All Shook Down＜Translucent Red Vinyl/生産限定盤＞

秋の夜長に相応しい企画が昨年に続いて登場!ロックの秋に、ワーナーが誇るロックの名盤を限定盤アナログ・レコードでリリースするシリーズ、"ROCKTOBER"(ロックトーバー)が今年も実現!!リプレイスメンツからユートピア、ドリーム・シアターにディープ・パープルにロックンロール・ハイスクールのサントラまで、今年も聴きごたえのある作品揃い。いずれも生産限定盤となる。

【THE REPLACEMENTS / ALL SHOOK DOWN】
80年代を中心に活躍した元祖オルタナティブ・ロック・バンド、ザ・リプレイスメンツ。初期はハード・コア・パンク色の強いサウンドだったが、アルバム・リリースを重ねていくにつれ、彼らはパンクをルーツとした自身のアイデンティティを維持しつつも、フロントマンのポール・ウェスターバーグのソング・ライティングを生かしたルーツ色の強いサウンドへと変化していった。向こう見ずなハードコア・パンク・バンドとしてキャリアをスタートさせた彼らが、長年の経験や柔軟な発想、飽くなき探究心のもと、辿りついた着地点的アルバムが1990年発表の『オール・シュック・ダウン』だ。しかし彼らはその作品をもって活動を休止。結果的にこれが彼らのラスト・アルバムとなった。(1990年作品) 140gram盤 透明レッド・アナログ

Rolling Stone (10/4/90) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...the Replacements retreat to the turf over which they once passionately reigned, however reluctantly, and quietly reestablish themselves as the bards of the basements and bars..." Q (10/93, p.127) - 3 Stars - Good

Battered and broken from the debacle of Don't Tell a Soul -- the album's failure to take off, followed by a disastrous tour supporting Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers -- the Replacements were on their last legs when it came time for 1990's All Shook Down, so worn down that the band ceased to exist for most intents and purposes. Paul Westerberg even began recording the album as a solo project with R.E.M. producer Scott Litt, gradually turning it into the final Replacements album. It may bear the band's name, but All Shook Down never quite shakes the feeling of a solo album; above all, it's a writers album, with the focus placed entirely on the songs. To a certain extent, that was true of the ballad-heavy Don't Tell a Soul, but that felt over-thought from its conception to execution, where there is a light touch to All Shook Down, despite its plethora of guest musicians, including John Cale's viola on "Sadly Beautiful," Heartbreaker Benmont Tench, Terry Reid, and a duet with Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano on "My Little Problem." Instead of aiming for a crossover hit, Westerberg has now resigned himself to his status as an also-ran, even embracing it to some extent, so there are no sops to rock radio aside from "My Little Problem," whose bluster is jarring amidst the nimble folk-pop of the rest of the record. All the acoustic guitars and skipping electric guitars push All Shook Down far outside of the nascent Zeitgeist of grunge, or the sound of college rock in 1990; although Westerberg would soon be back in the thick of things with his Singles soundtrack -- sounding not too dissimilar to this record -- this finds him retreating from the rat race, reflecting on what he's been through. All Shook Down is designed as a coda to the Replacements' career, with Westerberg looking back to "When It Began," pleading that "Someone Take the Wheel" and wrapping the whole thing up with "The Last," as self-aware a final song as the Beatles' "The End." Westerberg balances these self-referential slices of autobiography with his self-deprecation and heartbreak, but all this melancholy never feels heavy, not even when he dips into thick sorrow on "Sadly Beautiful" or the disembodied spookiness of "All Shook Down." There's a palpable sense of relief to All Shook Down, as if Westerberg realized he dodged a bullet by not becoming a true rock star. This lightness is appealing, especially as it surfaces in his writing, which is surely more considered than it was even on Pleased to Meet Me, but it has an offhand quality, recalling the casual virtuosity of Let It Be and Tim -- it's the same guy, only older but maybe not too much wiser. And as it's true to that spirit, All Shook Down winds up being a note-perfect denouement to the Replacements' career, even if it's quiet and careful in a way the band never was at its peak. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine