14 Songs (Paul Westerberg album)

14 Songs is the first official solo album from Paul Westerberg, former leader of The Replacements, after the final Replacements album, All Shook Down, was heavily packed with session musicians and marginalized the other three band members.

14 Songs
Studio album by Paul Westerberg
Released	June 15, 1993
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	47:57
Label	Sire/Reprise
Producer	Paul Westerberg, Matt Wallace
Paul Westerberg chronology
14 Songs (1993) Eventually (1996)

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.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	B[2]
Los Angeles Times	[3]
NME	7/10[4]
Q	[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]
Select	4/5[7]
The Village Voice	B+[8]

By March 1996, 14 Songs had sold over 161,000 copies in the United States.[9]

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

• Paul Westerberg – guitar, keyboards, saxophone, vocals
• Matt Wallace – bass, percussion, drums, background vocals
• John Pierce – bass, piano, background vocals
• Rick Price – bass, mandolin, background vocals
• Josh Freese – drums
• Josh Kelly – drums, background vocals
• Ian McLagan – piano, background vocals
• Michael Urbano – drums
• Suzanne Dyer – background vocals
• Joan Jett – background vocals
• Laurie Lindeen – background vocals
• Brian MacLeod – drums, background vocals

Production notes

• Produced by Paul Westerberg and Matt Wallace
• Mastered by Doug Sax

References

1. Rabid, Jack. "14 Songs – Paul Westerberg". AllMusic. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
2. Flaherty, Mike (June 18, 1993). "14 Songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
3. Willman, Chris (June 6, 1993). "The Accidental Poet Laureate of a Generation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
4. "Paul Westerberg: 14 Songs". NME. June 12, 1993. p. 35.
5. "Paul Westerberg: 14 Songs". Q. No. 82. July 1993. p. 101.
6. 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.
7. Cavanagh, David (July 1993). "Paul Westerberg: 14 Songs". Select. No. 37. p. 95.
8. Christgau, Robert (September 28, 1993). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
9. 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.