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The ReplacementsAlbums ReviewedHootenanny (1983)Let It Be (1984) Tim (1985) Pleased To Meet Me (1987) Don't Tell A Soul (1989) All Shook Down (1990) 14 Songs (1993) Eventually (1996) Suicaine Gratification (1999) Stereo (2002) Mono (2002) Come Feel Me Tremble (2003) Folker (2004) Open Season (2006) Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash(1981)The Replacements Stink(1982)These two are just about the only Westerberg related albums I haven't heard - I'm not too keen on Hootenanny either, so I'm not too worried until I find them cheap. Hootenanny(1983)Yet another great musical act to come out of Minnesota (see also Bob Dylan, Prince and Husker Du), The Impediments changed their name to The Replacements after being banned from the majority of Minneapolis's bars. Led by guitarist and songwriter Paul Westerberg, who joined forces with drummer Chris Mars and brothers Bobby and Tommy Stinson, the former a balding lead guitarist and the latter playing bass and merely thirteen years old when the band released their first record. After an album and an EP of energetic punk, the group attempted to push their boundaries here, and the result is a record that's unfocused and wildly inconsistent, despite some moments that indicate Westerberg's burgeoning writing talent and emotional punch that would come into full force in the next album. The liner notes define a Hootenanny as having immediacy, variety and incredible excitement - the variety of this record is certainly unquestionable, spanning snotty punk, power pop, acoustic rave ups, a Beatles pastiche, and a recitation of a personal ads column. But while the record's fast paced and eclectic, it's also superficial - it doesn't hold up to repeated listens and a lot of the songs are far too simplistic to be interesting. For all the problems the eclecticism of the material creates, the one fantastic song here is the one that deviates furthest from any other Replacements tracks. On 'Within Your Reach', Westerberg is only accompanied by a primitive drum machine and synthesizer, adding guitar to bulk up the chorus, and the result is an aching tale of unrequited love that makes the rest of the record look one-dimensional in comparison. The other real keeper here is the power-pop of 'Color Me Impressed', while the classified ads reading of 'Lovelines' and Beatles rip off 'Mr Whirly' are amusing enough to work. The band all swap instruments for the title track, and it's predictably messy with busy bass lines from Bob, sloppy drumming from Paul, and not particularly interesting guitars from the other two. Elsewhere, the surf instrumental 'Buck Hill' and the not-as-hypnotic-as-it-wants-to-be 'Willpower' are two particular lows. This stuff is kind of fun, and the record's fast enough moving and personable enough to be more than the sum of its parts, but for a group on the cusp of what's possibly the best three album sequence made by anyone, it's disappointing disposable. 
Let It Be(1984)1984's Let It Be is the point where The Replacements made their great leap forward, augmenting charming but throwaway punk with more serious and emotionally resonant material. Together with the subsequent Tim and Pleased To Meet Me, Let It Be is part of the definitive Replacements mid-80s trinity, although I'd definitely suggest that Let It Be is the least essential of the three. Divided almost equally between filler type material and more serious work, the serious stuff is pretty much uniformly terrific, but the less serious material is somewhat hit and miss. Not many groups could make anything out of obvious filler like 'Gary's Got A Boner' and 'Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out', but with Westerberg's hoarse and sincere vocals, Bob Stinson's creative guitar and a rock solid rhythm section from Chris Mars and Tommy Stinson, the group have enough power to push somewhat sketchy material over the top. The major problem with these filler tunes is that they make up too great a proportion of Let It Be, and drag down the more heartfelt material like 'Sixteen Blue' and 'Unsatisfied'. That's a minor complaint, and Let It Be is still fast enough moving and has enough great songs that it's only really noticeable in contrast to their later, slightly more accomplished records. Highlight include the closing 'Answering Machine', which is about as intense as it's possible to get with no instrumentation apart from Westerberg's electric guitars, and the anguished 'Unsatisfied' ("look me in the eye/and tell me, that you're satisfied"), where Westerberg adds some lap steel. 'Androgynous' adds some diversity with a piano led rumination on gender identity confusion, although 'Sixteen Blue' is a somewhat overwrought. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck contributes a guitar solo to the opening 'I Will Dare'. Among the lighter material, the less essential material includes the Kiss cover 'Black Diamond', the bratty 'Seen Your Video' and the loping 'We're Coming Out', although each of these has a sloppy charm of its own. It's not their most consistent record but it would still be perfectly reasonable to argue for Let It Be as the best example of The Replacements oeuvre, especially if one found their later and more mature records too uptight, and preferred the good natured humour of their earlier period.
