Live (The Smithereens EP)

Live is a live EP by the Smithereens, released in 1988 by Restless Records.^[4][5] It was the first release in the Restless Performance Series, which was initiated in January 1988, releasing CD-only live recordings.^[1] The EP contains six songs from a show recorded in October 1986 for MTV's "Live from The Ritz" concert series.^[2]

Live
EP (live) by The Smithereens
Released	January 1988[1]
Recorded	October 1986
Venue	The Ritz, New York City
Genre	Rock
Length	24:39
Label	Restless Records
The Smithereens chronology
Especially for You (1986) Live (1988) Green Thoughts (1988)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]

The EP was reissued for digital download in September 2011 as New York City 1986 with the same track listing.^[6]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that "the six selections (a perfect cover of the Who’s "The Seeker" joins the group’s own tunes) [are] flawless, the performance crisp and exciting."^[4] AllMusic felt that the EP "preserves the band in top form, with Pat DiNizio's vocals boasting a tougher edge than he displays in the studio and Jim Babjak's guitar gaining some additional on-stage crunch." They commented that the EP is likely to be appreciated by fans only, but also shows why the Smithereens were "a potent live attraction."^[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Pat DiNizio, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Blood and Roses"		5:42
2.	"Behind the Wall of Sleep"		3:20
3.	"Beauty and Sadness"		4:12
4.	"Alone at Midnight"		3:56
5.	"Strangers When We Meet"		4:10
6.	"The Seeker"	Pete Townshend	3:19

Personnel

The Smithereens

• Pat DiNizio – vocals, guitar
• Jim Babjak – guitar, vocals
• Dennis Diken – drums, vocals
• Mike Mesaros – bass, vocals

Technical

• Susan Myers – front cover photography
• Dennis Diken – liner notes (November 1987)