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Don't Tell a Soul

The Replacements - Don't Tell a Soul Audio CD

A fair review of the The Replacements "Don't Tell a Soul" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Replacements reviews here, or go back to the The Replacements tabs.

Band: The Replacements
Title: Don't Tell a Soul
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Talent Show 2: Back to Back 3: We'll Inherit the Earth 4: Achin' to Be 5: They're Blind 6: Anywhere's Better Than Here 7: Asking Me Lies 8: I'll Be You 9: I Won't 10: Rock 'n' Roll Ghost 11: Darlin' One

Do Tell a Soul (or two)
Bob "Slim" Dunlop replaced Bob Stinson, and I'm not sure what planet Mars was on. Don't Tell a Soul is the penultimate (second-to-last) Replacements album and doesn't have the original line-up: Paul Westerberg, the front man, guitar and vocals, Tommy Stinson on bass, his older brother Bob Stinson on guitar, and Chris Mars on drums. In retrospect, it seems like a classic masterpiece, but at the time, it might have perplexed a few of the original fans. It was too subtle, without enough of a noise-to-signal ratio to satisfy the die hard hard core punk fans. The cover is almost all black, and doesn't even list the songs. A pensive Paul is pictured, partially in shadow. Where's the band? Don't Tell a Soul reflects their ambivalence to fame and success. Like they were asking to please, please, please be ignored. This album has some rock songs, but it also trades in nuance and subtlety. It flows well from start to finish, and none of the songs are terrible, though a few stand out as absolutely brilliant. It is a great Replacements album that is unfairly underrated by some.

1. Talent Show
3:27

What a great song this is, and a great start to a great album. Great lyrics, but the way he sings 'em--great emotion from pretty simple words. Like when he sings "Oh, baby don't give me that look" it is sublime. I can see that look that she is giving him. Great small detail that paints a word picture just before that part: "Well, we got our guitars and we got thumb picks. We go on after some lip-synch chicks. " I see the thumb picks, and I see and hear the lip-synch chicks. Ashlee Simpson, perhaps? The rest of the song is rather sparse in detail, just repeating stuff like a mantra, "too late to turn back, here we go" but the excitement builds and builds. It really captures the night club jitters, the feeling of butterflies in the stomach before your turn.

I picture two scenes for this song, each a metaphor for the other: One is a high school talent show, the other is a bar gig. The great production supports this idea, at one point there is a break where the music drops away, we hear bar sounds, the click of a billiard ball. It is the kind of bar like Fishlips in Bakersfield where there is a pool table, and sometimes the local bands play, but people come there not to hear them but just to play pool. If it was a big name act, they wouldn't let you play pool during the show, but for the open mic, or the local bands playing on a week night perhaps . . .

Then the music drops back in and the feeling continues to swell. The music also uses a sparse approach. There are really only two chords: D and A. Merle Haggard used those same chords for "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down" but the relationship between the two chords is different. Merle is in the key of D, and the A chord is a dominant 7, but in Talent Show, the 'Mats are in the key of A Major, and the D is a IV chord. There is a kind of repeating riff that drifts in and out. I suggest playing it up on the D and G strings while letting the E, A, B, and high E strings act as a pedal or drone.

2. Back To Back
3:19

This song reminds me of a picture one of our friends took of me and my brother Tim when we were kids. We were in our pajamas and we had these model guns that we built from a modeling kit. They were models of old fashioned type guns, like from 1776 or the kind pirates would have. We are trying to pose like a duel, but one of us, I think, was cheating. I wish I could find that picture. Was it me or Tim who was cheating? We could be Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Anyway, the song uses the duel imagery to great advantage: "Count twenty paces at dawn. Count twenty questions we'll get wrong. " Great dream logic, making the leap from twenty paces to twenty questions, and then of course you get them wrong.

I picture lovers in bed, but sleeping back to back. Like, they are trying to keep things on a platonic level, but who can sleep? I've been there. In the song it never says they are in bed, but there is an oh-so-subtle implication. By not saying it, you picture it more.

I couldn't find a tab for this online, but basically it is in D, with an A chord, maybe an Em.