 Tim(1985)After listening to lots of albums and going to lots of live shows, there's sometimes nothing less appealing that another four piece band, playing straight up rock and roll. But Minneapolis' The Replacements are a notable exception; you can give them kudos for their melodies and intensity, but it's the presence of leader Paul Westerberg who sets the band apart. The key is that Westerberg is akin to the sensitive singer-songwriters of the seventies, with a likeable ordinary guy persona, but with the musical inclination to front a bar band. It's Westerberg's juxtaposition of these two separate musical forms that makes The Replacements special; despite some searing solos from Bobby Stinson and the solid rhythm section of Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars, Westerberg is still the focal point. The Replacements' most obvious parallel is with Big Star, America's semi-underground cult band from the decade before; both groups simmering beneath the mainstream despite commercial potential, due to perversity from their respective leaders (The Replacements intentionally sabotaged crucial television appearances, while Big Star sabotaged their final record in desperation) and a bewildering lack of public acceptance. Chilton appears on this record's 'Left of the Dial'. Tim, their major label debut, is the second in their critically revered mid-eighties trilogy. Produced by Tommy Ramone, it's more polished than their early work. At its worst Tim is a little unsubstantial - 'Lay It Down Clown' and 'Dose of Thunder' don't take themselves as seriously as the other songs and suffer in comparison, even if they've still got memorable riffs. 'Waitress in the Sky' doesn't take itself very seriously either but it's terrific anyway, with one of the few times Westerberg plays the snotty rock star (albeit a rock star flying economy class) running off a hilarious list of low skill professions to compare to a condescending flight attendant. Elsewhere it's wall to wall quality: 'Hold My Life' kicks the record off with a high octane riff rocker, while 'Little Mascara' is a touching ode to solo mothers, laden with hooks. 'Bastards of Young' is positively anthemic despite its downtrodden lyrics, while 'Here Comes A Regular' packs a lot of punch with little more than an acoustic guitar playing routine three chords sequences, a lament for Bob Stinson who was forced out of the band with an alcohol problem after the completion of the album. The underground American music scene of the 1980s is one of the most fertile periods of musical creativity in rock music, and this record is one of its key moments; amazingly The Replacements' next record is arguably even better.
Pleased To Meet Me(1987)Normally epithets like the best songwriter of a generation seem subjective and hyperbolic, but Paul Westerberg justifies his reputation on Pleased To Meet Me. With their rawness stripped away and lead guitarist Bob Stinson fired, the other Replacements don't contribute particularly much to the record; Pleased To Meet Me stands on the basis of Westerberg's wonderful songs and heartfelt vocals. If Jon ("A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace/And rearrange your liver with a solid mental grace") Anderson's lyrics were at one end of a hypothetical spectrum, coming from the depths of his celestial ass, Westerberg's lyrics are at the opposite extreme; a former janitor, his lyrics articulate concerns of a sensitive everyperson. Unlike Springsteen's romanticised working class New Jersey, Westerberg's tales are universal and emotive. I can relate perfectly to his tribute to his musical hero ('Alex Chilton') or his gentle acoustic tale of unrequited love ('Skyway'). Jim Dickinson, who also produced Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers, does a good job of tempering the group's formerly messy sound and the production values of the mid eighties; as a result Pleased To Meet Me has a relatively timeless quality that transcends its own genre and era into the boundaries of classic rock. While Dickinson plasters on the occasional horn section or keyboard part, Pleased To Meet Me never loses the vigour of the three piece group nor the intimacy of Westerberg's singer-songwriter inclinations. Westerberg hasn't got a great voice, but it never stops him from expressing himself eloquently. There's hardly a note wasted anywhere on Pleased To Meet Me, as its eleven songs run for slightly more than half an hour. Almost all of the songs are mini-gems in themselves, 'Shooting Dirty Pool' is my least favourite, but even that has intensity going for it. 'Alex Chilton' is a wonderful slice of power-pop ("I never travel far" declares Westerberg in the bridge, "Without a little Big Star"), capturing teenage fantasy and obsession about rock idols perfectly. The concluding couplet of "If he died in Memphis/That'd be cool babe" ends the song with perfect symmetry. 'Red Red Wine' is a raucous rock song, while 'Skyway' is a beautiful acoustic piece. Foreshadowings of Nirvana are arguably evident in 'Never Mind', as Westerberg screams himself hoarse in the title, and 'The Ledge' is an anguished study of suicide. Counterwise, the line "Jesus rides beside me" is 'Can't Hardly Wait' is a beautifully uplifting moment, with Alex Chilton himself providing some guitar work. Not only is it Pleased To Meet Me one of the best albums of its era, it's also got under my skin, and sits alongside Big Star's Radio City among my favourite half-dozen albums ever.
Don't Tell A Soul(1989)This was The Replacements' bid for the mainstream (Westerberg also dated Winona Ryder around this time), and it's far less rough-edged then what came before, with a more radio-friendly sound. While it's The Replacements' least interesting later effort, the more polished sound doesn't detract from their essentials too much; the songs are still honest, and Westerberg's voice is still adorably ragged. It's the slower songs that are the stand out tracks, as the attempts to rock are mostly forced. Don't Tell A Soul isn't particularly musically innovative, and it mostly succeeds on the back of Westerberg's still clever lyrics and a mournful atmosphere that permeates many of the songs. Don't Tell A Soul loses the effortless charm of earlier Replacements, and in its place is a thoughful maturity that's no less valid, but more generic. New guitarist Slim Dunlap has little effect on the group's sound; Westerberg demonstrated himself to be a perfectly competent guitarist on Pleased To Meet Me, and none of the guitar work here is more than competent. The only song that really doesn't work here is the punkish 'I Won't'; the band are too far away from their roots by this point to pull it off convincingly, and the resulting track is just awkwardly abrasive and out of place in an otherwise smooth record. It's the ballads like 'They're Blind', 'Achin' To Be' and the slow and mournful 'Rock 'n' Roll Ghost' that make the greatest impression, the latter's low key approach showing the way forward to the next record. It's not all slow and reflective; 'Asking Me Lies' is a likeable slice of jangly radio pop ("telling me questions, and asking me lies", while 'We'll Inherit The Earth' scores with a catchy chorus ("we'll inherit the earth/but we don't want it"). 'I'll Be You' was the single, and it's typically intelligent, and the closing 'Darlin' One' is effective but strays too close to a corporate U2 sound for comfort. While Don't Tell A Soul can be underwhelming in places, it's still a likeable record, and it's worth picking up eventually.
All Shook Down(1990)It's debatable whether All Shook Down constitutes a proper Replacements album; Mars and Stinson only appear on one track, and are augmented by a host of guest musicians including John Cale, Terry Reid, ubiquitous keyboard player Benmont Tench, and Los Lobos' Steve Berlin. And, while All Shook Down is hardly adult contemporary, it's a lot more mature and subdued than The Replacements were only a few years earlier. Of course there's no way that Westerberg could go on playing the perpetual adolescent forever with any dignity, and he does an excellent job of updating the group's sound to suit his age; much of the appeal of the album lies in its world worn and lacklustre atmosphere. Still, it's regrettable that something of the spark is missing; while Tim and Pleased To Meet Me were effortless classics, All Shook Down feels more ground out. That's also part of its attraction and its not without depth, but it lacks both the stunners like 'Here Comes A Regular' or 'Alex Chilton' and the charming throwaways like 'Waitress in the Sky' or 'Shooting Dirty Pool' that characterised the early albums. Still, it's hard to argue with this record for authenticity or for consistency. 'My Little Problem', the duet with Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano, is heading into guilty pleasure territory, but I always look forward to it since it's one of the most upbeat songs on the record. Westerberg's knack for pop hooks is intact; the chorus of 'When It Began' and the guitar figure of 'Torture' both elevate their respective songs, even though they're two of All Shook Down's slightest songs. The strongest material is more profound, 'The Last' is presumably a plea to Bob Stinson to quit the drinking that caused his premature death in 1995, while 'Sadly Beautiful' is slow and mournful. The title track and 'Someone Take The Wheel' both have an ambiguity that elevate them above mere singer-songwriter material. And Westerberg's stock of quotable and profound one-liners also remains intact; "Would it help to fall in love a little slower", Westerberg asks in 'The Last', "I know it hurts at any speed." "You're still in love with nobody," he tells an old lover; "I used to be nobody." It's not a great record in the vein of their mid eighties' triumphs, but All Shook Down does show The Replacements bowing out with their dignity intact, and it's a more than respectable final recording and a worthy addition to their catalogue.
