the end of 2012, followed by a live album entitled Betty's S.F. Blends, Vol. 1 a year later. In February of 2014, the CRB dropped the preview track "Shore Power" as a teaser for its next studio full-length Phosphorescent Harvest, which was released in April.

BIOGRAPHY (CHRIS ROBINSON)/AMG
by Bradley Torreano
Although his band may have slowly disappeared from the mainstream after making a grand splash, Chris Robinson and the Black Crowes cultivated a dedicated audience that ensured they would go down as one of the most respected and well-liked roots rockers of the '90s. By going back to a classic sound in the mold of Humble Pie and the Faces, the Black Crowes were one of the few truly popular bands to continue making rock music that wasn't rooted in a particular decade during the era of hair metal and (later) grunge. Furthermore, Robinson's celebrity status afforded him a platform to support political causes and fiercely champion bands like the Jayhawks before the mainstream took notice of their efforts.

Before all of that, he was simply Christopher Mark Robinson, born to an Atlanta musician in 1966. Along with his brother Rich, he was exposed to a variety of musical genres throughout his youth, eventually discovering a love for most kinds of rock. Absorbing tremendous amounts of everything from Big Star to Led Zeppelin, he eventually teamed with Rich to start a band in the early '80s. Going under the name Mr. Crowe's Garden, the group started in 1984 and performed a jangly kind of college rock that wasn't getting them noticed. A terribly unstable lineup haunted the group for several years, but when representatives from American Records spotted the group performing in a club, they were enamored with Robinson's on-stage presence and soulful voice. Signing the band in 1989, a hilarious debate over a name change (label owner Rick Rubin wanted to rechristen the group "the Kobb Kounty Krows") eventually led to the simplified Black Crowes moniker.

Working with producer George Drakoulias, the band learned to shape their sound into a blues-based assault that brought to mind the loose, shambling glory of Exile on Main St.-era Stones. Debuting in 1990, the band's Shake Your Money Maker was an enormous success and led to several hit singles. Launched into the mainstream, the band immediately took issue with several of the bands it toured with over corporate sponsorship, and became political spokespeople as well as a solid live unit.

Their constant touring also helped the band as their albums began to lose steam commercially. But fans were impressed by their shows and they drew bigger and bigger crowds as the Crowes remained on the road for almost all the time between their debut and 2001. In that time they had toured with Jimmy Page and helped usher in the new generation of touring-based rock acts that included other live attractions like Phish and Widespread Panic. But burnout and a career filled with internal struggles put the band on hold, and Robinson started working on more intimate material to combat boredom.

By 2002, he had hooked up with producer/guitarist Paul Stacey and was hammering out his solo debut in the studio. Titled New Earth Mud, the album was a step toward Robinson's poppier side, which was often overshadowed by the technical prowess of his bandmates. Freed from the constraints of the band, Robinson still remained relatively close to the Southern rock sound he was known for. The darker-tinged This Magnificent Distance and the live show Brothers of a Feather featuring his brother Rich Robinson, followed in 2004 and 2007, respectively. In 2011, Robinson formed a new project called the Chris Robinson Brotherhood with guitarist Neal Casal, drummer George Sluppick, bassist Mark Dutton, and Black Crowes' keyboard player Adam MacDougall. The group's studio debut, Big Moon Ritual, arrived in June the following year, with its sequel, The Magic Door, appearing just three months later.

The single "Older Guys" was released at the end of 2012, followed by a live album entitled Betty's S.F. Blends, Vol. 1 a year later. In February of 2014, the CRB dropped the preview track "Shore Power" as a teaser for its next studio full-length Phosphorescent Harvest, which was released in April.

WEBSITE

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9453 - CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD - BETTY'S S.F. BLENDS VOLUME ONE, DISC TWO (2013)

CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD
''BETTY'S S.F. BLENDS VOLUME ONE, DISC TWO''
NOVEMBER 24 2013
137:34

DISC ONE (68:15)
1 Crash On the Levee (Bob Dylan) 06:04
2 Star or Stone (Chris Robinson) 10:09
3 Do Right Woman (Dan Penn, Lincoln Wayne Moman) 04:40
4 Badlands Here We Come (Chris Robinson, Neal Casal) 05:55
5 Tornado (Chris Robinson) 05:10
6 Try Rock & Roll (Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King) 04:37
7 Jump the Turnstile (Chris Robinson) 06:00
8 Someday Past the Sunset (Chris Robinson) 07:00
9 Barefoot By the Cherry Tree (Chris Robinson) 06:52
10 Poor Elijah; R. Johnson (Bonnie Bramlett, Delaney Bramlett, Jim Ford) 11:43

