Thomas Ganzevoort

Contrary to "conventional" wisdom, I thought Don't Tell A Soul was a brilliant record in 1989, and still do. Compared to everything else on the radio and MTV that year, the Replacements third major LP sounded raw and snarly, full of amazing riffs, crunching guitars, all anchored to Paul Westerberg's brilliant songcraft. DTAS was only over-produced when compared their earlier, punkier records like Let It Be and Tim. That said, this new box set featuring Matt Wallace's stripped-down mix of Don't Tell A Soul is a revelation in the best sense. On Dead Man's Pop, we hear a band jamming in the studio on some amazing songs, instead of a polished hard rock record. They're clearly enjoying themselves and the songs. Slim Dunlap's full brilliance is finally unmasked after being buried in '80s production sheen. I haven't listened to the live show CDs yet, but I saw the 'Mats on that 1989 tour, and it was--hands down--THE best show I ever saw in my life. They were ferocious live. If you're a Replacements fan--even if you didn't like the 1989 version of Don't Tell A Soul--you NEED this compilation. It's a gem.