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 | GrandpaboyDead Man Shake2003 Fat Possum 
 Review by: Adam See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
Paul Westerberg (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on October 21st 2003 There’s a wonderful, low-fi simplicity to early rock and roll that’s been lost in a lot of today’s music. Paul Westerberg’s Grandpaboy is one of the few modern acts from a rock background that has been able to successfully capture that sound without sounding derivative, ironic or blatantly nostalgic. Dead Man Shake is an album of material that could have been written in the 40s and 50s, filtered through the lens of early garage and punk. While Westerberg’s clean and sober solo outings have largely split the opinions of old time `Mats fans, the Grandpaboy releases continue to revive the sloppy revelry The Replacements were celebrated for. If you fail to see the charm in dirty old blues standards recorded in a single "warts-and-all" take, you’re missing what makes Dead Man Shake so enjoyable. It’s not hard to see where Westerberg’s influences are here, as tracks like “Get A Move On” could have been a long lost Rolling Stones tune. You can hear the imprints of blues legends tunes like "Take Out Some Insurance" and "Natural Mean Lover." There’s a batch of respectable covers as well, including John Prine’s “Souvenirs” and a trembling version of the Sammy Davis Jr. standard “What Kind Of Fool Am I.” Westerberg even picks up a slide guitar for a wailing version of Hank Williams Sr.’s landmark “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” My favourite tracks on Dead Man Shake are the original compositions, particularly the shuffling Minneapolis anthem “MPLS” and the delta-blues drug tale “O.D. Blues.” The highlight of the record is “Vampires & Failures,” a haunting and infectious tune that’s one the best of the year. Dead Man Shake doesn’t fall into the trap of being a low-appeal
side project simply because it doesn’t carry Westerberg’s name on
the cover. This holds up well to anything he’s recorded in his solo career
and is a fun, loose record in a year that's been filled with heavy, self-important
releases. It's great that Fat Possum's behind this, because it fits in perfectly
with the label's bare-knuckle blues sound.
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Since when does this website allow posts about Wuss-Rock? Paul Westerberg has a vagina and titties. Po-Boy sanwiches kick ass. Everytime I read the name I always want to pronounce it grand-pooba or poorboy. thanks ill be looking into those We've got an mp3 of MPLS on the website if you wanted to hear it. I'd say get Let It Be and Stink, then Pleased to Meet Me, Hootenany, and Tim. Then Don't Tell a Sould and All Shook Down. The last two are good, but in a vastly different way. Here's the breakdown i got the joe henry on tues with the new strummer and i have to say both albums are incredible so much emotion and the songwriting cannot be beat, i probably would have gotten this as well but they didn't have it at the store i went to. im looking to expand on my mats collection i have sorry ma what other would you people suggest Mats Sundin? You seriosuly need to fix that. What 'Mats albums do you have? The scary thing is that with this record and Come Feel Me Tremble, I now have more Westerberg solo records than Replacements records. I only listen to Joe Henry when I got a The new Joe Henry is great, and I think it would definitely appeal to fans of Westerberg's solo stuff (all five of them anyway) and later Replacements material. You can stream the whole thing from the Anti website. "Sold" is one of the most beautiful songs i've heard in awhile I'm digging this more than what I've heard on the Vagrant album. If you're not scared of something that might be called "sloppy" then you'll porbably dig it. I love the 'mats but i've been reluctant to try any westerberg stuff. i don't want it to mar my replacements love, but maybe i should try this. I'm partial to T-Model Ford myself. Dude, anyone who digs Westerberg will definitley not be digging the new Joe Henry. This is just another emo fag band. They were on Vagrant, and they have songs about crying. Epitaph manufactures & distributes Fat Possum's stuff, and Anti usually lists releases that would appeal to Anti's audience (they list the new Strummeer and Weakerthans too). So that's why it shows up in Anti's press stuff. i thought that this was coming out on anti cause the newsletter kept mentioning it over and over, but whatever sounds like a good record. speaking of anti the new joe henry sounds awsome i was listening to a radio performance the other day and it was awsome Fat Possum rules! |