DISC TWO (69:19)
1 Reflections On a Broken Mirror (Chris Robinson) 07:23
2 100 Days of Rain (Chris Robinson, Neal Casal) 08:04
3 Saturday Night in S.F. (Tony Joe White) 03:49
4 Girl On the Mountain (Chris Robinson) 11:44
5 Roll Old Jeremiah (Chris Robinson) 09:13
6 Tulsa Yesterday (Chris Robinson, Neal Casal) 11:01
7 Meanwhile in the Gods (Chris Robinson, Neal Casal) 05:33
8 Train Robbers (Chris Robinson) 07:41
9 Hello L.A. Bye Bye Birmingham (Delaney Bramlett, Mac Davis) 04:47

Mark Dutton - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
George Sluppick - Drums
Adam MacDougall - Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Neal Casal - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Chris Robinson - Lead Vocals, Guitar

REVIEW
By Richard B. Simon (Relix)
It’s a shame that the vinyl-only Betty’s S.F. Blends, Volume One is limited to 2,000 copies because it’s damn good. The quadruple-LP, live set is culled from a five-night run in 2012, recorded by Grateful Dead engineer Betty Cantor-Jackson. (Her recordings of all five shows are downloadable.) It captures the Chris Robinson Brotherhood peaking, in their third year, as a satisfying hybrid of Bakersfield country and laid-back California psychedelia. Neal Casal’s lead guitar is often reminiscent of Jerry Garcia’s—his tone and melodic choices are familiar, his notes are shaped similarly. Adam MacDougall’s keys, purposefully limited to the weirdo tones of the Fender Rhodes, the Moog and the clavinet, give this band and these tunes a signature sound, akin to the Burrito Brothers’ B-bent Telecaster foghorn and pedal steel. Check out Robinson’s guitar in the right channel—he’s doing interesting stuff here. Among many standouts: live versions of the slack psychedelic anthem “Tulsa Yesterday” and “Reflections on a Broken Mirror.” “Tornado,” a Black Crowes tune, sounds like a long-lost Garcia Band classic. “Meanwhile in the Gods” has a big football stadium beat and riff and a super-hooky synth line. There are some other guit-rockin’ smokers here, too. (Note Robinson’s vocal phrasing on “Saturday Night in S.F.”) But “Train Robbers” is the crystalline entity. Muddy Dutton’s dirigible-like bassline and George Sluppick’s whip-tight snare rolls cast the tune as a theatrical number, and Robinson’s supernaturally excellent singing is laid bare, as a bandit pondering one last heist. This, friends, is music.

BIOGRAPHY (CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD)/AMG
by Bradley Torreano
Founded in 2011 by Chris Robinson, the Black Crowes frontman, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood came together around guitarist Neal Casal, drummer George Sluppick, bassist Mark Dutton, and Black Crowes keyboard player Adam MacDougall. The group's studio debut, Big Moon Ritual, arrived in June the following year, with its sequel, The Magic Door, appearing just three months later. The single "Older Guys" was released at the end of 2012, followed by a live album entitled Betty's S.F. Blends, Vol. 1 a year later. In February of 2014, the CRB dropped the preview track "Shore Power" as a teaser for its next studio full-length Phosphorescent Harvest, which was released in April.

BIOGRAPHY (CHRIS ROBINSON)/AMG
by Bradley Torreano
Although his band may have slowly disappeared from the mainstream after making a grand splash, Chris Robinson and the Black Crowes cultivated a dedicated audience that ensured they would go down as one of the most respected and well-liked roots rockers of the '90s. By going back to a classic sound in the mold of Humble Pie and the Faces, the Black Crowes were one of the few truly popular bands to continue making rock music that wasn't rooted in a particular decade during the era of hair metal and (later) grunge. Furthermore, Robinson's celebrity status afforded him a platform to support political causes and fiercely champion bands like the Jayhawks before the mainstream took notice of their efforts.

Before all of that, he was simply Christopher Mark Robinson, born to an Atlanta musician in 1966. Along with his brother Rich, he was exposed to a variety of musical genres throughout his youth, eventually discovering a love for most kinds of rock. Absorbing tremendous amounts of everything from Big Star to Led Zeppelin, he eventually teamed with Rich to start a band in the early '80s. Going under the name Mr. Crowe's Garden, the group started in 1984 and performed a jangly kind of college rock that wasn't getting them noticed. A terribly unstable lineup haunted the group for several years, but when representatives from American Records spotted the group performing in a club, they were enamored with Robinson's on-stage presence and soulful voice. Signing the band in 1989, a hilarious debate over a name change (label owner Rick Rubin wanted to rechristen the group "the Kobb Kounty Krows") eventually led to the simplified Black Crowes moniker.

Working with producer George Drakoulias, the band learned to shape their sound into a blues-based assault that brought to mind the loose, shambling glory of Exile on Main St.-era Stones. Debuting in 1990, the band's Shake Your Money Maker was an enormous success and led to several hit singles. Launched into the mainstream, the band immediately took issue with several of the bands it toured with over corporate sponsorship, and became political spokespeople as well as a solid live unit.

