The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting: An Oral History (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: talent show, fuck school, hate music, Paul Westerberg, Peter Jesperson, Bob Stinson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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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Review

"'I recognized something of myself in him. This night, though, we may have never been more alike...' That's Jim Walsh on Paul Westerberg in the preface to his oral history of Minneapolis' most glorious drunk-rockers.

"Fast-forwarding to the present, he adds, `We're both healthy and f**ked up but plugging along, just like everyone who came up with the `Mats, I suppose...'

"The author's over-identification with one of rock's most famous anti-heroes is a troubling but understandable aspect of this otherwise right-on tale of life in the eye of the rock `n' roll s**t storm. Walsh was in a band of his own (REMs) during Minneapolis' illustrious early-80's heyday, which accounts for the close-but-no-cigar perspective. But it is his reporter's sense and up-close view that is essential to this story. He knows where the bodies are buried, and his interviews with the right scenesters make up the meat of his part memoir/part rock `n' roll testament to pre-`alternative' culture. The Replacements' tumult-fueled story emerges through the vivid recollections of fanzine writers, college radio DJs, record store employees, club bookers, partiers and musicians who transmit the undeniable important of Minneapolis in the `80s, along with the passion and sweetness of their youth.

"Though Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson declined to be interviewed and drummer Chris Mars only appears briefly, late guitarist Bob Stinson lives in these tales (and his replacements Slim Dunlap and Steve Foley add their own firsthand color). The band's carefully edited quotes underscore the idea that this story took place in a time when computers were for geeks and rock `n' roll was still do or die. The Replacements is a very necessary document of a time when you could still tell something about a person by their shoes--or by the ultimate test: whether or not they liked the Replacements." -- HARP Magazine

"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." -- The FADER

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press; 1st edition (November 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076033062X
• ISBN-13: 978-0760330623
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #226,284 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a great book about my all-time favorite band, October 20, 2007

By	Brian P. Stack "BPS" (Sleepy Hollow, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While I loved the chapter devoted to The Replacements in the terrific book, "Our Band Could Be Your Life", I always hoped someone would put together a more complete history of this incredible band, and Jim Walsh did a great job putting "All Over But the Shouting" together. I'd highly recommend the book to any fan of The Replacements, and to anyone curious about 80's underground music in general. Oh, and in response to the person who found all the names in the book confusing, there's a list in the back of the book that briefly explains who all those people are, or in some unfortunate cases, were.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it now!, October 23, 2007

By	Gilligan (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This is a fascinating documentation of one of the greatest, most unique bands that ever existed. The author was so much of a part of the band's history (he gave the eulogy at guitarist Bob Stinson's funeral!) that he wisely chooses to step back and let the participants tell their sides of the story, while filling in details when needed.
When you hear so many different viewpoints, you get a much more well-rounded feel for these characters who raucously carried the rock and roll torch through a generally bad decade of music.
This book is a must-read for anyone who loves The Replacements. It could be used as a textbook for any aspiring bands or musicians in the "school of rock".

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Long Overdue Pleasure, October 22, 2007

By	Dusty Punch (McKinley, WI USA) - See all my reviews

It is an absolute travesty that it has taken this long for a book on the 'Mats to find its way to print. Kudos to Jim Walsh and Voyageur Press (a Twin Cities publisher) for rescuing the die-hard, Mats-starved fans. While many oral histories can be tricky reads, Walsh made the absolute best decision when he chose this format for his book. Rather than hearing only one voice tell the story--as legitimate as Walsh's voice may be--he tells the story through the many voices of those who had consumed the band in all its tragic greatness over the years. After all, the Replacements were never a band to simply be heard...they had to be experienced. This book helps readers who may have never seen the band live do just that.

On another note, I would like to provide some clarification as to a previous 2-star review of the book. The reviewer lodged a complaint about the author not letting us know who each person is throughout the book. I won't address how we disagree on the value of this book, but I did want to let folks know about a very helpful list starting on page 269 entitled "The Players." Each person quoted in the book is listed, along with a brief description of who they are.