Paul Westerberg14 Songs(1993)After cranking out almost an album a year with The Replacements during the 1980s, after their demise Westerberg's solo debut took three years to emerge. It's markedly more aggressive than the sleepy All Shook Down and rawer than the polished Don't Tell A Soul, making it his most rock-centric album since Pleased To Meet Me, but it's also pretty mainstream by 1993 standards, and perhaps the album that could have broken him into mass popularity in the wake of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, groups that The Replacements paved the way for. Like in The Replacements' best work, Westerberg is able to deliver both sensitive ballads and bratty rockers, and although the gap between the two is less pronounced than before, there are at least five or six stunners here that make 14 Songs essential for Replacements' fans, even if it lags towards the end and could have used a trim. Leading the charge is the hard rocking vitriol of 'World Class Fad' ("you wax poetic/about things pathetic") where perhaps the only reason it wasn't a hit is the prominent expletive in the first verse. If 'World Class Fad' is utterly sincere, Westerberg also delivers the tongue-in-cheek Stones parody 'Silver Naked Ladies', a crudely out-of-character sleaze fest with Ian McLagen guesting on piano. The pair of riff-rockers, 'A Few Minutes Of Silence' and 'Someone I Once Knew' (classic line: "You've never changed/I just never got past your little rock & roll ass"), help fill the quota of charming filler, while the heart of the album lies in sensitive pieces like 'First Glimmer', where a bass run leads into an exquisite middle eight, and the melancholy of 'Dice Behind Your Shades' and 'Runaway Wind'. It's somewhat symptomatic that all of the songs name-checked above are in the first two thirds of the record - the last few songs are relatively unremarkable, with only the minimalist 'Things' impressing, letting the album peter out after a strong beginning. Despite this, 14 Songs is a strong entry in the Westerberg canon; moments like 'World Class Fad' and 'First Glimmer' rank among his best songs, and it's hard to imagine any Replacements fan not enjoying it.
Eventually(1996)The more of Paul Westerberg's solo career I hear, the more I think it's one of the most severely undervalued bodies of work in popular music; Eventually may be some way off the standard set by The Mats in the mid-1980s, but it's a perfectly respectable effort nonetheless. This and 14 Songs are a marginally superior pair to the last couple of Replacements releases; if Eventually is over laboured and over produced, it still has plenty of Westerberg's trademark emotional pull, and if it's unfocused and scattershot, better that than a formulaic and safe record. Eventually comes across as a more polished, more diverse and slightly weaker companion to 14 Songs, but it's hardly an artistic nadir and there are a handful of Westerberg classics here and nothing particularly embarrassing. It starts and finishes strongly, and it's only in the middle sections that quality control is really in question; like almost everything Westerberg has created, it's accessible and honest, and that's enough for a satisfying listening experience. Tommy Stinson guests on 'Trumpet Clip', joining Westerberg as an unlikely horn section, while Brendan O'Brien produces some of the tracks. 'These Are The Days' is a strong opener, with a surprisingly vibrant middle eight, while 'Love Untold' is a compassionate ballad. The piano based 'Good Day' stumbles with an awkward bridge, but its direct lyric ("A good day/Is any day that you're alive") is surprisingly heart-wrenching as Westerberg rarely engages in such direct sentiment. The pretty 'Time Flies Tomorrow' and the aggressive 'Stain Yer Blood' (originally on the Friends soundtrack, and tacked onto later editions of the album) ensure that Eventually ends on a strong note. Some of the pieces are a little off the mark; the processed guitar of 'Angels Walk' doesn't quite fit on a Westerberg record, and the forced party vibe of 'Trumpet Clip' is somewhat awkward, but by and large Eventually is a respectable addition to the Westerberg canon. It's something of a relief that Westerberg chose not to follow this road any further, instead experimenting more with 1999's Suicaine Gratification and reverting to a rawer and more direct style with his more recent home recordings, yet Eventually is a perfectly acceptable record, not his best by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think my Westerberg fandom would be content without hearing gems like 'Love Untold' and 'Stain Yer Blood'.
