The Smithereens - Blown To Smithereens - Best Of The Smithereens FLAC download

So you’ve missed the all of the Smithereens’ releases, you haven’t followed the boys and their time line through the musical history of rock and roll ... never fear, with this release you get sixteen of the top shelf records spanning the entire career of this incredible band.There is not a single song that will in anyway let you down, less of course you really don’t dig American rock and roll. And the best part, they’ve loaded this disc, not only with the best material from the albums, but from the EP’s as well ... something many bands tend not to do. This album is like air, something you just must have in order to live, well to round out and complete your music collection for sure. But be warned, if you connect with this release, you are going to find yourself collecting all of their material, which is going to make you one very happy person. Don’t concern yourself with volume, it’s all guitar driven, even the slow songs, just play it loud.*I wanted to include an image of this article but wasn’t able to, I was only able to load the text ... “On The Juke Box” with Michael WebbMusic Critic & Staff Writer for Post Modern Music & Air Age PublicationsIt's true, and that truth has been proven over and over again in my life, "when you're not looking for it, that's when you find it." Such was my discovery Saturday evening, in of all places The Victory Stamp Pad, in Kansas City. Our flight had been canceled and rather then wait around the airport, Pat Dinizio of the Smithereens and I, decide to rent a car and drive the three hundred miles for the beginning leg of their summer tour, in support of their "Blown To Smithereens" release.Pat was on the phone when he asked if I knew of a small club called the Victory Stamp Pad. "Everyone who knows, knows the Victory," I replied. Pat put away his phone and said there was this guy who goes by the name of Barney Fields playing tonight and I would be in for a rare treat if we'd pull off the interstate for the show. As usual KC was hot, the club was small, the air conditioning was barely working, and it was all worth while to say the least. Barney Fields had just taken the stage, and from the sound of things, intended to hold it for quite some time.Barney Fields is actually Rob Kesler, who hails from Brookhaven, Pennsylvania. Rob is forty something, low keyed with a dry sense of humor and an honest smile. He was there with his band who seem to change from song to song and city to city. Barney seldom plays live, but once you've heard him, there is no mistaking the session work he has done over the years. Rob played his '59 Rickenbacker like it was never played before. He opened the set with "Sweet Child Of Mine," a Guns N Roses cover that just left us hanging in the air. He then roamed through seventy minutes of his own songs, many of which reminded me of hearing the Velvet Underground for the first time. The difference being that Barney knows more than three chords, and there are actually lyrics to go with his music. Ninety minutes later, Barney Fields was back on stage with Pat Dinizio for their encore. They drew deeply from the Smithereens catalog, played four outstanding numbers, followed by The Beatles “A Hard Days Night,” and finished with an original song dedicated to his wife.Pat and I were back on the road at 3 A.M., after having breakfast with Rob, who somehow managed to talk the chef, of the Skyline Diner, one of those chrome and stainless steel places, to allow him do the cooking. We had a head full of good tunes and stomachs full of great diner food; what more could you ask of an evening on the road in Kansas City. Catch Barney Fields if you can, whenever, however, it will be worth your while.*[image]* Robert Kesler, as the Legendary Barney Fields, outside of the Skyline Diner, after his show at the Victory Stamp Pad in Kansas City.Michael Webb's articles are used with the permission of Post Modern Music, June 1996*** The Fun Facts: Smithereens is an Irish word. It derives from, or is possibly the source of, the modern Irish 'smidirín', which means small fragments. The original meaning of the word had nothing to do with explosions, but rather with sailing vessels which would come back to port in tatters, or windblown to smithereens.Review by Jenell Kesler