Album of the Minute – The Replacements – All Shook Down
Jan 29, 2010 by Aaron
This session’s album of the minute is The Replacements “All Shook Down.” The album came out in 1990 as the follow up to “Don’t Tell a Soul,” which was The Replacements first commercially successful undertaking. The Replacements started out in 1979 and quickly became the leaders in the underground punk movement in the blossoming Minneapolis musical underground. Through out the 80’s they released a fury of heart pounding albums in a soul stirring punk style, but each one became a bit more refined.
In the late 80’s they started to redefine their sound in the likes of R.E.M., The Smiths, and the Cure. It was the decade of college radio and The Replacements placed themselves right in the middle of it with the stylish-poetically-artistic and emotional “All Shock Down.”
One of the great song writer skills of Paul Westerberg has always been is ability to combine poetry and ironic double-speak together. In this album, his does this like a sculptor carving clay…not to mention his powerful-raw voice and driving guitar riffs. This album is much softer than anything they had done before, yet for all its sonic tenderness, it still has a lot to say about, love, society, and a true distrust of raw human nature.
The Album starts off with “Marry Go Round.” This is a song that I can compare sonically to “1979” by Smashing Pumpkins. It’s a great kick start to a fantastic album. It has a strong melodic tempo mixed with soft acoustic guitars. Track 3 is a song named “Nobody.” It’s a song about going to the wedding of an ex-girlfriend and knowing a secret only you and she know, and that is that she is still secretly in love with you. It’s a smart and ironic tune about still being in love your ex-lover, and when your new love asks, “Who are you thinking about?” And you say, “nobody,” it’s never “nobody,” just someone you’ll never know. Track 5 is “Sadly Beautiful.” It’s the album’s only true ballad and is truly a beautiful song. It’s not your typical love song, its melancholy and longing. Its lead guitar is rhythmic and slow and a back ground guitar-slide is haunting and powerful. Track 9 is a fun little duet with Concrete Blondes’ Johnette Napolitano called “Attitude.” This is an up-tempo jaunt that really is worthy of a listen.
This is one of those albums that is has no throw-always and is solid from begin to end. It is more acoustic and softer than anything The Replacements ever did, and in my top 20 albums of all time. The guitars are super poppy without being too pop. The chords are up beat although the music and lyrics are untrusting standoffish of outsiders. It is all part of Paul Westerberg genius and sense of irony. Enjoy!
Posted in Album of the Minute