NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ KOCH Records) - KOCH Records is happy to announce the release of "B-Sides The Beatles," The Smithereens' highly anticipated follow up to their critically acclaimed 2007 release, "Meet The Smithereens." The album will be released on
September 2, 2008.
It's no secret that The Smithereens grew up listening to The Beatles. Their album "Meet The Smithereens" paid homage to the group's landmark Capitol debut album by lovingly re-recording "Meet The Beatles" in its entirety. This time The Smithereens dug through their treasure of early Beatles singles and selected a dozen of Beatles B-sides.
The last two years have been an incredibly prolific time for The Smithereens.
"B-Sides The Beatles" is, amazingly, after a ten-year absence from the recording studio, the SEVENTH full-length Smithereens CD released within the past two years. The band also released their first best-selling Beatles Tribute smash hit "Meet The Smithereens!," "The Smithereens Live In Concert," "Christmas With The Smithereens," and "7th Inning Stretch" (the Soundtrack Recording from Smithereens' singer Pat DiNizio's ESPN-TV Baseball/Rock and Roll Special "7th Inning Stretch"), all on KOCH. In addition, frontman Pat DiNizio released two recent solo CDs, the pop standards collection "This is Pat DiNizio" and the rocking "Pat DiNizio," both released in late 2007.
When asked about "B-Sides The Beatles," Smithereens Co-Producer Kurt Reil said, "The project started while we were making demos in preparation for the next new original Smithereens album. As the band warmed up on obscure Beatles B-sides they used to play in clubs, we soon realized there was some unfinished Beatles business for The Smithereens, especially in light of the success of 'Meet The Smithereens,' and the idea for a follow up was born."
The Smithereens have enlisted legendary illustrator Jack Davis, one of the most beloved and talented artists to be associated with Mad magazine, to create the cover of this album. His work for Mad dated back to its inception as an EC comic in the '50s. Davis' work has also been featured in TV Guide, Creem, Playboy, Time, Ebony, myriad book covers, movie posters, advertising campaigns, greeting cards, bubble-gum trading cards and on scores of record albums. Now The Smithereens join a distinguished fraternity of artists that includes the likes of Homer & Jethro, Spike Jones, Johnny Cash and The Cowsills, all of whom can boast long-players adorned by the art of Jack Davis.
The album includes some very special surprises for dedicated Beatles fanatics. For "B-Sides The Beatles," Andy White, who in 1962 played drums on The Beatles' original version of "P.S. I Love You," reprises his role as surrogate stickman for The Smithereens in 2008. The September 11, 1962 session that produced "Love Me Do" and its B-side "P.S. I Love You" featured session drummer White, with the newly recruited Ringo Starr relegated to tambourine and maracas duties. Upon release in America, the A-side shot to No 1, and the B-side made the top-10 as well.
"B-Sides The Beatles" also includes fantastic in-depth liner notes by Beatles author/historian Bruce Spizer, as well as "Beatle" Tommy Frangione (Joe Johnson's Beatle Brunch), and the Smithereens' own Dennis Diken.
At the time Beatlemania exploded, the dominant format was the 45 RPM single - an unbreakable vinyl disc that spun on a turntable at 45 revolutions per minute. One paid anywhere from 69 cents to a buck for these records, and although they were called singles, each disc contained two songs, one on each side.
The Smithereens' respectful treatment of these B-sides from 1964 and early 1965 re-enforces what we knew all along - The Beatles B-sides were better than most of the A-sides released by other artists.
The Smithereens drive home this point by keeping the arrangement the same while remaining true to their New Jersey bar band roots. You know you are listening to great Beatles songs, but at the same time, you know it's The Smithereens who are performing them.
THE SMITHEREENS "B-SIDES THE BEATLES":
1. Thank You Girl
2. There's A Place
3. I'll Get You
4. You Can't Do That
5. Ask Me Why
6. Cry For a Shadow
7. P.S. I Love You
8. Happy Just To Dance With You
9. If I Fell
10. Slow Down
11. I Don't Want to Spoil The Party
12. Some Other Guy
