Christmas with The Smithereens

Christmas with The Smithereens is the eighth studio album by The Smithereens, released 9 October 2007 by Koch Records. The album features the band covering nine Christmas-themed songs along with three originals.[1]

Christmas with The Smithereens
Studio album by
The Smithereens
ReleasedOctober 9, 2007
RecordedHouse of Vibes, Highland Park, NJ
Nun Bett-R Studio, Wood-Ridge, NJ
GenreRock
Length37:03
LabelKoch
ProducerPat DiNizio, Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken, Kurt Reil
The Smithereens chronology
Meet The Smithereens!
(2007)		 Christmas with The Smithereens
(2007)		 B-Sides The Beatles
(2008)

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Contactmusic.com[3]

AllMusic's Mark Deming rated the album 3½ stars out of 5 and said that "as rock & roll Christmas albums go, this is good fun and admirably eclectic." He added that the album "is more thoughtful and intriguing than the average tossed-together holiday offering, and the best moments are a clear reminder of what makes this band worthwhile."[2]

Mike Rea of Contactmusic.com also rated the album 3½ stars out of 5, saying that it sounded like "an entirely Smithereens album", with the songs sounding like originals, "a hark back to the days when bands would make and release Christmas albums and songs without any trace of irony". He felt that the three Smithereens' originals "fit in perfectly".[3]

Zach Freeman of the Blogger News Network gave the album a B+, stating: "Christmas with The Smithereens is more than a Christmas-time cover album. This quartet does an impressive job of channeling the spirt [sic] of 1960s rock, and solidly interpreting each memorable tune." Freeman added that the band's originals "add a nice twist to an otherwise familiar record, and are written with such '60s-savviness that without prior knowledge it would almost be difficult to decide which songs were covers and which were originals."[4]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artist(s)Length
1."Waking Up on Christmas Morning"Jim BabjakThe Smithereens3:53
2."Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)"Claude Demetrius, Aaron SchroederElvis Presley3:12
3."Merry Christmas, Baby"Brian WilsonThe Beach Boys2:35
4."Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"Johnny MarksBrenda Lee2:08
5."Christmas Time All Over the World"Pat DiNizio, Babjak, Dennis Diken, Mike MesarosThe Smithereens2:34
6."Christmas"Pete TownshendThe Who3:28
7."'Twas the Night Before Christmas"Clement Clarke MooreChristmas poem2:18
8."Run Rudolph Run"Marvin Brodie, MarksChuck Berry3:18
9."Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)"Joey RamoneRamones2:54
10."Christmas (I Remember)"DiNizio, Babjak, DikenThe Smithereens3:37
11."Auld Lang Syne"Robert Burns, traditionalFolk song3:02
12."Christmas Time Is Here Again"John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Richard StarkeyThe Beatles4:04

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]

The Smithereens
  • Pat DiNizio – vocals, guitar, harmonica, production
  • Jim Babjak – guitar, vocals (lead vocal on "Christmas"), bass on "Christmas Time Is Here Again", production
  • Dennis Diken – drums, percussion, vocals (lead vocal on "Merry Christmas, Baby", "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and "Christmas (I Remember)"), production
  • Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion – bass
Additional personnel
  • Kurt Reil – additional guitar, vocals, percussion, production, recording, mixing
  • Dave Amels – piano, chimes, Marxophone, electric piano, organ
  • Chris Bolger – bass, baritone guitar, acoustic guitar on "Christmas (I Remember)"
  • David Marks – guitar on "Christmas (I Remember)"
  • Joe Lambert – mastering
  • Paul Grosso – creative direction
  • Andrew Kelley – art direction, package design
  • Frankie Galasso – CD cover illustration, caricature art

References
  1. "Christmas with The Smithereens". Officialsmithereens.com. Retrieved on 7 January 2018.
  2. Deming, Mark. "Christmas with The Smithereens - review on AllMusic". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  3. Rea, Mike (3 December 2007). "The Smithereens - Christmas With The Smithereens Album Review". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  4. Freeman, Zach (9 October 2007). "CD Review: Christmas with The Smithereens". BloggerNews.net. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  5. "The Smithereens: Christmas with The Smithereens". Discogs.com. Retrieved on 7 January 2018.
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