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All Shook Down

The Replacements - All Shook Down Audio CD

A fair review of the The Replacements "All Shook Down" 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: All Shook Down
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-09-17
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Merry Go Round 2: One Wink at a Time 3: Nobody 4: Bent Out of Shape 5: Sadly Beautiful 6: Someone Take the Wheel 7: When It Began 8: All Shook Down 9: Attitude 10: Happy Town 11: Torture 12: My Little Problem 13: Last

Does NOT stand the test of time

When I first heard the Replacements in 1983, it was clear they were *special* -- not "just" another punk band, not just another '80's alt band, not just another post-Rolling Stones band. Looking (and listening) back to the entire Mats discography from "Sorry Ma" through all the boots of outakes and live stuff right to "All Shook Down," one thing becomes crystal clear: This album does not stand the test of time. Raw, seething, screeching out-of-control blues-infused-punk one moment, and the most poignant, heart-on-the-sleeve ballads the next, that captured such grand themes as lonliness, love, and introspection better than ANY faux angst-ridden goth bands ever could. But there is nothing "special" about this album.

"Don't Tell a Soul" - which was so criticized by so-called "true" Mats fans at the time and to this day - DOES stand the test of time. In fact, though I *hated* the album at the time (HOW could it compare to Sorry, Tim, Let It Be, or even Pleased?!!?) and wrote the band off as DEAD, the album grew on me over the years and now it's one of my near-faves. Even without Bob Stinson and being over-produced, it still rocks. And the song-writing is incredible. In other words, it stands the test of time.

All Shook Down, however, sounds worse now that it did 19 years ago. It *never* actually rocks out. The ballads don't ring true. And the production is just that flat, boring, predictable "early '90's rock 'n' roll" sound.

This isn't to say it "sucks": It's still pretty good "early '90's alt-rock fare. " Several good songs, that just suffer from mamby-pamby performances and production. But even on the slow songs Paul is just WAY over-the-top, "listen to how sensitive I am" (an unfortunate hallmark of his solo stuff, too).

Others have said it: For hardcore Westerberg fans only.

You've gotta remember, this wasn't supposed to be a 'Mats record
not as a 'mats record, but as the best paul westerberg solo record. a lot of people crucify this album, but i really dig it. what a lot of people forget, or just don't know, is that this was supposed to be paul's solo debut, but due to contractual obligations, the replacements' name was put on it. chris, tommy, and slim barely played on any of the tracks, and bob had been long out of the band by the time it was made.
what this is, is an amazing, calm, sober solo outing from an established artist, much like rod stewart's "every picture tells a story," and it rates right up there with the replacements' latter-day work on "don't tell a soul", and it's definitely better than most of the mainstream early-'90s pop that it inspired. and it's by far the best paul westerberg solo album.

if you're just all about the messy stuff the 'mats did in the bob days, then avoid it. but if you're open to it, it's a pretty amazing record. sure, it falls flat a few times, but there are very few albums that don't.

Worthy Swan Song
After all the stormy angst of The Replacements, these songs are breezy, bouncy and largely cheerful -- perhaps no coincidence given that Westerberg was finally dealing with his alcoholism when he wrote these songs. Maybe the last Replacements album was so good because Paul Westerberg intended the songs to be his debut solo effort. "When It Began" is a lovely little pop-rock song, as is "One Wink At A Time. " "Bent Out Of Shape" is another good song and "My Little Problem," with Westerberg joined by Johnette Napolitano, is the second best duet of 1990. (It had the bad luck to come out the same year Iggy Pop and Kate Pierson did the incomparable "Candy. ") The album is chock full of good songs that are easy on the ears, and that is really my only criticism. In what was probably a healthy move for himself personally, Westerberg lost a lot of his edge, or maybe Chris Mars had supplied much of the band's edge all along, because "All Shook Down" is missing a lot of the angry passion that made so much of The Replacements' music so good.
.

It really isn't a Replacement album at all
I guess, in a sense, it was his best solo album, but the worst Mat's album. This was in effect Paul's first solo album. It is sappy pop and anybody that came up with the boys in the early '80s would never believe that this was the same band. The fact of the matter is that this was not the same band. Bob Stinson the driving force behind the power that symbolized the Mats was gone and with his absence was any kind of check on Paul, for when Paul started to cross too far over to the pop side. Drummer Chris Mars had lost interest in keeping this charade going either. Paul should have just put his name on it and forgotten using the Replacement name, that way the Mats would have had only one bad album, "Don't Tell a Soul. ".

The hit that never was
The first I ever heard of Paul Westerberg was on the "Singles" soundtrack, which is one of the first CDs I ever bought when I was fifteen in 1992. I got to the Replacements a few decades too late. "Dyslexic Heart" made an impression, but I didn't think about Paul and his music until I developed a taste for "Alt-Country" (bands influenced by Uncle Tupelo and the Jayhawks) later in the 90s. I found out that the Replacements were kind of an influence on some of the music I was listening to, so I went out and bought "Tim. " I liked it well enough, but didn't really get anything else by them for a while.

Then, somehow, I found out that this one existed, read some glowing reviews, and thought I'd take a chance when I saw a copy sitting in my local indie record shop for $8. Let me tell you, the best $8 ever spent. This is one of the most complete albums I have ever heard, with a solid feel or mood throughout. It is also very honest, as it shows a very self-critical man looking back on the choices of his youth, not always pleased with the outcome. If the early Replacements work was the drunken party, this album is the morning after when you wake up with a bad taste in your mouth and a headache, wondering where your life is headed.

It's really a timeless record, with a sound that is similar to the Westerberg-penned tracks on the "Singles" soundtrack but not so uniquely "90s" that it won't be just as meaningful ten, twenty, or thirty years down the road. There's no one standout track either, no obvious single, just a song cycle that is best listened to as a whole. Want an album that makes it OK to look back on your mess-ups with a smile? Want to feel less alone as you find yourself creeping into adulthood? Try this disc.

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.