14 Songs
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. 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
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." 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."By March 1996, 14 Songs had sold over 161,000 copies in the United States.
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians- Paul Westerberg – vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, saxophone, tenor saxophone, handclaps, whistle
- Ian McLagan – acoustic piano
- Rick Price – mandolin, bass
- John Pierce – bass, strings, shaker, acoustic piano, handclaps, whistle
- Josh Kelly – drums
- Michael Urbano – drums
- Josh Freese – drums
- Brian MacLeod – drums, handclaps, whistle
- Matt Wallace – percussion, bass, drums
- Paul Westerberg – backing vocals
- Josh Kelly – backing vocals
- Rick Price – backing vocals
- Matt Wallace – backing vocals
- Laurie Lindeen – backing vocals
- Brian MacLeod – backing vocals
- Ian McLagan – backing vocals
- John Pierce – backing vocals
- Joan Jett – backing vocals
- Charmony Brothers – backing vocals
- Suzanne Dyer – backing vocals
- Susan Rogers – backing vocals
- Jim "Watts" Vereecke – backing vocals
- Paul Westerberg – producer, concept, design, mixing
- Matt Wallace – producer, engineer, mixing
- David Bryson – mixing
- Brendan O'Brien – mixing
- 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
- Kim Champagne – concept, design, booklet photography
- Frank W. Ockenfels III – cover photography