After an eight-year lay-off from the recording studio,
the Smithereens
released two albums in 2007. However, it doesn't bode well for their creative process that the first of those albums was comprised entirely of
Beatles
covers, and the second was a
Christmas
disc. However,
Christmas with the Smithereens
at least features three original tunes (which is three more than
Meet the Smithereens!
), and as
rock & roll
albums go, this is good fun and admirably eclectic.
The Smithereens
are pretty broad-minded when it comes to what constitutes a Yuletide melody, given the presence of
"Christmas,"
a not especially seasonal tune from
the Who
's
Tommy
, and they dig up
the Beatles
rarity
"Christmas Time Is Here Again,"
as well as cutting a version of
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
that's a dead ringer for the Fab Four. Seasonal numbers from
the Beach Boys
,
Chuck Berry
, and
the Ramones
also make the set list, and you get a snappy
spoken word
rendition of
"The Night Before Christmas"
as well as some rollicking proto-
surf
boogie on
"Auld Lang Syne."
The big surprise here is that
Pat DiNizio
shares the vocal mic with his bandmates for a change, and if guitarist
Jim Babjak
and drummer
Dennis Diken
aren't quite up to
DiNizio
's standard as a singer, they fit their selections better than
's often-gloomy tone. Fans waiting for a "real"
Smithereens
album will apparently have to wait a bit longer, but
is more thoughtful and intriguing than the average tossed-together holiday offering, and the best moments are a clear reminder of what makes this band worthwhile. ~ Mark Deming