The Smithereens

The Smithereens are a New Jersey-based rock band begun in 1980, distinguished by a then-unfashionable set of influences, and the melancholy vocals of frontman Pat DiNizio. The band's debut single, Girls About Town, signaled the arrival of an unusual presence in the musical landscape of the time: a band whose influences were almost entirely confined to 1960s pop-rock (including British Invasion and Girl Group sounds), eschewing both synthesizers and New Wave flamboyance. It was their 1986 debut album, Especially for You, however, that established the Smithereens as a mainstream band, with the successful singles "Blood and Roses" and "Behind the Wall of Sleep." The band's 2007 studio album Meet the Smithereens! was a full-length cover of The Beatles' 1964 album Meet the Beatles!.