So just how did
the Smithereens become a
Beatles tribute band? It's no great surprise that they owe a debt of influence to
the Fab Four, but instead of absorbing the lessons of their music, lately
the Smithereens are content to simply play their songs, generally as close to the original arrangements as they can muster, and
B-Sides the Beatles is the second album in two years from
the Smithereens that's devoted entirely to
Beatles covers. Released in 2007,
Meet the Smithereens! was a song-by-song re-creation of
the Beatles' first American LP, while 2008's
B-Sides the Beatles takes a slightly less derivative approach, featuring a dozen songs that appeared on the flip sides of
Beatles hits in the United States. While these songs are a bit less familiar than the stuff on
Meet the Smithereens!, most will be immediately recognizable to anyone who likes rock & roll, and as on
Meet the Smithereens!, the band plays these songs with skill and enthusiasm but little imagination, following the originals with the crowd-pleasing determination of a true bar band. What most clearly sets these versions apart are the vocals, and while
Pat DiNizio's moody style made for an interesting contrast on
the Smithereens' first
Beatles tribute, he sounds a bit rough here and has a hard time with "There's a Place" and "If I Fell," which demand a higher and clearer register than he has to offer. And though guitarist
Jim Babjak's lead vocals on "Some Other Guy" and "Happy Just to Dance with You" aren't bad, he's clearly more comfortable with the six-string than he is before the vocal mike. There are a couple of nice touches -- Andy White, the session man who played drums on the original session for "P.S. I Love You" instead of the newly recruited
Ringo, re-created his drum part here and sounds as good now as he did in 1963, and the cover artwork from the great Jack Davis is excellent. But like
Meet the Smithereens!,
B-Sides the Beatles will leave most listeners wondering why they aren't listening to an actual
Beatles album instead, something
the Smithereens may well be doing at this very moment. (Note to the budget-minded: the album runs a brief and historically accurate 28 minutes.) ~ Mark Deming