Suicaine Gratification(1999)Eventually found Westerberg wandering too close to the mainstream, and starting to lose identity as a result. While it's even more the subdued, Suicaine Gratification is much rawer and more emotionally loaded than its predecessor, and it's a far more satisfying record as a result. There's almost none of the brattiness of 'Silver Naked Ladies' and 'Trumpet Clip' here, let alone a 'Gary's Got A Boner', and it's perhaps Westerberg's warmest album, reflecting parenthood and marriage. With the rockers mostly gone, the album's more or less evenly divided between acoustic ballads and mid tempo folk rock; the former are generally sublime and the latter generally enjoyable. Even though Suicaine Gratification doesn't have a particularly high reputation among Westerberg fans, I consider it one of his best records; it's emotive and consistent in both tone and song-writing, despite being recorded in various locations, and it's less blatant in its commercial intentions than his first two solo efforts. The song that I always gravitate to on this record is 'Born For Me'; as close to a straight out declaration of love that Westerberg's written, it's a simple, poignant piece, and the opening line ("When the loneliest eyes/And the emptiest arms/Finally decide to meet"), Shawn Colvin's backing vocal, and the one finger piano solo get me every time. Not far behind is the piano based 'Self-Defence', with gorgeous melodic fragments in a slightly disorganised structure underpinned with extreme empathy ("It's wrong to commit a suicide/It's only in self-defence") and sympathetic piano from Westerberg. The record is gentle enough to start with the sombre 'It's A Wonderful Lie', while 'Sunrise Always Listens' is compelling and gentle. Of the rock tracks, 'Fugitive Kind' starts off as a pretty piano piece, before opening out into the most propulsive song on the record, while 'Lookin' Out Forever' and 'Final Hurrah' supply the catchy pop craft. A couple of these songs are marred by superfluous instrumentation: the repetitive cello part weighs down 'Actor In The Street', and the keyboard line is mixed too high in 'Tears Rolling Up Our Sleeves'. That's just minor complaints; overall, this is one of the stronger entries in an excellent back catalogue, with Westerberg showing his ability to write songs in a more mature medium while remaining emotionally eloquent and melodically gifted.
Stereo(2002)After releasing a carefully considered album every three years during the 1990s, Westerberg has suddenly become exceptionally prolific in the 21st century, creating raw and spontaneous solo records in his basement studio and creating an alter ego Grandpaboy for his rowdier moments. The liner notes for Stereo state that it was mostly recorded live in the middle of the night, and that any imperfections in the recording were incorporated into the record. Several songs stop suddenly as the tape runs out, while the performances are often ragged, but this spontaneous approach breathes life into these songs, and this set is rarely less than engaging. The one man band approach creates surprisingly climactic arrangements at times (the anthemic 'Don't Want Never') and at other times it's pushing into almost alt-country territory with its ramshackle feel. Westerberg's hoarse vocals are more endearing than ever, he's still throwing in memorable couplets ("By your mid-thirties/You feel unholy"), and in my opinion at least, this album stands proudly alongside The Replacements' best records. With such a loose and unadorned feel to the record, it all comes down to the songs, and this batch of Westerberg compositions is robust. It's easy to scan down the track-list and instantly remember the accompanying hook for every title, from the opening 'Baby Learns To Crawl', with its effective guitar solo (starts off sloppy before crystallising into a magical riff) to the rollicking and ambiguous closer 'Call That Gone?' ("What's taken so awful long/Call that gone?"). Favourites include the plaintive 'Dirt To Mud', the soaring 'Don't Want Never', the delicate folk of 'Nothing To No One', and 'We May Be The Ones'. There's also an excellent hidden track that's brasher than anything on the album proper, and ends the album on a slightly more hopeful note. Even settled down and a father, this album's still underpinned by the same anxieties and angst that underpinned his band's best work; 'No Place For You', which could easily be interpreted as insecurity about this marriage but actually written for a suicide victim friend, reads "No day is safe/From thoughts of you leaving". There's a sense of almost helpless resignation to songs like 'Let The Bad Times Roll' and 'Got You Down', that's arguably even deeper than previous Replacements' classics like 'Unsatisfied' and 'Here Comes A Regular'. This is one of the more subjective five star albums on this site - it's difficult to argue that Stereo is a particularly innovative or influential record. As much I love every song on this album and play it to death, it's a personal thing, and it's not a record that I'd expect everyone to connect with. Still, if you're a Replacements fan and you haven't bothered with Westerberg's solo career to date, this and Grandpaboy's Mono in a single package should be too good a bargain to pass up.