Their constant touring also helped the band as their albums began to lose steam commercially. But fans were impressed by their shows and they drew bigger and bigger crowds as the Crowes remained on the road for almost all the time between their debut and 2001. In that time they had toured with Jimmy Page and helped usher in the new generation of touring-based rock acts that included other live attractions like Phish and Widespread Panic. But burnout and a career filled with internal struggles put the band on hold, and Robinson started working on more intimate material to combat boredom.

By 2002, he had hooked up with producer/guitarist Paul Stacey and was hammering out his solo debut in the studio. Titled New Earth Mud, the album was a step toward Robinson's poppier side, which was often overshadowed by the technical prowess of his bandmates. Freed from the constraints of the band, Robinson still remained relatively close to the Southern rock sound he was known for. The darker-tinged This Magnificent Distance and the live show Brothers of a Feather featuring his brother Rich Robinson, followed in 2004 and 2007, respectively. In 2011, Robinson formed a new project called the Chris Robinson Brotherhood with guitarist Neal Casal, drummer George Sluppick, bassist Mark Dutton, and Black Crowes' keyboard player Adam MacDougall. The group's studio debut, Big Moon Ritual, arrived in June the following year, with its sequel, The Magic Door, appearing just three months later.

The single "Older Guys" was released at the end of 2012, followed by a live album entitled Betty's S.F. Blends, Vol. 1 a year later. In February of 2014, the CRB dropped the preview track "Shore Power" as a teaser for its next studio full-length Phosphorescent Harvest, which was released in April.

WEBSITE

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9452 - CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD - BETTY'S S.F. BLENDS VOLUME ONE, DISC ONE (2013)

CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD
''BETTY'S S.F. BLENDS VOLUME ONE, DISC ONE''
NOVEMBER 24 2013
137:34

DISC ONE (68:15)
1 Crash On the Levee (Bob Dylan) 06:04
2 Star or Stone (Chris Robinson) 10:09
3 Do Right Woman (Dan Penn, Lincoln Wayne Moman) 04:40
4 Badlands Here We Come (Chris Robinson, Neal Casal) 05:55
5 Tornado (Chris Robinson) 05:10
6 Try Rock & Roll (Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King) 04:37
7 Jump the Turnstile (Chris Robinson) 06:00
8 Someday Past the Sunset (Chris Robinson) 07:00
9 Barefoot By the Cherry Tree (Chris Robinson) 06:52
10 Poor Elijah; R. Johnson (Bonnie Bramlett, Delaney Bramlett, Jim Ford) 11:43

DISC TWO (69:19)
1 Reflections On a Broken Mirror (Chris Robinson) 07:23
2 100 Days of Rain (Chris Robinson, Neal Casal) 08:04
3 Saturday Night in S.F. (Tony Joe White) 03:49
4 Girl On the Mountain (Chris Robinson) 11:44
5 Roll Old Jeremiah (Chris Robinson) 09:13
6 Tulsa Yesterday (Chris Robinson, Neal Casal) 11:01
7 Meanwhile in the Gods (Chris Robinson, Neal Casal) 05:33
8 Train Robbers (Chris Robinson) 07:41
9 Hello L.A. Bye Bye Birmingham (Delaney Bramlett, Mac Davis) 04:47

Mark Dutton - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
George Sluppick - Drums
Adam MacDougall - Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Neal Casal - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Chris Robinson - Lead Vocals, Guitar

REVIEW
By Richard B. Simon (Relix)
It’s a shame that the vinyl-only Betty’s S.F. Blends, Volume One is limited to 2,000 copies because it’s damn good. The quadruple-LP, live set is culled from a five-night run in 2012, recorded by Grateful Dead engineer Betty Cantor-Jackson. (Her recordings of all five shows are downloadable.) It captures the Chris Robinson Brotherhood peaking, in their third year, as a satisfying hybrid of Bakersfield country and laid-back California psychedelia. Neal Casal’s lead guitar is often reminiscent of Jerry Garcia’s—his tone and melodic choices are familiar, his notes are shaped similarly. Adam MacDougall’s keys, purposefully limited to the weirdo tones of the Fender Rhodes, the Moog and the clavinet, give this band and these tunes a signature sound, akin to the Burrito Brothers’ B-bent Telecaster foghorn and pedal steel. Check out Robinson’s guitar in the right channel—he’s doing interesting stuff here. Among many standouts: live versions of the slack psychedelic anthem “Tulsa Yesterday” and “Reflections on a Broken Mirror.” “Tornado,” a Black Crowes tune, sounds like a long-lost Garcia Band classic. “Meanwhile in the Gods” has a big football stadium beat and riff and a super-hooky synth line. There are some other guit-rockin’ smokers here, too. (Note Robinson’s vocal phrasing on “Saturday Night in S.F.”) But “Train Robbers” is the crystalline entity. Muddy Dutton’s dirigible-like bassline and George Sluppick’s whip-tight snare rolls cast the tune as a theatrical number, and Robinson’s supernaturally excellent singing is laid bare, as a bandit pondering one last heist. This, friends, is music.

