Product Description

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14958 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-15
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this loving, appropriately ramshackle tribute to one of the most beloved rock-and-roll bands of the 1980s, Walsh gives his subjects the oral history treatment, assembling a wide range of associates, friends and famous fans to put their memories on the record. The band's story is an archetype of the joys and pitfalls of underground success—a rabid and loyal local following leads to a major label contract that, with its attendant pressures and misunderstandings, brings about the band's slow dissolution and demise. The great moments in their history are all recounted here in warm detail: lead singer Paul Westerberg breaking copies of his new record Hootenany in the local record store; the drunk Oklahoma City show attended by 30 people that still led to a live album; the triumphant disaster of their first and only appearance on SNL. The self-destruction of Bob Stinson, the band's hilarious but alcoholic guitarist who died in 1995, is a fascinating and harrowing counterpoint throughout to the band's adventures. Walsh himself proves to be among the band's most eloquent and thorough defenders and explainers in his introductory essay and various excerpts from articles that appear throughout this consistently engaging and poignant work. (Dec.)
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The FADER
"In [The Replacements], Minnesota's bastard sons get the oral history treatment for a combination of myth building and myth busting. Author Jim Walsh is a longtime Replacements conspirator (his band, Laughing Stock played with them in their early `80s days and he delivered a eulogy at guitarist Bob Stinson's funeral in 1995), and he nakedly approaches his subjects with the thesis that they were the greatest band of their generation. Still, he makes no apologies for the often cruddy way they treated their fans, their friends, and each other. I came away from this book feeling the same way I came in: the Replacements definitely were a great band, but they sure seem like a bunch of d**ks."

Review

Publishers Weekly, Oct. 15, 2007

“In this loving, appropriately ramshackle tribute to one of the most beloved rock-and-roll bands of the 1980s, Walsh gives his subjects the oral history treatment, assembling a wide range of associates, friends and famous fans to put their memories on the record. The band’s story is an archetype of the joys and pitfalls of underground success – a rabid and loyal local following leads to a major label contract that, with its attendant pressures and misunderstandings, brings about the band’s slow dissolution and demise. The great moments in their history are all recounted here in warm detail: lead singer Paul Westerberg breaking copies of his new record Hootenanny in the local record store; the drunk Oklahoma City show attended by 30 people that still led to a live album; the triumphant disaster of their first and only appearance on SNL. The self-destruction of Bob Stinson, the band’s hilarious but alcoholic guitarist who died in 1995, is a fascinating and harrowing counterpoint throughout to the band’s adventures. Walsh himself proves to be among the band’s most eloquent and thorough defenders and explainers in his introductory essay and various excerpts from articles that appear throughout this consistently engaging and poignant work.” Booklist “The Replacements were a careening indie rock band of the 1980s that garnered more reputation than commercial success (of which they received hardly any). Somehow the scruffy Minneapolis foursome managed to last 12 riotous years. During that time, they staged some legendary “you had to be there” shows and were worshipped by fans with the fervor of the recently converted. What was it about these guys? Was it the goofy-looking guy in a dress, who played scorching lead guitar? Or the sensitive lead singer-songwriter, who shredded his vocal cords on cuts like “I Hate Music”? Walsh, pop-music columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, doesn’t try to answer such questions as much as capture the time and place of the happening that was the Replacements. His oral history recounts the differing reactions of musical contemporaries such as Bob Mould of Husker Du, rock critics such as Steve Albini, and members of the Replacements themselves. But the best remembrances come from ordinary fans, who saw in these awkward adolescents kicking at the status quo something that made them say, “Hey, that’s us.” Recommended, maybe must reading for fans of the Replacements and indie rock in general. Album art, candid photos, and early handbill posters complement the text.”

ALARM Magazine “Having literally grown up with The ‘Mats, as their fans affectionately refer to them, and remaining a friend and fan to this day, veteran journalist Jim Walsh, author of The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting: An Oral History, is perhaps the perfect person to tell their tale…Walsh presents the ‘Mats in a multidimensional light, illustrating their talents and charisma, while also depicting a band that struggled with many challenges that early success can bring, and showing how easy it can be to fall into a cycle of self-destruction. But rather than turning it into a tabloid, the impression he leaves is sensitive and human. “Compiled from hours of personal interviews and research extracted from countless articles and reviews from years past, The Replacements is clearly a labor of love. The memories from those who were there are convincing enough that even if the reader had never heard of The Replacements, it is clear how they could become heroes to their fans. In cities across America, the names and places may have changed, but the story remains the same.”

St. Paul Pioneer Press “Jim Walsh expertly navigates the divide between the truth and otherwise in his new book, The Replacements: All Over but the Shouting. It's a compulsively readable, passionately compiled oral history of the infamous Minneapolis foursome who spent the '80s writing a new rock 'n' roll fairy tale while simultaneously ripping out its pages.”

CMJ New Music Monthly “For those who saw the Replacements in their prime, it’s odd to notice that their lasting influence seems to be congealed into the sappy sides of middling emo bands who really like Don’t Tell a Soul. But don’t blame the Minneapolis slop-rock gods for that foible. Get a feel of their real ragged soul from this bio, cobbled together by a guy who was in a Minneapolis band form back in the drunken daze and saw the Replacements at their very first bar show and a million times after that as a pal and sometime roadie....since we’ve rarely been privy to those fellas’ thoughts, or the cool old pics throughout, this tome is invaluable. Plus, it also helps cement the truly lasting and fruitful fact that the Replacements, and the everyman Minneapolis scene, saved punk from ‘80s bald-headed hardcore dogmatics.” Minneapolis Star Tribune “The Replacements is uniquely, proudly the story of the Minneapolis band from the vantage point of the Minneapolis scene…Funny, intense, sad and joyful.”