Mono(2002)Released as Westerberg's alter ego Grandpaboy, Mono was originally released as a stand alone limited edition album, but it's more commonly found in a double pack with Stereo. The engineering (Stereo is recorded in stereo, and Mono is recorded in Mono) isn't the only thing that differentiates these records; while Stereo reflected the more affecting side of Westerberg found in Replacements songs like 'Here Comes A Regular', Mono is Westerberg's take on the swaggering rock and roll side of the 'Mats, more akin to songs like 'Gary's Got A Boner'. While it was the juxtaposition of these two facets that made The Replacements special, they're also perfectly effective separated into two separate albums like this. At less than half an hour, and not taking itself particularly seriously, Mono isn't necessarily the most essential piece in Westerberg's oeuvre, but it's one rip-snorting bonus disc with the band sounding great and the songs full of hooks and Westerberg's clever yet heartfelt lyrics, and I'd be happy to fork out for it individually if it wasn't packaged together with Stereo like this. Grandpaboy's backup band includes Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, performing under the name of Zeke Pine. These songs aren't always fully developed in the same way that those on Stereo, and sometimes there's little more than a catchy riff and a catch phrase, but there's too much feeling and experience behind these songs to write them off as simple Kiss-level anthems Even if the odd song like 'Knock It Right Out' or 'Kickin' The Stall' that verges on banal, although even these don't outstay their welcome, there's melodic and more emotionally complex material like 'I'll Do Anything' and the snappy 'Eyes Like Sparks' ("and my heart like gasoline"). Opener 'High Time' sets the tone perfectly with great guitar work and a tone of optimism, while closer 'AAA' is surprisingly pretty with its tender support vocals. Mono may be short on ambition and on diversity, but it achieves its aims perfectly; it's a record with almost no slow spots, and in combination with Stereo it's an almost indisputable indication that Westerberg's muse is very much intact.
Come Feel Me Tremble(2003)Following the artistic success of the Stereo/Mono set, Come Feel Me Tremble is more of the same from Westerberg, another collection of sloppily home-recorded songs. It's pitched halfway between those two albums, featuring both the driving bar rock of Mono and the sensitive acoustic songwriter of Stereo. As a result it's less coherent than either, with obvious signs of looseness like a gorgeous fragment ('Never Felt Like This Before') that isn't developed into a full song, and acoustic and electric version of the same song ('Crackle & Drag') back to back. Westerberg's purposefully loose approach to recording has allowed to produce work at a much more prolific rate than before, and if this is one of his less organised records, I'm sure that fans appreciate his recording off the cuff and releasing whatever's on hand approach: this record has more than enough pieces of prime Westerberg to justify a slightly sloppy overall product. On the other hand, it's one of the more routine Westerberg releases; there's nothing here that's wouldn't have fitted stylistically on the previous sets of records, and the arrangements are rarely more varied than a basic guitar/drums/bass setup. It's also disappointingly even, with no real missteps, but nothing outstanding; maybe the Sylvia Plath biograph 'Crackle & Drag', the hooky 'What A Day (For A Night)' and the plaintive, folk-inspired 'Meet Me Down The Alley' are the best songs, but the record's consistent enough that most of the songs probably have their supporters. "I'm drinking once again/Just to make the pills kick in" from the aptly named 'Knockin' Em Back' is the most confessional Westerberg lyric for quite some time, while a nice cover of Jackson Browne's 'These Days' brings proceedings to a tender close. For the first time in his career this feels like just another Westerberg record - albums like Don't Tell A Soul and Eventually weren't particularly exciting, but also they didn't sound particularly like the records that preceded them. And even if Come Feel Me Tremble is in a more congruent style than either, and is stronger song for song, it's just too routine to rank higher.
