Rocktrospectiva: The Powerful "11" Turns 35

 

 

Released on 24 October 1989, "11" was the third studio album by American indie rock band The Smithereens, the album-titled was inspired by the film "Ocean's 11", and spawned four singles "A Girl Like Your" which reached the Billboard top 40, "Blues Before And After", "Yesterday Girl" and "Blue Period". 

The Smithereens decided to switch producers for the album, and make a bet with Ed Stasium who had produced to The Ramones and Living Colour, according to Pat DiNizio the choice was probably because they were looking for a heavier guitar sound but at the same preserve their style and achieve radio play. 

The album is pure set of potent indie rock and pop, a memorable album without sacrifice the energy, this is what just the band needed back then, increasing the band ability to play brilliant, harmony-drenched melodic indie power pop. About the album content and lyrics, DiNizio focused on upbeat tunes and romantic side of relationships, like in the tracks "Kiss Your Tears Away", the lovely power ballad "A Girl Like You", a sort of AC/DC/The Beatles tune in every context, crunchy guitars without losing the melodic sense of the Liverpool band, and the curious but enjoyable "Maria Elena" inspired by Buddy Holly's widow and "William Wilson" about a father and son reunion. 

The songs and sound are diverse, you have the melancholic collaboration between the band and the lovely Belinda Carlisle on "Blue Period", the fuzzy "Blues Before And After" and the sparkling vibrant "Cut Flowers" which was a collaboration between DiNizio and Jim Babjak. Now everything makes sense, the band wanted to sound more direct to audience with a powerful guitar sound and bass line, according to bass player Mike Mesaros: "We wanted to captured the esence when we play live, a sort of heavy and raunchy live, and that is what we wanted to take to the record, a definitely that harder sound is attributable to Ed Stasium they're new producer back then, using his experiencie on hard-rockin' acts such as the Ramones, Soul Asylum or Livin Colour and that powerful heavy pop sound is brilliantly capture here on the record. 

There is a curious story about Ed and Pat, the last recalls when he was 14, he used to go to a guitar store at his home town and worship a particular guitar, a blue Kalamazoo electric cheaper version of a Gibson, the salesman/guitar teacher always let him take it off and play it, even when he knew that pat couldn't afford it, it results that the guy on that store was Ed Stasium, the record producer on this album, so that's damn curious.

The album was well-received, and received a boosted thanks to the single "A Girl Like You" which was originally written on demand for Cameron Crowe's film "Say Anything", but the film producer asked DiNizio to changed the lyrics because it revealed a lot of the movie plot, so Pat refused and the band decided to keep the song for their album, they were ambitious looking to hire Madonna for harmony vocals but failed to show up, instead, Maria Vidal then did the vocals, the single peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's mainstream rock chart and No. 3 on modern rock tracks, and made it into the Billboard Hot 100 peaked at no. 38, while "Blues Before And After reached the No. 94 on same chart. 

 

11 Track List: 

 

1. A Girl Like You

2. Blues Before And After

3. Blue Period

4. Baby Be Good 

5. Room Without A View 

6. Yesterday Girl 

7. Cut Flowers

8. William Wilson 

9. Maria Elena 

10. Kiss Your Tears Away