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Customer Reviews

Tears of Laughter / Laughter and Tears
I believe that this book is a wonderful companion to a chapter about Replacements from Michael Azerrad's book "Our Band Could Be Your Life". Indeed, some of peculiar facts/stories about Replacements told by Azerrad can be seen in this book, as well.

Whereas Mr. Azerrad provided somewhat brief and compressed (albeit, vivid) biography of this explosive band, Jim Walsh did it a bit differently. The whole book is, basically, nothing but a number of questions and answers, yet he managed to keep it entertaining/interesting enough, which is not an easy task by any means.

To me, much of success is based on anecdotes/stories like the one where Jon Bon Jovi sent a letter to an editor of Rolling Stones wondering why he never even heard of Replacements and how they ended up on top of their charts. Then there's naked Bob Stinson, sloppy song covers and general "we don't give a flying f" type of attitude.

Yet, behind all of their drunker behavior/crude jokes and anything else, you can still see something real - in particular, a part about Bob Stinson and Peter Jesperson struggle with post-Replacements period (which, unfortunately, ended in tragedy for Bob) is particularly hitting hard.

All in all, this is one well-deserved biography for one amazing band. Now ,Mr. Walsh, can we have few more books on the likes Big Black and/or Minutemen? Please? Please?

Great material, weak execution
You would think that no other band would have better stories than the Replacements. That may be true, but you wouldn't know it after reading this book. The chronology is a little sloppy (you'd expect that, wouldn't you), but the real flaw is in the stories. There are a few nuggets that live up to expectation, but on the whole I don't know that much more than I did before. How did Paul take over Bob's band? What was the real reason Bob was kicked out? Was there a moment when Paul and Tommy officially decided to go on hiatus? (They're not officially broken up, which was news to me.) At the end, the author (a friend of Paul's) said it was intentionally an unauthorized biography. There might have been some good things that came out of this approach, but there are a lot of holes. Too many clippings from Mpls papers, not enough long interviews. But hey-- it's the Replacements. How could it not be (at least a little) interesting. Not exactly Studs Terkel, but maybe that will be the next great Replacements book.

It's never a good thing when your dad joins your favourite band."
So says Bob `Slim' Dunlap shrewdly of the effect his recruitment to The Replacements' ranks in 1987 had upon his daughter. Emily's discomfiture however, is indicative of the love-the-band/hate-the-group relationship that many have with the `Mats, and this is certainly one of the most enduring impressions left by Jim Walsh's oral history, All Over but the Shouting. As Paul Westerberg himself famously sang, "the ones (that) love us best are the ones we'll lay to rest," and Walsh's account certainly bears out the notion that the closer you got to the band the harder they were to love.

Herein, Walsh has collected a multitude of accounts from band members, associates, contemporaries, scenesters and onlookers and aptly synthesized them into an affectionate and engrossing chronological account of the turbulent history of one of rock's great bands.

A positive feature of the text is that Walsh has assembled much varied discourse from Westerberg, as well as from the 6 other major players: original lead guitarist Bob Stinson, teenaged bass player Tommy Stinson, drummer Chris Mars, Bob Stinson's replacement Slim Dunlap, roadie Bill Sullivan and original manager/mentor Pete Jesperson. Favourably, he also avoids falling into the trap of merely reiterating previously available information on the band - most notably in the Sire-years greatest hits collection All For Nothing/Nothing For All and Michael Azerrad's compendium of epochal independent 80s bands Our Band Could Be Your Life in which the `Mats figure prominently.

Ironically, given his rather paradoxical position within the band's history it is Slim Dunlap whose sensitive, articulate and altogether rational recollections provide the most objective and absorbing reading, detailing the highs and lows of living alongside the band as a close friend and respected contemporary to living within the band as the oft-maligned replacement to the elder Stinson.

Westerberg's accounts, on the other hand are more inconsistent, ranging from an initial reticence to discuss his band in anything other than vague peripheral terms to an eventual realisation that printed word could be used for his own means - seemingly too late. Tommy Stinson is more ambiguous still - disappointingly he is not greatly represented - but generally shoots from the hip, yet even his fond memories are always tinged with a sense of ambivalence. An overriding sense of each of the pair's striking ego pervades much of the accounts on them also, with instances of commendable actions few and far between.

Bob Stinson, predictably is portrayed as the fallen hero of his generation; a gentle-giant of a man with no discernable assets beyond his ferocious lead guitar skills and a big heart. Touching testimony from former partners rounds this out but also repudiates the cultivated image of him as something of a simpleton. The comparative lack of comment from or pertaining to original drummer Chris Mars however, serves to further marginalise him from the Replacements' myth.

An integral problem the book suffers however, is that there is a striking sense of Twin Cities' `in-crowd cool' to it in that responses to the `Mats from an audience outside of Minnesota are not well documented (save for two scathing snippets from (journalist/Big Black/Shellac frontman) Steve Albini, and the ubiquitous hometown-hero reverie demonstrated toward Prince is misplaced. A further problem with this issue is that the scope of those interviewed is neither great nor varied. Minneapolis' own Soul Asylum (Dave Pirner & Danny Murphy) and Hüsker Dü (Bob Mould & Grant Hart) are two of too few bands who made it beyond the indie ranks to contribute and the Hüskers' testimony is disappointingly non-revelatory considering the rivalry between the two. However, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck does offer some insightful backstage anecdotes - yet again, there is a simultaneous longing to read something attributed to Michael Stipe.

Despite some of its short-comings however, the positives outweigh the negatives substantially, rendering All Over but the Shouting an engaging and comprehensive chronicle of the life and times of one of rock's greatest and most shambolic bands.