BIOGRAPHY (CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD)/AMG
by Bradley Torreano
Founded in 2011 by Chris Robinson, the Black Crowes frontman, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood came together around guitarist Neal Casal, drummer George Sluppick, bassist Mark Dutton, and Black Crowes keyboard player Adam MacDougall. The group's studio debut, Big Moon Ritual, arrived in June the following year, with its sequel, The Magic Door, appearing just three months later. The single "Older Guys" was released at the end of 2012, followed by a live album entitled Betty's S.F. Blends, Vol. 1 a year later. In February of 2014, the CRB dropped the preview track "Shore Power" as a teaser for its next studio full-length Phosphorescent Harvest, which was released in April.

BIOGRAPHY (CHRIS ROBINSON)/AMG
by Bradley Torreano
Although his band may have slowly disappeared from the mainstream after making a grand splash, Chris Robinson and the Black Crowes cultivated a dedicated audience that ensured they would go down as one of the most respected and well-liked roots rockers of the '90s. By going back to a classic sound in the mold of Humble Pie and the Faces, the Black Crowes were one of the few truly popular bands to continue making rock music that wasn't rooted in a particular decade during the era of hair metal and (later) grunge. Furthermore, Robinson's celebrity status afforded him a platform to support political causes and fiercely champion bands like the Jayhawks before the mainstream took notice of their efforts.

Before all of that, he was simply Christopher Mark Robinson, born to an Atlanta musician in 1966. Along with his brother Rich, he was exposed to a variety of musical genres throughout his youth, eventually discovering a love for most kinds of rock. Absorbing tremendous amounts of everything from Big Star to Led Zeppelin, he eventually teamed with Rich to start a band in the early '80s. Going under the name Mr. Crowe's Garden, the group started in 1984 and performed a jangly kind of college rock that wasn't getting them noticed. A terribly unstable lineup haunted the group for several years, but when representatives from American Records spotted the group performing in a club, they were enamored with Robinson's on-stage presence and soulful voice. Signing the band in 1989, a hilarious debate over a name change (label owner Rick Rubin wanted to rechristen the group "the Kobb Kounty Krows") eventually led to the simplified Black Crowes moniker.

Working with producer George Drakoulias, the band learned to shape their sound into a blues-based assault that brought to mind the loose, shambling glory of Exile on Main St.-era Stones. Debuting in 1990, the band's Shake Your Money Maker was an enormous success and led to several hit singles. Launched into the mainstream, the band immediately took issue with several of the bands it toured with over corporate sponsorship, and became political spokespeople as well as a solid live unit.

Their constant touring also helped the band as their albums began to lose steam commercially. But fans were impressed by their shows and they drew bigger and bigger crowds as the Crowes remained on the road for almost all the time between their debut and 2001. In that time they had toured with Jimmy Page and helped usher in the new generation of touring-based rock acts that included other live attractions like Phish and Widespread Panic. But burnout and a career filled with internal struggles put the band on hold, and Robinson started working on more intimate material to combat boredom.

By 2002, he had hooked up with producer/guitarist Paul Stacey and was hammering out his solo debut in the studio. Titled New Earth Mud, the album was a step toward Robinson's poppier side, which was often overshadowed by the technical prowess of his bandmates. Freed from the constraints of the band, Robinson still remained relatively close to the Southern rock sound he was known for. The darker-tinged This Magnificent Distance and the live show Brothers of a Feather featuring his brother Rich Robinson, followed in 2004 and 2007, respectively. In 2011, Robinson formed a new project called the Chris Robinson Brotherhood with guitarist Neal Casal, drummer George Sluppick, bassist Mark Dutton, and Black Crowes' keyboard player Adam MacDougall. The group's studio debut, Big Moon Ritual, arrived in June the following year, with its sequel, The Magic Door, appearing just three months later.

The single "Older Guys" was released at the end of 2012, followed by a live album entitled Betty's S.F. Blends, Vol. 1 a year later. In February of 2014, the CRB dropped the preview track "Shore Power" as a teaser for its next studio full-length Phosphorescent Harvest, which was released in April.

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9451 - THE DARKNESS - LAST OF OUR KIND (2015)

THE DARKNESS
''LAST OF OUR KIND''
JUNE 2 2015
41:15

1 Barbarian 03:31
2 Open Fire 03:58
3 Last Of Our Kind 04:09
4 Roaring Waters 04:36
5 Wheels Of The Machine 03:03
6 Mighty Wings 05:45
7 Mudslide 03:24
8 Sarah O'Sarah 03:51
9 Hammer & Tongs 04:00
10 Conquerors 04:54

