Besterberg: The Best Of Paul Westerberg CD

Destined to live in the shadow of his former band, the legendary Replacements, Minnesota singer/songwriter Paul Westerberg remained undaunted in embarking on his solo career in the early 1990s. While a number of initial Westerberg singles wouldn't have sounded out of place on the last few Replacements albums--most notably the pop-perfect "Dyslexic Heart" and the Stonesy "Knockin on Mine"--later efforts revealed a different approach. On the spare, emotive "It's a Wonderful Lie" and his aching rendition of the Beatles' "Nowhere Man," Westerberg dispenses with percussion entirely, while on "Let the Bad Times Roll" and "What a Day (For a Night)," he handles most instruments (including drums) himself, for a charmingly ramshackle effect. The cheekily named collection BESTERBERG features all of the aforementioned songs, along with a handful of non-album tracks. Fans will enjoy Westerberg's wry song commentary in the liner notes ("at this rate a hit song would embarrass me"), and newcomers will find an ideal starting point for exploring his underrated solo outings.

Includes 3 previously unreleased tracks.

Incl.Soundtrack Songs & Grandpaboy Songs

Personnel: Paul Westerberg (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, melodica, piano, keyboards, drums, background vocals); Paul Westerberg (bass guitar); Brendan O'Brien (guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, bass guitar); Luther Covington (guitar); Rick Price (mandolin, bass guitar, background vocals); Don Was (acoustic bass, double bass); John Pierce , Keith Christopher (bass guitar); Josh Kelly, Josh Kelly (drums, background vocals); Henry Twiddle (drums); Elrod Puce (maracas, triangle, hand claps, background vocals); Charmony Brothers (background vocals); Suzie Katayama (cello, accordion); Benmont Tench (keyboards); Josh Freese, Michael Urbano (drums, percussion); Kenny Aronoff, Brian MacLeod (drums); Matt Wallace (percussion, background vocals); Michael Bland (percussion).

Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot.

Photographers: Hayley Madden; Jim Steinfeldt; Frank Okenfels; Miranda Penn Turin; Kristin Callahan; Ron Pownall.Uncut (p.129) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]he addition of three unreleased rarities makes this essential."