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THE SMITHEREENS Meet the Smithereens (Universal Music) |
 THE rationale behind Meet the Smithereens is simple. The US of A's first meeting with the Beatles came courtesy of a collection of songs culled from various albums, titled (you guessed it) Meet the Beatles. In the years since, the Liverpudlian quartet's original studio albums have been re-released across the Atlantic, at the expense of the aforementioned collection. It's only natural that the Smithereens, a band with a well-documented obsession with the British Invasion, would seek to rescue a slice of their past from oblivion. There is absolutely no point discussing the songs featured, because you've heard them all before. Though detractors may label this album similarly pointless, more discerning ears have lauded the "subtle differences" and "unique interpretations" on offer. Still, the man on the street will enjoy or despise Meet the Smithereens! for precisely what it is -- a very good cover of a slice of Beatles history that is in danger of eddying into the backwaters of memory. My advice, when faced with an onslaught of cover bands, is to seek out the originals. I'm really not sure that the reverential nostalgia cuts it. |
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