Dressed in leather, brandishing heavy guitars, and exhibiting an unabashed fetish for British Invasion pop, the Smithereens were an anomaly on the American college rock scene of the late 1980s. Lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Pat DiNizio stood out not only with his strange beatnik goatee, but also because his catchy hooks were haunting, not punchy, and because his lyrics were morose. As time wore on, the group became more straightforward, turning into an excellent bar band, one that attacked pop songs with the weight of AC/DC. The group wound up with two Top 40 hits during the late ’80s and early ’90s — ‘A Girl Like You’ was a powerhouse on modern and mainstream rock, ‘Too Much Passion’ showed off their pop side — but as the ’90s continued, the Smithereens turned into a working band, playing regular gigs and recording on occasion. They’d continue in this direction even after DiNizio’s death in 2017.
Of course, the Smithereens essentially started out as a working band. After playing in several cover groups, including a handful of prog rock and metal groups, DiNizio was inspired to form his own band after listening to Buddy Holly. Placing an advertisement in a New York paper for musicians influenced by Holly, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, and the Clash, DiNizio eventually came into contact with New Jersey high school students Dennis Diken (drums), Jim Babjak (guitar), and Mike Mesaros (bass), who had all played together in school. By the end of 1980, they had independently released Girls About Town, an EP featuring four songs with ‘girl’ in the title that was a moderate local success. For the next three years, the group played around New Jersey and New York, not releasing another record until 1983’s Beauty and Sadness. While the EP earned some play on college radio and received a positive review in Rolling Stone, they still had trouble gaining an audience, so they began supporting traveling oldies artists like Otis Blackwell, with whom they recorded an album’s worth of material, and the Beau Brummels.
By 1985, the Smithereens were growing frustrated by their lack of progress, as most of the demos they sent to labels were ignored. They did send a demo to Enigma, where Scott Vanderbilt, a former college DJ who was a fan of the band several years earlier, signed the group. In 1986, the band released its debut album, the Don Dixon-produced Especially for You, to positive reviews. On the strength of college airplay, as well as MTV’s airing of ‘Blood and Roses’ — a video financed by a film studio that included the song in the B-movie Dangerously Close — the album became a moderate hit, climbing to number 51 on the charts and leading to a major-label contract with Capitol. The Smithereens supported the album with an extensive tour, and they recorded their second record weeks after they left the road.