3. We'll Inherit The Earth
4:16

A pretty good song, a lyrical riff on "the meek shall inherit the earth" from the Bible. No online tab for this one either. This is filler, but not too bad. I take that back about it being filler. But it was not as successful as some of the other songs, in my opinion. Paul doesn't know what he's trying to say, which he never does, but here the gamble doesn't pay off. He fails to connect to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night, so this song doesn't howl as loudly as it might. It is a pretty song, and it also is as close as it gets to the title track, because it kind of whispers, "Don't tell a soul" at one point.

4. Achin' To Be
3:40

This song and the next one go together very well. I picture the girl in both songs as being one and the same, Westerberg's muse. According to my theory, she makes a third appearance, but don't tell a soul. The first song is pretty good, but the next one, even better. But basically "Achin' to Be" describes a talented artist who has yet to find her voice, her medium of expression. All of the art and beauty is locked inside, trying to get out, aching to get out. There is unlimited potential there, but unrealized. Maybe it's Cody Diablo before she won the Oscar for the Juno script. To continue the artist and model metaphor he sings "If no one's on your canvas, I'm achin' to be. "

The music has a country, folk feel to it. Great harmonica, adds to the folksy feel. One version I saw online said it was just D, A, and G, but a second version used an F#m instead of the A. Then in the bridge, it does go to A, and it is much more powerful. Save the A chord for when it really counts--much more dramatic. Now, that's "A" chin'. Throw in a Bm and an F#m7, and there you are, just achin' to be. To paraphrase Dorothy Parker, this song runs the gamut from A to B. Actually, its emotional territory is much wider, but I couldn't resist. To quote Oscar Wilde, I can resist everything, except temptation. Somebody stop me from quoting so much. "Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore. "" Even my quotes have quotes. Help me.

5. They're Blind
4:32

The misunderstood artist/muse returns, and what a heart-breakingly beautiful song she inspires this time. Paul's voice on the verse comes across as almost avuncular, as if to say, 'these crazy kids, when will they learn?' But then the tone shifts on the chorus (with beautiful back up vocals, I might add). There is desperation in his voice, as he condemns them for being so blind, missing all the beauty and wonder within as well as without. In their efforts to see her, they "hold you too close to the light" and she is in danger of being burned. Beautiful, this song gives me chills.

This song is in Bb, but try it with a capo on the third fret, and play it like it's in G. Chords in relation to the capo would then be G, Bm, C, and D. Vamp on those chords for a while, and then try C and Am for chorus, with a return to the same chords used so far. Then the bridge could be Am and C, Am and C, G and G7. More of that, but look out for the F, really dramatic, then the tension ratchets up on a D, which leads you back to the vamp that starts on G.

6. Anywhere's Better Than Here
2:46

This is a good solid rocker that builds to a pretty dramatic screaming climax, with call-and-response guitar and voice: "Anywhere! Anywhere! Anywhere!"

7. Asking Me Lies
3:37

This one is part of another triptych, or group of three. I like to call it the dichotomy triptych, but that almost sounds like a medical procedure. The other two siblings for this triplet are "Back to Back" and "I'll Be You. " They all three are clever reversals of things, like looking at something from the opposite side, thinking outside the box, and that sort of Billingsgate. "Telling me questions, and asking me lies. " It bops along at a good medium tempo and rocks solidly.

"The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting drunk, in a black and white picture, there's a lot of grey funk. " That's pretty good, and it has a casual, just toss off the first thing that comes to mind spontaneity to it.

Chord-wise it is pretty simple. C and Em7, and then D and Cadd9.

8. I'll Be You
3:25

To continue the lyrical theme of reversal which began in "Back to Back" and continued through "Asking Me Lies" this one says, "You be me for a while, and I'll be you. " It is profound and whimsical at the same time. Kind of the idea of walking in another person's shoes, putting yourself in their place, seeing the world through their eyes, from another point-of-view. Empathy, my friend. But then there is that whimsical, just toss it off, spontaneity again:
"Well I laughed half the way to Tokyo, I dreamt I was Surfer Joe, An' what that means I don't know. "

Westerberg is able to tap into that dream logic so well, just on the cusp of a dream where things make crazy sense, but not literal sense:

"A dream too tired to come true, left a rebel without a clue, And I'm searchin' for something to do. "

Bull's eye! But what is the target that has been hit so well? Why Tokyo? Why Surfer Joe? The Replacements opened for Tom Petty, and he totally ripped off the line about the Rebel Without a Clue. Petty had a hit with "Into the Great Wide Open" but "I'll Be You" also got a little Replacements air time. For The 'Mats, it probably got the most radio play of their career. Petty theft? Petty no doubt lifted the line from Westerberg, but take it as a compliment. Throw on a few tattoos, and Paul could be the clueless rebel "Into the Great Wide Open" refers to. Bonnie Tyler had a song with that title from her Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire album that was released in 1986. There was also a first novel by the young Holly Uyemoto published October 14th, 1989. Don't Tell a Soul was released the same year, but on February 1st. Holly could've lifted it from your song, too, or just thought it up independently, since it was just part of the zeitgeist of the late 80's.

