I'll go with DTaS as well over Tin Machine. That was the record when I entered the Replacements and I'm going to put it on right now. I'll never forget being denied entry to their show here with my fake ID and then watching Westerberg et. al walk right past my car on my way out of the parking lot.
It was indeed. And I'll add that I don't in fact own DTaS, rather All Shook Down (I just realized). While I agree that it's an underwhelming final kick at it by the Mats, I still am quite enjoying listening to it!
Replacements all the way here. I just bought All Shook Down on vinyl (it was a past record store day limited red translucent vinyl and was $27). I love all of their records. Don’t Tell a Soul is one of my favorites for sure.
I knew the late, great Laurie Lindeen a little, first as a fan of Zuzu's Petals back in the '90s, and then as a peer as we both swam in some of the same writer's circles. Some of her stories about Paul's inability to process were heartbreaking. I know he still struggles, but I hope he finds some sort of peace.
I loved Tin Machine from the first moment I put the laser to the disc. Wild, explosive sounds and some great songwriting and impassioned singing. DTaS is also great and I agree with everything you said about it. Glad I didn’t have to vote between these, LOL.
I promise there’s no snark here, but I’m genuinely surprised to hear that about Tin Machine. Don’t get me wrong; I love that you love it, it’s just it an opinion I’ve heard before.
This is a no brainer for me, although it’s clouded somewhat by Dead Man’s Pop, the DTAS restoration/revelation that truly brought that album to its rightful place in the Mats’ canon. I used to compare DTAS to X’s “Ain’t Love Grand,” another swing for the fences attempt at commercial success that was killed by its horribly dated production. (Funny how that happened to the Mats not once but twice during their major label run… see: Tim.)
Ironically, I used to play All Shook Down more than DTAS and still think in some ways it’s just as good if not better. But to each his own.
Tin Machine, on the other hand, felt like Dylan’s search for relevance in the 80s. A couple of good songs, but just not a good fit. Fortunately Bowie continued his restless tinkering with his sound and, much like Dylan, released a couple of classics before his too-early death.
I *love* Don’t Tell a Soul, and yes, “Talent Show” and “Achin’ to Be” are both great tunes. But you’re underselling “You Be Me.” That’s one of the best power pop songs ever written! The energy is infectious, the melodies are great, and the arrangement is unique in that the song only gets around to the “You be me for awhile” lyric a handful of times, which makes us want to come back for more. It’s a perfectly crafted song, perfectly executed and recorded.
I liked Tin Machine a lot better than most people did, for one main reason: the fierce, snarling "noise guitar" of Reeves Gabrels. I still give Bowie major props for escaping the straitjacket of his mythological "persona" to be A Guy In A Band for a while; even if it was for just one record that wasn't Earth-shaking. His fans and worshippers were never gonna love that record, being in the thick of the Nostalgia Hypoxia as they were in 1989, but that's ok. He knew why he was doing Tin Machine, even if the claque of would-be "legacy-keepers" that followed him around didn't.
I have no feeling for The Replacements at all; my tastes for "loud and messy" ran more toward Husker Du than them, and most of the people I knew who worshipped Westerburg affected the same snobbish attitude toward guys like me ( guys working in small non-punk bands) that he did.
Bowie was always doing his own thing- we just didn't get it sometimes.
This is true!
I'll go with DTaS as well over Tin Machine. That was the record when I entered the Replacements and I'm going to put it on right now. I'll never forget being denied entry to their show here with my fake ID and then watching Westerberg et. al walk right past my car on my way out of the parking lot.
Oh man, that’s a bummer!
It was indeed. And I'll add that I don't in fact own DTaS, rather All Shook Down (I just realized). While I agree that it's an underwhelming final kick at it by the Mats, I still am quite enjoying listening to it!
Replacements all the way here. I just bought All Shook Down on vinyl (it was a past record store day limited red translucent vinyl and was $27). I love all of their records. Don’t Tell a Soul is one of my favorites for sure.
Always loved the Mats, but I wonder how good Westerberg could have been if he could have reined in his drunkness a bit more.
Good question! Some would say the sky’s the limit; others think that messiness was a feature, not a bug.
I knew the late, great Laurie Lindeen a little, first as a fan of Zuzu's Petals back in the '90s, and then as a peer as we both swam in some of the same writer's circles. Some of her stories about Paul's inability to process were heartbreaking. I know he still struggles, but I hope he finds some sort of peace.
I loved Tin Machine from the first moment I put the laser to the disc. Wild, explosive sounds and some great songwriting and impassioned singing. DTaS is also great and I agree with everything you said about it. Glad I didn’t have to vote between these, LOL.
I promise there’s no snark here, but I’m genuinely surprised to hear that about Tin Machine. Don’t get me wrong; I love that you love it, it’s just it an opinion I’ve heard before.
This is a no brainer for me, although it’s clouded somewhat by Dead Man’s Pop, the DTAS restoration/revelation that truly brought that album to its rightful place in the Mats’ canon. I used to compare DTAS to X’s “Ain’t Love Grand,” another swing for the fences attempt at commercial success that was killed by its horribly dated production. (Funny how that happened to the Mats not once but twice during their major label run… see: Tim.)
Ironically, I used to play All Shook Down more than DTAS and still think in some ways it’s just as good if not better. But to each his own.
Tin Machine, on the other hand, felt like Dylan’s search for relevance in the 80s. A couple of good songs, but just not a good fit. Fortunately Bowie continued his restless tinkering with his sound and, much like Dylan, released a couple of classics before his too-early death.
I like All Shook Down as well, but think I would’ve liked it even more if it had been his first solo record.
Don't Tell a Soul was my first Mats too and I love it unreservedly.
Same! Only now with some hindsight do I get why some fans don’t like it. For years, it made no sense to me.
You guys are keeping me way too busy.
lol. Sorry! 😀
I vote DTaS.
I *love* Don’t Tell a Soul, and yes, “Talent Show” and “Achin’ to Be” are both great tunes. But you’re underselling “You Be Me.” That’s one of the best power pop songs ever written! The energy is infectious, the melodies are great, and the arrangement is unique in that the song only gets around to the “You be me for awhile” lyric a handful of times, which makes us want to come back for more. It’s a perfectly crafted song, perfectly executed and recorded.
Can’t argue that!
Fabulous record. Great band.
Did you see this - https://open.substack.com/pub/johnnogowski/p/the-sadly-silent-paul-westerberg?r=7pf7u&utm_medium=ios
I hadn’t! Thanks for the link.
I liked Tin Machine a lot better than most people did, for one main reason: the fierce, snarling "noise guitar" of Reeves Gabrels. I still give Bowie major props for escaping the straitjacket of his mythological "persona" to be A Guy In A Band for a while; even if it was for just one record that wasn't Earth-shaking. His fans and worshippers were never gonna love that record, being in the thick of the Nostalgia Hypoxia as they were in 1989, but that's ok. He knew why he was doing Tin Machine, even if the claque of would-be "legacy-keepers" that followed him around didn't.
I have no feeling for The Replacements at all; my tastes for "loud and messy" ran more toward Husker Du than them, and most of the people I knew who worshipped Westerburg affected the same snobbish attitude toward guys like me ( guys working in small non-punk bands) that he did.