Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Who needs a producer, just punch up the guitar..., November 13, 2003
After listening to other reviewers say that "Come Feel Me Tremble" is probably the more polished of Paul Westerberg's two new releases, I'm really wondering what "Dead Man Shake" might sound like. Westerberg, who lately seems like he's never met a "Take-one" that he didn't like, presents "Tremble" in extreme lo-fi mode, allowing some missed-note vocals and buried mixes to often take forefront. Production wise, it's a step down from "Stereo" and even "Mono" for that matter. Even the CD label bears witness to this approach, as the song listings are out of order, and the art work slightly pixilated. The Replacements always walked along that razor blade edge between unchained rawness and structured lyricism. On "Tremble", there's a not-so-subtle reminder of this with the two versions of Crackle & Drag, one raucous, one delicate, running back-to-back.
Yet Westerberg on a bad-production day is better than most artists at their commercially slickest. The sincerity of his guitar riffs shines through; his clever lyrics keep your ear to the speaker in order to hear the words through the fuzz. He's always one to come up with great play-on-words song titles (Soldier of Misfortune, What A Day For A Night). Although he throws off the material like it doesn't matter, it's apparent his heart is in his work. In their minds, some fans are probably still hoping that buried in Westerberg is an album that combines the energy of the Replacements with with the maturity of a 40-something skilled artist. "Come Feel Me Tremble" is not that album, but it is a good portrait of a man who's still a rebel without a clue but with a lot to say. Airplay will probably elude him, but in today's over-hyped and over-commercialized music scene, Westerberg's continues to be the real thing.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than Stereo, November 5, 2003
I'm another one of these 'Mats/Paul fans who has been a little disappointed in some of the solo stuff (if only because of my high expectations). As I dutifully ordered both new CDs, I found myself thinking that I would like the Grandpaboy CD a lot better, since I enjoyed Mono a lot more than Stereo last time around. I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Come Feel Me Tremble (not a rip on Dead Man Shake - also worth having). After about a week in my CD player, my early impression is that it's my favorite Paul solo effort so far. Just one long-time fan's opinion.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Feel Him Tremble!, January 20, 2004
I bought the disc and carried it for a week before I popped it in. I was afraid, I guess. "Stereo" was one of the most depressed albums ever, and I just wasn't prepared to carry it. Love Paul, love the 'Mats, but I need some good times mixed in with my mid-life angst, you know?Sure am glad I got over my wimpiness, because "Come Feel Me Tremble" was just what I needed. A kickass, basement recording that feels like a live club gig (remarkable, when you consider that Paul probably played everything himself), "Tremble" delivers everything we want from Paul - intelligent lyrics, killer hooks, wordplay, strangled vocals - only he lets his anger and joy spill out onto every track. Each cut is killer, rockin, sloppy as hell, and pure rock and roll. Speaking of strangled vocals - Paul's voice isn't getting any better, exactly, but it's an amazingly expressive instrument. Oddly enough, he seems to be channeling Frank Black at times, which is only fair, since Black is a disciple. Hearing him struggle for the harmonies and high notes is painful sometimes, but then again, Paul's all about sharing his pain with his audience. Check out "Tremble" and feel a real man's pain.
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