14 Songs
| 14 Songs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 15, 1993 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 47:57 | |||
| Label | Sire/Reprise | |||
| Producer |
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| Paul Westerberg chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 14 Songs | ||||
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14 Songs is the first solo album by the American musician Paul Westerberg, released in 1993. It followed the final Replacements album, All Shook Down, and the dissolution of the band.
The album features contributions from Ian McLagan, former keyboardist for the Faces, a band that Westerberg has often cited as a favorite.
In an interview included with a special edition of the album, he explained that he started the record jamming with drummer Josh Kelly and former Georgia Satellites bassist Rick Price, but found that the combination wasn't working, requiring him to seek other players. (The only song featuring Kelly and Price is the opener, "Knockin' On Mine.") He also revealed that the album title was a reference to Nine Stories, by J.D. Salinger.
The CD version was packaged in book form, with the disc in a pocket inside the front cover. All numbered pages in the book are page 14, including six pages at the back for "Notes."
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[2] |
| The Indianapolis Star | [3] |
| Los Angeles Times | [4] |
| NME | 7/10[5] |
| Q | [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
| Select | 4/5[8] |
| The Village Voice | B+[9] |
Stereo Review wrote that "Westerberg writes about everyday things without pretense, taking comfort in the ordinary and passing on wisdom in small doses... Perhaps consequently, if anything rings a little hollow here it's rockers like 'Silver Naked Ladies' and 'Something Is Me', which aim for a rambunctious 'Mats/Faces devil-may-care feeling but sound a mite forced."[10] The Indianapolis Star opined that "while it's lamentable that Westerberg continues to put distance between him and that true Mats sound, it's good to have rock's sublime poet/jester back."[3]
By March 1996, 14 Songs had sold over 161,000 copies in the United States.[11]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Paul Westerberg.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Knockin' on Mine" | 3:43 |
| 2. | "First Glimmer" | 4:55 |
| 3. | "World Class Fad" | 3:27 |
| 4. | "Runaway Wind" | 4:23 |
| 5. | "Dice Behind Your Shades" | 4:11 |
| 6. | "Even Here We Are" | 1:39 |
| 7. | "Silver Naked Ladies" | 4:38 |
| 8. | "A Few Minutes of Silence" | 3:17 |
| 9. | "Someone I Once Knew" | 3:06 |
| 10. | "Black Eyed Susan" | 3:33 |
| 11. | "Things" | 3:21 |
| 12. | "Something Is Me" | 2:18 |
| 13. | "Mannequin Shop" | 3:11 |
| 14. | "Down Love" | 2:15 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Paul Westerberg – vocals, guitars, keyboards (2, 8), bass (3, 5, 12), saxophone (7, 13), tenor saxophone (9), handclaps (13), whistle (13)
- Ian McLagan – acoustic piano (2, 7)
- Rick Price – mandolin (1), bass (1)
- John Pierce – bass (2, 4, 5, 7–9, 11, 13, 14), strings (5), shaker (7), acoustic piano (9), handclaps (13), whistle (13)
- Josh Kelly – drums (1)
- Michael Urbano – drums (2)
- Josh Freese – drums (3)
- Brian MacLeod – drums (4, 5, 7–9, 11, 13, 14), handclaps (13), whistle (13)
- Matt Wallace – percussion (2, 5, 8), bass (6), drums (9, 12)
Background vocals
- Paul Westerberg – backing vocals (1–3, 5, 7–9, 12–14)
- Josh Kelly – backing vocals (1)
- Rick Price – backing vocals (1)
- Matt Wallace – backing vocals (1–3, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14)
- Laurie Lindeen – backing vocals (5)
- Brian MacLeod – backing vocals (7, 14)
- Ian McLagan – backing vocals (7)
- John Pierce – backing vocals (7, 14)
- Joan Jett – backing vocals (9)
- Charmony Brothers – backing vocals (11)
- Suzanne Dyer – backing vocals (12)
- Susan Rogers – backing vocals (12)
- Jim "Watts" Vereecke – backing vocals (14)
Production
- Paul Westerberg – producer, concept, design, mixing (1, 4–14)
- Matt Wallace – producer, engineer, mixing (1, 2, 4–14)
- David Bryson – mixing (2)
- Brendan O'Brien – mixing (3)
- Susan Rogers – additional engineer
- Suzanne Dyer – assistant mix engineer
- Steve Holroyd – assistant mix engineer
- John Jackson – assistant mix engineer
- Dave Kent – assistant mix engineer
- Mike Krowiak – assistant mix engineer
- John Paterno – assistant mix engineer
- Mike Pre – assistant mix engineer
- Jim "Watts" Vereecke – assistant mix engineer
- Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California)
- Kim Champagne – concept, design, booklet photography (pages 2, 6 & 11)
- Frank W. Ockenfels III – cover photography
References
- ^ Rabid, Jack. "14 Songs – Paul Westerberg". AllMusic. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
- ^ Flaherty, Mike (June 18, 1993). "14 Songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ a b Bacon, Scott (July 2, 1993). "Rock's poet/jester back with serious songs". The Indianapolis Star. p. F18.
- ^ Willman, Chris (June 6, 1993). "The Accidental Poet Laureate of a Generation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ "Paul Westerberg: 14 Songs". NME. June 12, 1993. p. 35.
- ^ "Paul Westerberg: 14 Songs". Q. No. 82. July 1993. p. 101.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Paul Westerberg". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 868. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Cavanagh, David (July 1993). "Paul Westerberg: 14 Songs". Select. No. 37. p. 95.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (September 28, 1993). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ "Paul Westerberg takes it easy". Stereo Review. Vol. 58, no. 10. October 1993. p. 96.
- ^ Rosen, Craig (March 16, 1996). "Paul Westerberg's 'Eventually' Is Now". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 11. Los Angeles. pp. 14, 22. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 3, 2020.