Dead Man Shake(2003)Grandpaboy's blues record. I have this one - I'm not too keen on it so far but I'll get to it sometime. Folker(2004)As dumb as the title Folker might be, it actually gives an apt description of this album - while still in the loose garage vein of Westerberg's recent work, with Westerberg playing all the instruments, it's more acoustic than perhaps anything he's ever done. Instead of the downbeat balladry of Suicaine Gratification, it's more like an album full of songs like 'Kiss Me On The Bus'; contemplative but not altogether serious, loosely anchored by Westerberg's shambling drumming. Westerberg's vocals are sounding more and more like Keith Richards' as he gets older, giving the music a further ragged quality. Yet there's something extremely likeable about this record - like Come Feel Me Tremble it's a little light on great songs (hardly surprising given its Westerberg's fifth release in the space of two years, but it's more coherent than it's predecessor. Throughout his career Westerberg swerves between his two personas; the swaggering braggadocio and the empathic singer/songwriter, and this album tends towards the latter, with songs dedicated to his late father or analysing relationships. Folker does start on the wrong foot with the irritating 'Jingle', a short commercial satire that has little in common with the rest of the album. Elsewhere though, it's pretty solid without ever getting spectacular; my current favourite is the pleading 'Breathe Some New Life' - "And cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted. I want to breathe some new life." The two songs dedicated to his father are effective - 'My Dad' features the memorable line "My dad sitting in his chair/he's never seen me play/He gets a kick from the newspaper/when he sees the family name", while the "my dad I love" coda is touching without going anywhere near bathos. Lots of these songs are relatively simple, but underpinned by a surprising amount of warmth and heartfelt lyrics, they work fine. Westerberg's also developed a neat little trick of throwing in short thirty second songs that reiterate the theme of the parent song, and he uses it repeatedly here to good effect. Fulfilling the title, the last lines of Folker are taken from English folk rockers Fairport Convention; the roar of 'Folk Star' fading out to Westerberg's voice and guitar in a brief snippet of 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes'. Folker isn't Westerberg's most important work by quite a stretch , but for the converted it's a great little record, as agreeably ragged as his best work, but a little cuddlier than usual.
Open Season(2006)If someone had placed a bet in the Sorry Mama, Forgot To Take Out The Trash days that Westerberg would eventually wind up providing songs for an animated children's movie about little animals, the odds would have been generous to say the least, and given his recent track record of low-fi, recorded at home, records, this project is still relatively incongruous. Despite that the target market for the movie is pre-teens, Open Season by and large ends up like a Paul Westerberg album - if anything, the pressure to make a more commercial album makes Westerberg revert back to his mid-90s sound, as found on his record albums 14 Songs and Eventually, but with the occasional lyric referring to nature. More problematically, the seven new Westerberg performances share album space with an assortment of oddities, namely the Talking Heads standard 'Wild Wild Life', two songs from Cake spin-off Deathray, and a brief reprise from Pete Yorn, while the most maudlin song in the Westerberg catalogue, 'Good Day' from Eventually, is resurrected here. Westerberg still dominates enough to be the major focus, writing ten of the album's twelve tunes, but its patchwork nature means that Open Season is one of his weaker albums by default. That's somewhat of a shame, as the new songs on the album are strong, and it's interesting to hear Westerberg thrive with a full band and with studio production. Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson reunites with Westerberg on the album's two most bouncy songs, the irrepressibly chirpy 'Love You In The Fall' and the goofy 'Right To Arm Bears'. 'All About Me' is a return to the bratty Westerberg of The Replacements, without ever overstepping a PG rating, while 'Any Better Than This' rollicks along on a jaunty melody. While most of the songs are relatively lightweight, the pensive and acoustic 'Whisper Me Luck' packs plenty of emotional punch, and only lines like "when the morning comes/we'll run for the pines" are there to remind the listener that it's in a movie about animals. There's enough good Westerberg music to make Open Season necessary for fans like me - maybe paying full price is excessive for what amounts to little more than an EP of new Westerberg material, but what's there is well worth hearing.
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Written 2001-2007, Graham Fyfe
