| All Shook Down | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 25, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 41:00 (original) 1:15:32 (reissue) | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| Producer | Scott Litt | |||
| The Replacements chronology | ||||
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All Shook Down is the seventh and final studio album by the American rock band The Replacements, released on September 25, 1990, by Sire Records.
This album was originally intended to be frontman Paul Westerberg's solo artist debut. His management talked him into doing it as a Replacements album before the recording started. As a result of its initial intent, All Shook Down is marked by numerous session, side and journeyman musicians, in addition to the three other Replacements.[ citation needed ]
Although there are no clear records of which members played on which tracks, there are numerous clues. In an interview with Musician magazine, Westerberg noted that there were four drummers on the record, but 'we didn't bring in any guitar players,' indicating that all of the guitar parts were performed by Replacements members, but many of the drum parts were not. Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson joined the project only about a week after it started, and no bassists are included among the list of session musicians, indicating that Stinson played most of the bass on the record. Stinson has mentioned 'the songs I didn't play on' which may refer to songs like the title track that do not feature bass, or that Westerberg, who occasionally played 6-string bass on the band's earlier recordings may have played some bass in Stinson's place.[ citation needed ]
Replacements drummer Chris Mars also brought in a cassette tape of his own material that he recorded on a four-track. Mars had written songs for the Replacements before, but when Westerberg became the band's primary songwriter, he began to reject every song that Mars would bring in. When Westerberg dismissed his songs out of hand, Mars decided it was time for him to leave the band altogether. [1]
A number of the tracks also prominently feature Stinson's backing vocals. Guitarist Slim Dunlap joined the project later, and may have participated less than Stinson did, but it is notable that Westerberg kept Dunlap around to add guitar and vocal overdubs after Stinson and Mars finished their parts, and while the album has relatively few guitar leads, several songs feature Dunlap's distinctive lead style. Mars had already been replaced by session drummer Charley Drayton on a few tracks before he arrived at the sessions, and the band used two other session drummers before its completion, indicating that his role was limited compared to the other band members. The only track featuring the entire band performing together may be the acoustic rave-up "Attitude".[ citation needed ]
Of the other musicians, notable contributors include John Cale, formerly of the Velvet Underground, who plays viola on "Sadly Beautiful", [2] and Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde, who duets with Westerberg on the song "My Little Problem". [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B− (1990) [6] B (2008) [7] |
| Los Angeles Times | [8] |
| NME | 4/10 [9] |
| Pitchfork | 6.3/10 [10] |
| Q | [11] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [12] |
| Select | 4/5 [13] |
The band issued promotional-only singles for "Merry Go Round", "Someone Take The Wheel", "When It Began", and "Happy Town". "Merry Go Round" was the band's most successful Modern Rock Tracks single, reaching #1 for four non-consecutive weeks.
Drummer Chris Mars left the band in November 1990 (his last appearance as a Replacement being in the "Merry Go Round" video) and Steve Foley filled in on drums for the six-month All Shook Down Tour of 1991. The band were nominated for the Best Alternative Video and Best Special Effects categories at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards for the claymation/live action music video for "When It Began". The band played its last show on Independence Day, July 4, 1991, at Chicago's Grant Park. [14] They also received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.
Rolling Stone ranked the album number three on their Albums of the Year of 1990.
The album was remastered and reissued by Rhino Entertainment on September 23, 2008, with 11 additional tracks and liner notes by Peter Jesperson.
The album cover art was taken in Newport, Kentucky, from the corner of 7th and Brighton St. looking north towards Cincinnati, Ohio.
All songs written by Paul Westerberg except as indicated.
with:
The Replacements were an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1979. Initially a punk band, they are one of the main pioneers of alternative rock. The band was composed of the guitarist and vocalist Paul Westerberg, guitarist Bob Stinson, bass guitarist Tommy Stinson and drummer Chris Mars for most of its existence. Following several acclaimed albums, including Let It Be and Tim, Bob Stinson was kicked out of the band in 1986, and Slim Dunlap joined as lead guitarist. Steve Foley replaced Mars in 1990. Towards the end of the band's career, Westerberg exerted more control over the creative output. The group disbanded in 1991, with the members eventually pursuing various projects. A reunion was announced on October 3, 2012. Fans affectionately refer to the band as the 'Mats, a nickname that originated as a truncation of "The Placemats."
