Don't Tell a Soul

Replacements | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: February 1, 1989
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sire / London/Rhino
• ASIN: B000002LGD
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,309 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Originally released in 1989, the band's second major label record, young fans were expecting a record of radio hits and radio was expecting more punk rock antics... They were both right somehow and sadly this record, like many great and creatively expansive albums was overlooked upon it's initial release by the dedicated fan and the newcomer.
Your screaming, yelling and falling to pieces drunken brothers now added sleepy melancholy, violins, waves of layered
guitar, something that sounded like a 'real' recording and a bit if not a lot of personal vulnerability to the mix. The list of
albums that were once dismissed thoroughly only to be coveted later is as long as the history of contemporary music itself, and includes albums from every group imaginable from Pink Floyd to The Stooges to The Beach Boys to Fela Kuti, The
Replacements 'Don't Tell A Soul' certainly fits into that history comfortably. Twenty years later most fans and critics agree
that songs such as 'Achin' to Be,' the haunted 'Rock 'n' Roll Ghost,' the sweetly self-mythologizing 'Talent Show,' and 'I'll
Be You,' are probably among the best songs performed in the 1990's. --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not their best but still a classic, March 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Don't Tell a Soul (Audio CD)

Paul Westerberg once admitted that, with this album, The Replacements really made a serious play for commercial success while trying to hide that attempt. Who could blame them for trying, though? They had put out nothing but brilliant music up until then and had little to show for it but critical respect and a little beer money. This album is great. Not as great as their very best work but great nonetheless. "Rock and Roll Ghost" takes on added poignancy when you know that Paul wrote it about a friend from his early rock days who killed himself and that Paul can't bring himself to sing the song in public. "I'll Be You" is a perfect line-drive that deserved more attention from mainstream radio. And the other songs on the record range from good to miraculous. The Replacements were perhaps the greatest rock and roll band of all time if one uses heart, talent, sense of humor, and soul as criteria. This album is evidence that they knew they deserved more popular attention and were willing to go for it. I just wish it had worked. Then there'd be more kids today having their lives changed like mine was.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A View from the Outside, June 21, 2001

By 

"sparr0" (Kansas City, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Tell a Soul (Audio CD)

It was strange to read the consistent mythos of these reviews: "The 'Mats Grow up and Sell Out (okay or not okay?)" If this really is one of the worst Replacements albums (sorry, I don't even know why they're the "'Mats"), I should just order the rest right now. I was given this disk by a friend of a friend over two years ago, and it has yet to leave my fast-rotation stack. Okay, I was just a bit too old to catch their wave the first time out. Maybe I'm the guy they were selling out to (though since my faves in the day were older Rundgren and Stomu Yamashta, no wonder that ploy didn't work). But this is still brilliant song-writing. I get the calls for better production, better playing, etc. But I think people have to get off being afraid to rate this album highly for fear of sullying the pristine record of the earlier disks. Maybe it's not up to such rarified standards of purity, but it's great listening. It's smooth without being soporific, haunting without ... sound effects, and loaded with unsubtle nuances - interesting small twists on normal pop expectations. People who don't know the Replacements from the Refreshments will hear this album and say "Damn. That's interesting." True-blue Replacementistas, please consider rating this on a scale for all music, not a private, tougher one for 'Mats albums. It won't hurt to have outsiders listen to "your" music; heck, it'll just jack up the price on the used copies of this CD that you probably want to sell anyway.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not nearly as bad as everyone says, June 30, 2004

By 

Colin P. Metz "chowdersnake" (Boston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Tell a Soul (Audio CD)

I think I went the opposite route that most people take in terms of discovering the Replacements. It seems like most people start off checking out more respected albums like "Let It Be" and "Tim." I just happened to listen to this album first which might make me slightly biased since I had no basis for comparison.

First off, let me say that this is a great record. A lot of people find this album to be lackluster but I disagree. It's got all the ingredients of any good Replacements album which, simply put, are great songwriting and great music. It does lean more towards a pop style of music than their previous albums, but I don't mind pop if it's done well (which it certainly is here). The playing is also a bit more restrained here, but there's still enough of the Replacements' trademark recklessness that comes through. Like all their great albums, the songs are eclectic and no two sound the same. Following the low key vibe of "They're Blind" with the rave up, energetic stomp of "Anywhere's Better Than Here" are perfect examples of the various moods that they are capable of.

The only real problem with the album is that it does suffer a bit from the typical, overly polished, 80's style production. There's a lot of reverb on everything, especially the drums, which sort of saps the raw energy that tends to give the Replacements an edge. However, the songs are good enough so that it doesn't really matter that much. In some cases, the production even works to a song's advantage such as contributing to the haunting feeling of "Rock N'Roll Ghost."

In the end, I think "Don't Tell a Soul" is a really solid album that holds up over time and repeated listens. Is it their best album? No. But is it a bad record? Definitely not. Is it worth checking out? Absolutely!

In comparison with their other albums: 4/5 stars
On it's own: 4.5 stars

P.S.-"Talent Show," the first track, is one of my favorite Replacements songs.