Defend the Indefensible: Paul Westerberg

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Okay, I liked 14 Songs and actually dug the movie version of "Waiting for Somebody" but is there anything else in the solo career worth saving?

TMFTML

― TMFTML (TMFTML), Thursday, 10 July 2003 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

not really. maybe "Love Untold."

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 10 July 2003 20:57 (twenty-two years ago)

C'mon! "Dyslexic Heart" from the Singles soundtrack!

― Claire (Claire Miccio), Thursday, 10 July 2003 20:59 (twenty-two years ago)

i did and still do enjoy most of his Stereo/Mono release last year.

― derrick (derrick), Thursday, 10 July 2003 21:00 (twenty-two years ago)

actually the singles soundtrack songs all have really dorky lyrics (and uh, practically the same riff). the lines about doctors eye charts and whether or not their in a library or a bar are kinda, well, it's all kinda KENNY LOGGINSY. But 14 Songs is almost all ace. And the Mats' All Shook Down was basically recorded as a Paul Westerberg solo album (the band only plays on two songs), and that's great too.

I only heard Stereo and Mono each about once or twice and though I dug hearing his voice, the songs themselves did little for me.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 10 July 2003 21:02 (twenty-two years ago)

much of his solo careers defines forced wittiness.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 10 July 2003 21:04 (twenty-two years ago)

mamadaddydid

― gaz (gaz), Thursday, 10 July 2003 21:13 (twenty-two years ago)

You guys are crazy!

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Thursday, 10 July 2003 22:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I (heart) Grandpaboy.

― David Allen, Thursday, 10 July 2003 22:25 (twenty-two years ago)

The title of this thread is so completely asinine I can't even coherently express my anger.

― Mark M, Friday, 11 July 2003 00:18 (twenty-two years ago)

So I gather that you think "Homelessexual" et al belong in the canon?

― TMFTML (TMFTML), Friday, 11 July 2003 01:16 (twenty-two years ago)

The title of this thread is so completely asinine I can't even coherently express my anger.
-- Mark M (supersonic...), July 11th, 2003.

YES!

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Friday, 11 July 2003 02:22 (twenty-two years ago)

the title of this thread would be a lot less asinine if it said "solo Paul Westerberg." then it would be k-justified.

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 11 July 2003 02:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought that was pretty much implied. But I forget how literal we all are here.

― TMFTML (TMFTML), Friday, 11 July 2003 10:08 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, i worry about his personal habits y'know.
what does he do all day if he doesn't drink? write poetry?

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 11 July 2003 10:16 (twenty-two years ago)

No no please don't limit yourselves!

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Friday, 11 July 2003 10:16 (twenty-two years ago)

The last time I saw Westerberg perform, I had to stand shoulder to shoulder in the DVD aisles of Virgin Records in Boston. And he sucked. Big time. Never has someone with so much talent fallen so hard, so fast.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Friday, 11 July 2003 12:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I got to talk to Paul for 30 secs on a cell phone last year, thanks to a quick thinking brother waiting in line to get his autograph and having his phone handy.

also, "AAA", offa last year's _Mono_ is the best track he's written in 16+ years. Shit like this pisses me off, since you know he still has good/great songs in him, but somehow chooses not to write them.

Same thing with Bob Mould, too. Talent is still there, but not chosen to be exercised.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Friday, 11 July 2003 13:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I think '14 Songs' is pretty solid and 'Eventually' is even better. The next two are less my thing, but get by on vibe/feel instead of sheer songiness. And yes, "AAA" is incredible. 'Grandpaboy' aint' so bad either: it's worth it for "Hot 'Un" and "Lush And Green" if you ask me.

I mean, come on people: the 'Mats made only two fantastic records, the rest were half filler anyway.