I think "I'll Be You" is a great song. Westerberg had reached a point where he could write a brilliant song without seeming to even try very hard.

The guitar really backs it up with great music that rocks in the same whimsical spirit as the words. Like, where he "laughs half the way to Tokyo," the guitar laughs at him AND with him. The chords are in G, with a G, C, and D, but there is also an E and an F. Wow, there is even an FMaj7!!! A cool thing is there is a chromatic descending bass line, which is also something that Tom Petty may have stolen from The Replacements. He uses the device in the song that also has the pilfered lyric. Here it is a G, then a D/F# (slash chord they are called) with the bass note being F# under a D chord (in Classical Music, this would be called the first inversion). Then F, then E, then the FMaj7. Was Bob Stinson still in the band at this point? No, he wasn't. Bob was a very intuitive player, who could really shred; but Paul actually knew a little bit about chords, theory, keys, and harmony. I've heard him throw out things in interviews that revealed his knowledge, but never heard exactly how he came to be such a know-it-all.

9. I Won't
2:37

This is a good solid effort here. An up-tempo rock song that doesn't take itself seriously. It is pretty straightforward, but I think it might modulate a half step up, to build excitement for the last verse or so. "You want me to send you a letter or a note? I w-w-w-w-w-w-won't!"

10. Rock 'N' Roll Ghost
3:20

A slow ballad, this is far removed from their punk rock beginnings. Can't help thinking about Bob Stinson, as he'd been fired from the band, and has since passed away. Some people still see him, out on a moonless night on the moor . . . There are a lot of Bob stories in Jim Walsh's book about the band: The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting: An Oral History. Some of the people quoted reported seeing him around Minneappolis posthumously. But the song is also about Paul, as he looks in the mirror and sees himself as a Rock 'N' Roll ghost.

This song fools you, because it sounds like it is in C, but then it ends up being in F. C and Am are the chords in the first part, but then there's a Bb. Really beautiful music, slow and sad, but really beautiful. "There's no one here to raise a toast, I look in the mirror and I see a rock 'n' roll ghost. "

11. Darlin' One
3:36

This song is sort of a power ballad, but a great one--or perhaps a march--a fast dirge, even. This is a very ambitious song, but Westerberg pulls it off. It has the most ambitiously poetic lyrics, but still manages to avoid sounding pretentious: "Banished forever from the sacred nest on your snow-white breast I feel there's still unrest" looks pompous on paper, but comes off as heart felt and beautiful the way he sings it. Usually, you shouldn't end on a ballad, but it builds to such an emotional pitch that you could just discard that rule as irrelevant.

All of the chords are indigenous to the key of D. The first part goes between D and Bm. But the song uses the three major chords of the key of D along with the three minor chords. So, it is D, G, and A, along with Bm, Em, and F#m7.

The imagery is of an angelic figure, with wings. In the bridge he sings "I cupped my hands around you and I swore you could fly, my tears fell to the dirt as I heaved you to the sky," His voice gets very emotional at the end, and this is a formula that Westerberg has learned well, the art of building to an emotional climax. "Darlin' One, your time has come. "

Other albums by The Replacements or that pertain to this review:

Tim "Kiss Me On The Bus" and "Swingin' Party Down the Line" are my favorites, but let's not forget "Here Comes a Regular" and dedicate it to Bob Stinson.

Let It Be A bold move, to name it this after The Beatles already had a song and album with that moniker. But whereas the boys of Liverpool where calling it quits, the boys of Minneapolis were just getting started.

Pleased to Meet Me First album recorded post-Bob Stinson, it nevertheless contains the great "Alex Chilton" and the super-fantastic "Skyway. "

All Shook Down This is the last Replacements album, and it is a sadly beautiful exit strategy.

Hootenanny Besides the title track, this early effort also contains the super fantastic "Take Me to the Hospital. "

Stink I am unfamiliar with their early stuff, but this EP is punk rock.

Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash More punk rock, but this time an actual album's worth, of whose contents I am, alas, unfamiliar.

Paul Westerberg - Come Feel Me Tremble This is a DVD that documents a post-Replacements solo tour of Paul Westerberg.

#1 Record/Radio City Paul wrote a song called Alex Chilton, about the singer in The Boxtops, who sang "The Letter" and was later in the band called Big Star.

So, do tell a soul about Don't Tell a Soul. It is a great record.

.

Sorry, I like it.
Talent Show will always bring back the memories of a week in my life when I scrambled to borrow instruments and teach a buddy to play the bass. I was twenty when this record came out and it spoke to me in many was then and continues to today. All these years later Rock and Roll Ghost makes me look back at that 17 year old trying to make the talent show and realized some of his dreams may not have come to pass but his heart and creative mind remain. What can I say other than this record spoke to me and continues to do so. Maybe this record lacks the ferocity and recklessness of The Replacements prior work but there are some great songs here if you choose to listen.
.

"The rich are gettin' richer and the poor are gettin' drunk."
Dismissed as too mainstream and too slick in its production, Don't Tell A Soul is often disregarded in discussion of The Replacements' legacy and influence. The 'Mats' sixth studio album is the one that almost all fans hate.

In reality however, the album is a progression from the rawer (and similarly brilliant) Pleased To Meet Me (1987), and is Paul Westerberg's most accomplished work as a songwriter.

The album stands as the band's most melancholy work, Slim Dunlap's lead guitar is refined and understated (replacing Bob Stinson's wild-man solos); Tommy Stinson's bass work is tighter than ever; Chris Mars' drumming is pure precision; and whilst Westerberg's songs are still built on attitude and alienation they are tinged with an air of acceptance and resignation: the band's first and only hit, 'I'll Be You,' hints at the band's desire to become, if only fleetingly, the stars they should have been, had their loutish, beer-soaked immaturity not got the better of them. The problem is, this belligerent f**k-'em-all gusto made The 'Mats so endearing, and the trouble fans have is refusing to acknowledge that even these beautiful losers had to grow up sometime, disavowing the fact that 'Achin' To Be' 'I'll Be You' 'Rock n Roll Ghost' and 'Darlin' One' are some of the most sophisticated rock songs ever written.

As someone has said earlier, if anyone thinks the band had sold out on Don't Tell A Soul, then Westerberg's tortured scream at the opening of 'Anywhere's Better Than Here' should tell them otherwise.

Some of Paul Westerberg's Best Songs
That was a good news/bad news situation. This penultimate Replacements album could be considered Paul Westerberg's first solo album, because he had seized complete creative control over the band by this record. The band lost some of the stormy collaboration that produced great songs like "Alex Chilton. " But Westerberg was free to fill the record with the sort of wistful songs at which he excelled in writing, such as "Talent Show" and "Achin' To Be" -- the latter being my personal favorite Replacements song. The band also does get loud and raucous on a couple of good rockers -- "I'll Be You" and "We'll Inherit the Earth. " "Asking Me Lies" is another Replacements classic, bouncy and clever. As with every Replacements record, there is a clunker or two that costs the album a star -- "Rock & Roll Ghost" is a throwaway track and "Anywhere's Better Than Here" is nearly unlistenable. But this was my introduction to the band and remains a personal favorite, with plenty of great songs that I still listen to repeatedly.

Solid Album from a Great Band
To me, it seems to be one of the Mats' finest efforts. I've always wondered why people dislike this album. Four of the songs are instant Mats classics ("Talent Show," "We'll Inherit the Earth," "Achin' to Be," and "Rock and Roll Ghost") and all of the other songs are very good. The production does sound a bit too 80s on some songs (i. e "Asking Lies"), but the songs are good enough to overcome any production flaws. The disc also happens to be The Replacements' most mature album. There are no songs like "Gary's Got a Boner," which is probably for the best. "Don't Tell a Soul" picks up where "Can't Hardly Wait" and "Skyway" left off, meaning that the album is more subdued than their previous efforts, yet the band can still rock, as evinced by the songs "Anywhere is Better Than Here" and "I Won't. " If you like The Replacements, then buy this; if you don't like The Replacements, buy this album and see the light.

You can see a complete list of all The Replacements discography, or go back to the The Replacements tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.