All Shook Down

All Shook Down

Depending on how you look at it, All Shook Down is either the last Replacements record or the first Paul Westerberg solo album. Recorded by Westerberg and several hired studio musicians, All Shook Down was intended to be the singer-songwriter’s first solo project, but he was subsequently persuaded to release it under the Replacements banner. Despite the fact that the ramshackle camaraderie of the original Replacements had all but disappeared by 1990, All Shook Down somehow seems a fitting send-off for the band. The somber, acoustic-based songs are mostly wistful confessions and ruminations on being broken-hearted. It’s hard to tell if Westerberg is weary because he’s grown-up, or if he has grown up because he’s weary. “My Little Problem” and “Bent Out of Shape” both allude to Westerberg’s recently-found sobriety, but the album never deals directly with the dissolution of the band. Instead it bids farewell to the Replacements’ hellbent heyday only in its reluctant and forlorn disposition.

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