REVIEW/AMG
by James Christopher Monger
Beginning with a spoken word intro ("One by one the kingdoms fall/they looked upon this isle and took it all/harbingers of pain/Edmund the martyr cut down by a Dane on the orders of Ivar the Boneless") and ending with a torch- and morning star-waving power anthem delivered with throaty gusto by bass player Frankie Poullain, The Darkness' first post-comeback album and fourth studio outing overall may also be their best to date, effortlessly pairing Spinal Tap-inspired braggadocio with meaty metal riffs and soaring pop hooks, with both a lusty wink and a resolute kick in the teeth. Having proved themselves, more or less, to still be competent and creative schillers of all things late-70s and early-'80s metal with 2012's Hot Cakes, the band sound as locked in as they did on their 2003 debut, offering up a surprisingly bold and diverse, relentlessly likeable smorgasbord of hard rock posturing that manages to touch on nearly every iteration of the genre. Built around one of the best riffs to appear out of the ether in ages, opener "Barbarian" sets a mean pace (it's also a fine perfunctory retelling of the Great Heathen Army's homicidal siege of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms of England during the 9th century), but the band, much like the sons of Ragnar, seem hell-bent on pillaging every last corner of the keep. Viking themes loom large, with the Led Zeppelin-esque "Roaring Waters" and the truly epic, ELO-meets-Muse-blasted "Mighty Wings" leading the charge, but detours into groove-laden, Southern boogie rock ("Mudslide"), "She Sells Sanctuary"-era Cult-inspired psych-rock, and no-hook-left-behind, earworm-heavy guitar pop ("Hammer and Tong") prove to be just as compelling. What's most surprising is that Justin Hawkins' seismic falsetto, as impressive as ever, no longer feels like the main event, as the band match each caterwaul with a comparable sonic boom of their own. Last of Our Kind is the sound of a band unencumbered; it's an album that was probably as much fun to make as it is a joy to listen to.

BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Eduardo Rivadavia
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England's the Darkness centered around irrepressible frontman Justin Hawkins (vocals/guitars/keyboards), who, along with his guitar-playing baby brother Dan, bassist Frankie Poullain, and drummer Ed Graham, single-handedly resurrected the rather unfashionable sounds and attitudes of late-'70s hard rock for an unsuspecting generation. Following the demise of an earlier, conspicuously synth pop-based outfit named Empire, the Hawkins brothers sowed the seeds of what would become the Darkness at an impromptu karaoke session on New Year's Eve 1999. Justin's rapturous rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" showed them the way, and the suitably dramatic name of the Darkness was chosen shortly after the arrival of Poullain and Graham.
With outrageous stage antics that included gaudy leotards stolen from Steven Tyler's wardrobe, leaps and splits borrowed from David Lee Roth, and an ear-piercing falsetto copped from Freddie Mercury himself, the multi-talented elder Hawkins led the quartet as the group spent the next two years slogging it out in London's pub circuit. Though they were immediately singled out as a joke by the notoriously vicious British press, the Darkness' high-energy sets, remarkably catchy material, and unapologetic worship of old-school rock & roll bombast gradually earned them a fanatical following based on simple word of mouth.

The tide finally began to shift in their favor in August 2002, when they released their debut EP, I Believe in a Thing Called Love (through the independent label Must Destroy Music), won a major talent contest, and scored all-important opening slots with Deep Purple and Def Leppard. Their momentum carried through into the new year, starting with a knockout performance at Austin's SXSW music convention in January, continuing with the release of the "Keep Your Hands Off My Woman" single in February (which peaked at number 36 in the U.K. chart), and climaxing with their subsequent signing with a major-label, Atlantic Records, in March.

Nothing could stop the Darkness' snowball effect, and a series of acclaimed festival appearances set the stage for their debut album, Permission to Land, to debut atop the British charts -- the first time a new act had achieved such a feat since Coldplay three years earlier. Aside from the 2003 Christmas single Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End), the Darkness concentrated on touring until 2005, when they returned to the studio with Cars and Foreigner producer Roy Thomas Baker. During the recording of their sophomore album, the band parted ways with Poullain and replaced him with former guitar tech Richie Edwards.

One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back was released late in 2005 but didn't fare as well as its predecessor, which took a toll on Justin Hawkins. Following several months of touring, the frontman entered rehab in August 2006 for alcohol and cocaine abuse. Although he completed the program, Hawkins nevertheless left the Darkness' lineup later that year, leaving the group's fate in the hands of his former bandmates. The remaining musicians regrouped under the name Stone Gods the following year, while Justin busied himself with solo work, issuing a single under the moniker British Whale and a full-length album, 2008's Red Light Fever, with his new band Hot Leg. In 2011, the Darkness reunited with the original lineup featuring Hawkins and embarked on several European tours. In 2012, they delivered the full-length album Hot Cakes. In 2015, the band issued their fourth studio outing, Last of Our Kind, the first Darkness album to feature new drummer Emily Dolan Davies, who'd replaced founding member Ed Graham the year before.