― John 2, Friday, 11 July 2003 16:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Talent is still there, but not chosen to be exercised

lamest excuse for fanboyism past the point of no return EVAH

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 11 July 2003 17:51 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah that argument doesn't wash. at all.

eh, solo westerberg isn't *that* far from the more middling replacements tracks of which there are many ("the ledge" etc). i don't really think it's risible, although i wouldn't pretend it's great. granted i haven't hear "grandpaboy" or whatever the recent stuff is, perhaps that really is risible.

my favorite replacements lp is the last one so i might not be an authority on this subject.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 11 July 2003 17:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I just heard this new-ish NYC band on the radio "The Star Spangles" they sound like a bit like Paul Westerberg, trad songs boring alt-retro rock. Not my thang.

The Star Spangles have their debut album out next week.

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Friday, 11 July 2003 18:18 (twenty-two years ago)

who's putting it out?

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Friday, 11 July 2003 18:21 (twenty-two years ago)

The Star Spangles
http://www.thestarspangles.com/

depends where you live !

BAZOOKA!!!, The Star Spangles' first full-length album was released in Japan on June 13th (EMI). It will arrive July 14th in the UK (Parlophone), and August 19th for the US (Capitol).

EMI [Japan] Parlophone [UK] Capitol Records [UK]

Why do Brits get albums by some US bands before the yanks? cross reference also with The Rapture.

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Friday, 11 July 2003 18:29 (twenty-two years ago)

...should read.. Capitol Records [US]

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Friday, 11 July 2003 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

John 2, I hope you're including Stink in with the two great records; that's the only thing they did with no ROOM for filler. After that I agree, the whole band fell really fast.

― Kris (aqueduct), Friday, 11 July 2003 18:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Heh, yeah, Stink is still my favorite -- the first 'Mats I ever heard and really the only one I think I actively care about. One song too long, though -- "Go" was sorta useless. Just give me the noise (and the cop -- 'this is the Minneapolis police, the party is over!').

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 11 July 2003 18:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I need to get Stink. Are the remasters worth a shit?

― ben welsh (benwelsh), Friday, 11 July 2003 19:53 (twenty-two years ago)

i don't think so.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Friday, 11 July 2003 20:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Re: The Star Spangles

The album only sounds Replacements-ish in parts, not as a whole. In general, it's a got a early 80s Minneapolis-via-Boston-via-NYC kind of thing going on.

― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Friday, 11 July 2003 22:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Na, na-na na, na na-na, na-na.

Those na-na's always sounded really forced to me.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Friday, 11 July 2003 23:13 (twenty-two years ago)

five years pass...

paul westeberg invents the 49-cent album.

― tipsy mothra, Tuesday, 22 July 2008 17:48 (seventeen years ago)

seven years pass...

So anyway, I never bothered to listen much to his solo stuff, but I just learned that he did this. I can't really express how many bonus points he gets for preserving the Ophelias' legacy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=409DBKlLsLo

― dlp9001, Saturday, 12 March 2016 20:07 (nine years ago)

Weren't they a CVB adjunct? Or maybe just where they got ... Immergluck?

― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 12 March 2016 20:42 (nine years ago)

i think "fugitive kind" from suicaine gratifaction is the best solo westerberg song

― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Saturday, 12 March 2016 20:51 (nine years ago)

xpost. Immergluck goes Ophelias>CVB>fame and fortune.

― dlp9001, Saturday, 12 March 2016 20:58 (nine years ago)

"Dyslexic Heart" was my introduction to Westerberg and I have never gotten past it.

― Naive Teen Idol, Saturday, 12 March 2016 21:55 (nine years ago)

I never got past the title.

― SIGSALY Can't Dance (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 12 March 2016 22:16 (nine years ago)

Suicaine is flawed but it's about the last time I think of Westerberg as a mature solo artist who just happened to be in the Replacements, rather than someone IMO who, more often than not, wants to conjure up the old sound and songwriting without really pulling it off

The intential lo-fi stuff doesn't interest me at all

― Master of Treacle, Saturday, 12 March 2016 22:24 (nine years ago)

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