Paul Westerberg Stereo CD - Import

Initial pressings of STEREO will include the album MONO by Grandpaboy.

STEREO contains the hidden track, "Strike Down The Band," which occurs between "Don't Want Never" and "Mr. Rabbit."

This is the album that Paul Westerberg's admirers have been wishing he would make ever since his solo career arose out the ashes of the Replacements. While inconsistent songwriting and questionable production decisions marred much of the legendary singer/songwriter's previous solo releases, STEREO (and it's accompanying disc MONO) represents a glorious return to form not just on a sonic level, but in terms of song quality as well. Ironically, STEREO is a literal solo effort, with most of the songs centered around Westerberg's craggy voice and (predominantly acoustic) guitar. Most of the tunes are ballads that will bring a smile to the face of anyone who ever shed a tear for "Skyway" or "Swingin' Party."

On the other side of the coin, MONO is a straight-out rock album, full of the kind of raw, unkempt guitar din bands merely think they have a handle on. A proven master of such aural carnage, Westerberg joyously tears into such tunes as "Footsteps" (whose main riff bears echoes of the Who's "Substitute") with the sort of abandon for which Replacements fans spent years vainly sifting through previous Westerberg albums. Most emblematic of Westerberg's new/old gestalt is the gloriously reckless, self-explanatory "Knock It Right Out," and thank goodness he finally did.

Personnel includes: Paul Westerberg, Elrod Puce, Zeke Pine, Henry Twiddle, Luther Covington.Rolling Stone (5/9/02, pp.74-76) - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "...MONO [is] the louder half of this double-disc release....[STEREO is] an album of post-punk saloon ballads..."
Spin (6/02, p.109) - 6 out of 10 - "...Thoughtfully observed, carefully played, and achin' to be respectable..."
Q (6/02, p.124) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Chiming with the sound of Westerberg's signature irreverent guitar and topped off by half-sung, half-drooled lyrics, it's just fine..."
Uncut (1/03, p.95) - Ranked #28 in Uncut's "100 Best Albums of the Year" - "...The first features lovely, home-recorded ballads. The second bristles with punk exuberance..."
Alternative Press (6/02, p.90) - 6 out of 10 - "...His melodies are golden, and he occasionally demonstrates why one major magazine once labeled him the embodiment of rock'n'roll..."
CMJ (4/29/02, p.12) - "...An acoustic-based introspective work..."
Mojo (Publisher) (7/02, p.104) - "...The singers in these songs look an awful lot like a fella we know who had the misfortune of being stuck post-punk and pre-emo..."