The Beach Boys Today! (1965)

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Dennis Diken of the Smithereens is our guest to discuss 1965's The Beach Boys Today! album. In addition to his longtime role as drummer for the legendary New Jersey group, you'll find Dennis' words in a variety of places, including his liner notes for the 2000 reissue of 15 Big Ones by the Beach Boys.

He went solo in 2009 with the release of Late Music, the debut album by Dennis Diken with Bell Sound, his collaboration with longtime friend Pete DiBella. Recently, he reissued a rare track from that pairing that was not on the album. "Bear (In My Garden)" is now available on his Bandcamp page with all proceeds going to benefit the people of the Ukraine.

The Smithereens will release The Lost Album on September 23, an entire album's worth of songs that were recorded in 1993  that were shelved in favor of the group's subsequent 1994 album A Date with the Smithereens.

The record is an intriguing look at what the band was up to after they departed Capitol Records and decided they were going to write and record an entire album of material to release on their own label. While that never came to pass, the songs they captured during the month they spent recording in New York City at Crystal Sound Studios are an interesting snapshot from the period and fans will be delighted to hear a new, previously unheard slice of that classic Smithereens sound.

Dennis came armed with a lot of good stories, including tales of an ill-fated show with ZZ Top and Ted Nugent as well as the details behind their night as the backing band for Ray and Dave Davies of the Kinks in 1991.

Our thanks to Dennis for spending some time with us talking music!

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