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9450 - BLACK STONE CHERRY - MAGIC MOUNTAIN (2014) (REPOST)

BLACK STONE CHERRY
''MAGIC MOUNTAIN''
MAY 6 2014
55:05

1 /Holding On...To Letting Go
Black Stone Cherry/4:15
2 /Peace Pipe
Dave Bassett / Black Stone Cherry/4:13
3 /Bad Luck & Hard Love
Black Stone Cherry / Richard Young/3:49
4 /Me and Mary Jane
Black Stone Cherry/4:08
5 /Runaway
Black Stone Cherry/3:53
6 /Magic Mountain
Black Stone Cherry/3:45
7 /Never Surrender
Black Stone Cherry/3:29
8 /Blow My Mind
Dave Bassett / Black Stone Cherry/3:42
9 /Sometimes
Black Stone Cherry / Craig Wiseman/4:34
10 /Fiesta del Fuego
Black Stone Cherry/4:09
11 /Dance Girl
Black Stone Cherry/4:40
12 /Hollywood in Kentucky
The Warren Brothers / Black Stone Cherry/4:25
13 /Remember Me
Black Stone Cherry/6:03

Jonathan Lawhon /Bass, Vocals
Chris Robertson /Guitar, Vocals
Ben Wells /Guitar, Vocals
John Fred Young /Drums, Vocals

REVIEW/AMG
By Thom Jurek
When Florida Georgia Line covered Black Stone Cherry's "Stay," the single went straight to the top of the country music charts and provided some exposure for the Kentucky hard rockers outside heavy metal circles. The band's first two records -- 2006's self-titled album and 2008's Folklore and Superstition -- both possessed killer riffs and raw intensity but lacked songwriting finesse, while 2011's Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea went too far in the other direction. Magic Mountain assembles BSC's strengths cohesively with only a few missteps. Produced, engineered, and mixed by Joe Barresi (Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age, Chevelle), this 13-song set unabashedly reflects the band's biggest influences -- Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Cream, and vintage Whitesnake -- but places them in a 21st century post-grunge, hard rock context. The swaggering blues-metal of opener "Holding on... to Letting Go" possesses a mighty hook with sweeping guitar fills from vocalist/guitarist Chris Robertson and Ben Wells. The wah-wah guitar strut in "Bad Luck & Hard Love" is equaled only by the four-part vocal harmonies. While the single "Me and Mary Jane" may be overly obvious, the tune is irresistible because of its massive hook and its boogie quotient. Speaking of boogie, check the title track. Its twin leads, propulsive drum attack, and handclaps in the bridge make it the set's party jam. "Never Surrender" is crunchy death metal with low-tuned guitars run amok, tempered by a catchy chorus. The introductory bass throb in "Fiesta del Fuego" and its snarling vocal effects keep the nearly unhinged six-string rage inside the realm of chaos, while closer "Remember Me" is swaggering Southern hard rock tempered by flanged guitars and a pop-metal chorus. There are a couple of duds. The ballad "Sometimes" is pure filler. "Hollywood in Kentucky" sounds like it was recorded to appeal to either contemporary country radio or to be covered by other artists from the genre (its lyrics reference pickup trucks, boots, mom, good ol' boys, etc.). It doesn't belong here. These clunkers aside, Magic Mountain comes closer than any previous offering in providing the kind of excitement Black Stone Cherry generate live, and showcases their most refined songwriting to date.

BIOGRAPHY/AMG
By Megan Frye
Fiery Southern rockers Black Stone Cherry originally hailed from a small rural town in south central Kentucky. According to bandmembers, none of whom were born before 1983, the lack of anything to do in their hometown, coupled with a rich musical background in their community and families, led them to start playing music. Lead vocalist and guitarist Chris Robertson met drummer John Fred Young (the son of Kentucky Headhunters' Richard Young) in school, and the two played music together throughout high school.

In June of 2001, Black Stone Cherry officially formed with guitarist Ben Wells and bassist Jon Lawhon. They began holding shows at clubs in the area, and after a short while, they'd gained a large all-ages following. The band recorded its first album for In de Goot/Roadrunner Records, and after returning from the recording session, Black Stone Cherry held a homecoming concert at the local high school. Their self-titled debut album was released in July of 2006, followed by Folklore and Superstition in 2008. It performed well on the charts, both in America and across Europe.

The band's third album, 2011's Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea, was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Howard Benson (Daughtry, Three Days Grace). It peaked inside the Top 40 of the album charts in their home country, and hit the top spot in Great Britain. The band toured the globe in support and won fans as far away as Japan. In 2013 the country duo Florida Georgia Line covered the band's "Stay" and hit the number one spot on the country charts. Later that year the band re-entered the studio with producer Joe Barresi. In April of 2014, Black Stone Cherry issued a preview single, "Me and Mary Jane," which entered the chart at number 29 before their fourth album, Magic Mountain, was released in May.

