The Smithereens

It might be a long time since the glory days of the Smithereens but they’re still around and sounding as good as they did when Especially For You was released in 1986. As if to prove the point, the band returned to their old haunt, the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, NJ, and played for four consecutive nights at the beginning of this year, demonstrating why they’ve managed to hang around for almost three decades. Live In Concert! Greatest Hits And More is pretty much what it says on the cover — you get most of the familiar hits, plus the better songs from their extensive back catalogue. It’s a no-nonsense recording with minimal chatter, and the band barely put a foot wrong, although stretching out "House We Used To Live In” to 11 minutes early on in the set might not have been the best idea. Still, with so many good tracks and a great sound quality, this is the kind of live album that keeps fans happy and might even win them a few new ones.