Paul Harold Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for The Replacements. Following the breakup of The Replacements, Westerberg launched a solo career that saw him release three albums on two major record labels.
Thomas Eugene Stinson is an American rock musician. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements, one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. After their breakup in 1991, Stinson formed Bash & Pop, acting as lead vocalist, guitarist and frontman. In the mid-1990s he was the singer and guitarist for the rock band Perfect, and eventually joined the hard rock band Guns N' Roses in 1998.
Don't Tell a Soul is the sixth studio album by the American rock band the Replacements, released on February 1, 1989, by Sire Records.
Robert Neil Stinson was an American musician best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the rock band The Replacements.
Pleased to Meet Me is the fifth studio album by the American rock band The Replacements, released in 1987 by Sire Records. The album was acclaimed by music critics.
Chris Mars is an American painter and musician. He was the drummer for the seminal Minneapolis-based alternative rock band The Replacements from 1979 to 1990, and later joined the informal supergroup Golden Smog before beginning a solo career. While Mars concentrates mainly on his art career, he still occasionally releases new music.
Hootenanny is the second studio album by the American rock band The Replacements, released on April 29, 1983, by Twin/Tone Records. The album received positive reviews from critics.
Bash & Pop are an American alternative rock band formed in 1992 by Tommy Stinson in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following the breakup of the Replacements. It released one album before disbanding in 1994. Tommy Stinson reformed the band in 2016 with a new lineup and album.
The Shit Hits the Fans is a Twin/Tone Records cassette-only live album by The Replacements which was released January 25, 1985. It was recorded live at The Bowery, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on November 11, 1984. The cassette J-Card cover art is by Chris Mars. According to the Twin/Tone website, 10,000 copies were produced, of which 9,276 sold immediately. The rest were given away as promotional copies.
"Unsatisfied" is a song written by Paul Westerberg and recorded by his band the Replacements for their third studio album Let It Be (1984). Revolving around the central lyric "I'm so unsatisfied," the song was largely fleshed out in the studio and featured improvised guitar lines from guitarist Bob Stinson.
14 Songs is the first official solo album from Paul Westerberg, former leader of The Replacements, after the final Replacements album, All Shook Down, was heavily packed with session musicians and marginalized the other three band members.
Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? is a greatest hits album by the American rock band The Replacements, released in 2006 by Rhino Records. It includes eighteen tracks spanning the band's eight studio releases from 1981 to 1990, as well as two new tracks recorded specifically for this release. The new tracks—"Message to the Boys" and "Pool & Dive"—feature the three surviving original band members: singer and guitarist Paul Westerberg, bass guitarist Tommy Stinson, and drummer Chris Mars. However, Mars does not play drums on these tracks: they were played by session drummer Josh Freese while Mars sang backing vocals.
Boink!! is a rare 1986 album by The Replacements. It was released in the UK on Glass Records.
Steven Foley was an American drummer who played for Curtiss A, Things That Fall Down, The Replacements, Bash & Pop, Wheelo, and several other bands in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He played live for the most part, but he recorded with songwriter Peter Lack, and he appears in a Replacements video, "When It Began," which received two 1991 MTV Video Music Awards nominations.
3oclockreep is a 2008 album from Paul Westerberg. It includes material recorded with The Replacements for 1989's Don't Tell a Soul. The album was released on September 1, 2008, on TuneCore for $3.99; users could also purchase the tracks separately for $3.00 and 99 cents respectively.
Tim is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band The Replacements. It was released in September 1985 on Sire Records. It was their first major label release and also the last album made by the original line-up of the band: guitarist Bob Stinson was kicked out of the band towards the end of 1986.
Songs for Slim is an EP by the band The Replacements. The EP was recorded and sold to benefit former bandmate Slim Dunlap, who had suffered a stroke. Chris Mars, former drummer for The Replacements, contributed to one song and designed the album art.
"Merry Go Round" is a song by American alternative rock band the Replacements, from their 1990 studio album All Shook Down. Written by lead singer Paul Westerberg, the song features lyrics inspired by his relationship with his younger sister Mary as well as a drumming performance by Charley Drayton instead of the band's drummer Chris Mars.
Friday Night Is Killing Me is the first album by the American rock band Bash & Pop, released in 1993. It was Tommy Stinson's first project after the dissolution of the Replacements.