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9449 - JOHNNY HICKMAN - TILTING (2012) (REPOST)

JOHNNY HICKMAN
''TILTING''
2012
48:43

1 /Measure of a Man
Johnny Hickman/4:28
2 /Destiny Misspent
Johnny Hickman/6:01
3 /Not Enough
Johnny Hickman/2:56
4 /Dream Along with Me
Johnny Hickman/3:58
5 /Sick Cynthia Thing
Johnny Hickman/3:52
6 /Whittled Down
Johnny Hickman/5:00
7 /Our Little Movie
Johnny Hickman/3:48
8 /Papa Johnny's Arms
Johnny Hickman/4:17
9 /Takin' Me Back
Johnny Hickman/2:19
10 /Resurrection Train
Gary Kjorvestad / Chris Leroy / Mike Wilkerson/4:08
11 /Drunkard's Epiphany
Johnny Hickman/4:21
12 /Another Road
Johnny Hickman / Chris Leroy/4:02

Adam Bodine /Piano
Jim Dalton /Guitar (Classical)
Amanda Ernst /Vocals (Background)
Jessica Hazlett /Cello
Johnny Hickman /Bass, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Harmonica, Mandolin, Percussion, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Jasiqua Johnston /Vocals
Jason Johnston /French Horn
Peter Knudson /Percussion
Jason Larson /Bass, Drums, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Organ, Piano, Slide Guitar, Vocals (Background)
John Magnie /Organ, Piano
Mónica Merino /Wurlitzer Piano
Cary Morin /Pedal Steel
Ferd Moyse /Fiddle
Susan Phelan /Bass (Upright)
Ashley Raines /Dobro
Laniece Schleicher /Vocals (Background)
Jimmy Stelling /Banjo
Thalia Stevenson /Vocals (Background)
T.E.R.H. /Vocals (Background)
Shane Zweygardt /Drums

OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
Hickman is best known for co-founding the band Cracker. His fiery lead guitar sound and spirited co-writing give flavor to that band's alternative radio hits, including Teen Angst, Low, Get Off This, and Eurotrash Girl. Cracker, founded in 1991 with childhood friend David Lowery, has nine full-length releases to date. Kerosene Hat (1994) remains an alternative music collection staple. Lowery and Hickman together are seen as godfathers of the alternative music scene, who turned gently away from plaid-clad grunge in the 1990s with more countrified and bluesy stylings. Their collaboration with the jam-band Leftover Salmon in 2003 further proved that no one genre could contain them. Cracker's most recent album, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey (2009), garnered indie press rave reviews, with the song "Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out" finding its way into the soundtrack for the cult TV hit Californication. Cracker (Lowery, Hickman, drummer Frank Funaro and bassist Sal Maida) continue to tour internationally, with a future release likely to appear in 2013.

Johnny's solo work includes the soon-to-be-released Tilting (July 2012), which takes Hickman's reliable blazing guitar and roots-rock sounds in a broader direction that includes melodic pop, and 2005's solo debut Palmhenge. No Depression magazine called Palmhenge "wildly diverse - from the arena rock of 'Harvest Queen' to the Bakersfield country of 'Friends' to the splendid folk rock of 'Little Tom' and 'The San Bernardino Boy' - it blends those genres with a dash of alt-rock to create a surprisingly coherent whole."

Prior to his tenure in Cracker, Hickman toured as a solo/folk acoustic performer, had a brief stint in the Unforgiven (a tongue-in-cheek-Western guitar rock band), and co-founded the Inland Empire (California) cult band the Dangers. Influenced by punk rock, surf guitar, and true Bakersfield country, Hickman's sound is often imitated but never perfected by anyone but he and his signature 1977 Les Paul.

Occasionally, Hickman ventures away from solo work and Cracker to spearhead side projects, including his Colorado-based outlaw country band The Hickman-Dalton Gang. Retired side projects include All Thumbs Trio (with moe. guitarist Chuck Garvey, and East Coast guitarist Gibb Droll), and Crazysloth, an Arizona-based band he formed while recording Palmhenge. Film and TV work to date include one full film score for the independent River Red, placement of "Lucky" from Palmhenge in the FX series "Sons of Anarchy," as well as the placement of Cracker songs in several popular movies.

WEBSITE

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9448 - THE SMITHERENS - SPECIALLY FOR YOU (1986)

THE SMITHEREENS
''ESPECIALY FOR YOU''
1986
43:39

1 Strangers When We Meet 03:43
2 Listen To Me Girl 02:56
3 Groovy Tuesday 02:36
4 Cigarette 02:30
5 I Don't Want To Lose You 03:20
6 Time And Time Again 03:07
7 Behind The Wall Of Sleep 03:21
8 In A Lone Place 04:08
9 Blood And Roses 03:32
10 Crazy Mixed-Up Kid 02:03
11 Hand Of Glory 02:43
12 Alone At Midnight 03:36
13 White Castle Blues (Jim Babjak) 03:56
14 Mr. Eliminator (Dick Dale) 01:59
Tracks By Pat Dinizio, Except 13, 14

Jim Babjak/Guitar
Jeff Berman/Guest Artist, Vibraphone
Frank Christian/Guest Artist, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic)
Dennis Diken/Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Pat DiNizio/Guitar, Vocals
Don Dixon/Guest Artist, Percussion, Piano, Vocals (Background)
Jerome Jerome/Organ (Hammond), Piano
Mark Johnson/Guest Artist, Harmony, Vocal Harmony, Vocals (Background)
Joe Kernich/Accordion, Piano
Kenny Margolis/Accordion
Mike Mesaros/Bass, Vocals
John Rokosny/Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Rhythm)
Suzanne Vega/Guest Artist, Vocals (Background)

REVIEW/AMG
by Jason Ankeny
The Smithereens' superb full-length debut Especially for You marries an unapologetically nostalgic affection for the melodic crunch of the British Invasion era with an equally unapologetic helping of postmodern melancholia. In tandem with Don Dixon's moodily atmospheric production, Pat DiNizio's lovelorn lyrics and world-weary vocals reveal the dark underbelly of his otherwise crisply infectious songs, lending standout tracks like "Strangers When We Meet," "Behind the Wall of Sleep," and the minor hit "Blood and Roses," both a unique flavor and an immediate familiarity.

BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Dressed in leather, brandishing heavy guitars, and exhibiting an unabashed fetish for British Invasion pop, the Smithereens were an anomaly in the American college rock scene of the late '80s. Lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Pat DiNizio stood out not only with his strange beatnik goatee, but also because his catchy hooks were haunting, not punchy, and because his lyrics were morose. As time wore on, the group became more straightforward, turning into an excellent bar band, one that attacked pop songs with the weight of AC/DC. A few hits followed, but the Smithereens seemed hopelessly out of date in the alternative rock explosion of the early '90s, and they quietly faded into a working cult band.

Of course, the Smithereens essentially started out as a working band. After playing in several cover bands, including a handful of prog rock and metal groups, DiNizio was inspired to form his own band after listening to Buddy Holly. Placing an advertisement in a New York paper for musicians influenced by Holly, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, and the Clash, DiNizio eventually came into contact with New Jersey high-school students Dennis Diken (drums), Jim Babjak (guitar), and Mike Mesaros (bass), who had all played together in school. By the end of 1980, they had independently released Girls About Town, an EP featuring four songs with "girl" in the title that was a moderate local success. For the next three years, the group played around New Jersey and New York, not releasing another record until 1983's Beauty and Sadness. While the EP earned some play on college radio and received a positive review in Rolling Stone, they still had trouble gaining an audience, so they began supporting traveling oldies artists like Otis Blackwell, with whom they recorded an album's worth of material, and the Beau Brummels.

By 1985, the Smithereens were growing frustrated by their lack of progress, as most of the demos they sent to labels were ignored. They did send a demo to Enigma, where Scott Vanderbilt, a former college DJ who was a fan of the band several years earlier, signed the group. In 1986, the band released its debut album, the Don Dixon-produced Especially for You, to positive reviews. On the strength of college airplay, as well as MTV's airing of "Blood and Roses" -- a video financed by a film studio that included the song in the B-movie Dangerously Close -- the album became a moderate hit, climbing to number 51 on the charts and leading to a major-label contract with Capitol. the Smithereens supported the album with an extensive tour, and they recorded their second record weeks after they left the road.

Green Thoughts appeared early in 1988, and the first single, "Only a Memory," not only became a college and modern rock hit, but it crossed over to album rock stations as well. the Smithereens made their attempt for big-time album rock success with their third album, 11. Hiring producer Ed Stasium brought a heavier guitar sound, which made "A Girl Like You" -- a song rejected as the theme for the comedy Say Anything -- a Top 40 hit, sending 11 to gold status. "Too Much Passion," the first single from their fourth album, Blow Up, indicated that the new record was more adventurous and produced, and the single did become a Top 40 hit, yet the album itself failed to replicate the success of its predecessor.

Blow Up was their last album for Capitol, and they moved to RCA for 1994's A Date with the Smithereens, their first album since Green Thoughts to be produced by Don Dixon. By that time, the alternative and mainstream rock scenes had been heavily altered by grunge, which essentially left the band without an avenue for their records to be heard. The album bombed, but the Smithereens retained a sizable cult following that helped them tour successfully into the late '90s. In 1995, they released a pair of compilations, the hits package Blown to Smithereens and the rarities collection Attack of the Smithereens.

After a five-year recording hiatus, the group returned to the studio for 1999's God Save the Smithereens. Another series of compilations and live recordings appeared between 2000 and 2006, with Meet the Smithereens! arriving the following year along with a holiday album, Christmas with the Smithereens. Live in Concert! Greatest Hits and More, recorded at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, NJ, appeared in 2008. Two tribute albums would follow, with B-Sides the Beatles arriving in 2008 and The Smithereens Play Tommy following in 2009. In 2011 they issued Smithereens 2011, their first album of original songs in 11 years.

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