Shake The Sheets
by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
  • Record Label: Lookout
  • Release Date: Oct 19, 2004
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 19
  3. Negative: 2 out of 19

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  1. HopeL
    Nov 20, 2004
    10
    i have not heard any other of their albums... so i cant compare... but i thoroughly enjoy it.
  2. HailieS
    Jan 10, 2005
    10
    I absoluetely love this cd. I saw Ted Leo in Concert and he absolutely rocked it. Everyone I saw there was jumping, singing, and smiling. Ted Leo Rocks!
  3. MikeE
    Jan 9, 2005
    10
    To me everything Ted Leo produces is essential. Just another great album. Probably my favorite of 2004.
  4. danc
    Oct 25, 2004
    10
    me like. It really doesn't get much better than this.
  5. LelandR
    Oct 12, 2005
    10
    Great album, some amazing stuff on here
  6. DouglasV
    Mar 1, 2005
    10
    Oh Geez Heard something about this guy. Listened to the older albums. It took this one for me to get it. It could be that he nailed it (still my opinion), but his older stuff sounds better after listening to this. Best little known album of the last year or so?
  7. MichaelS
    Oct 14, 2006
    10
    9.6 I cannot wait for his next one.
  8. EricR
    Dec 23, 2004
    8
    Nothing on it comes near the brilliance of "Where have All the Rude Boys Gone" but "Me and Mia" is still one of the best singles of 2004. Not quite as good as "Hearts of Oak" or "The Tyranny of Distance" (lofty goals, indeed!) but still in my year end top 20...
  9. TimM
    Oct 25, 2004
    9
    This is Ted's most polished and accessible recording yet. The extra time the band took to record this album compared to Hearts of Oak really paid off. While not every song is instantly memorable like they were on the last two Ted Leo/Rx albums, there are still more than enough bop-your-head-and-sing-along moments to satisfy a diehard fan. The message is both simpler and more urgent This is Ted's most polished and accessible recording yet. The extra time the band took to record this album compared to Hearts of Oak really paid off. While not every song is instantly memorable like they were on the last two Ted Leo/Rx albums, there are still more than enough bop-your-head-and-sing-along moments to satisfy a diehard fan. The message is both simpler and more urgent than before - the $20 words are gone, but the intelligence of Leo's lyrics hasn't diminished one bit, and there's a new desperation and urgency present that Leo only touched on before. This record exists in a similar space as Green Day's American Idiot - a call for reason from a rapidly maturing punk band with a whole new set of targets for its rage. And damned if I haven't been humming the melody to Counting Down the Hours all week long. Another masterpiece from the best band in America.… Expand
  10. markf
    Oct 29, 2004
    8
    This album doesn't seem as great to me as "Hearts of Oak", but an interesting idea has popped into my head concerning it. The songs are not repetitive at all, but somehow almost every single song seems to flow into the next one effortlessly. I might actually have given this a 9 if there were no pauses between the songs. The music and lyrics have the traditional Ted Leo urgency, but This album doesn't seem as great to me as "Hearts of Oak", but an interesting idea has popped into my head concerning it. The songs are not repetitive at all, but somehow almost every single song seems to flow into the next one effortlessly. I might actually have given this a 9 if there were no pauses between the songs. The music and lyrics have the traditional Ted Leo urgency, but because each song is an integral part of the organic entirety of the album, fewer songs seem to "stand out" than on earlier albums. There are no duds to be found, but what do you think? Does any of this make sense? Oh, if you don't know anything about this band, make sure you get one of the albums, pronto.… Collapse
  11. mrbutterworth
    Feb 27, 2005
    10
    amazing
  12. JenniferL
    Nov 18, 2004
    10
    Ted is a golden god.
  13. Kingofthecosmos
    Nov 27, 2005
    9
    Great stuff. He is a lyrical guy with a cause. I saw him in concert and i was blown by the energy he puts in his work. great guitar player and great lyricist/singer....i have to get his older stuff now!

Awards & Rankings

85
#85 Best Album of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Delusions of Adequacy
    60
    The songs themselves aren’t as outstanding as they could be, and it sure doesn’t help that the production choices give them less of the overwhelming energy that the Pharmacists are known for.
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  2. PopMatters
    90
    If Shake the Sheets lacks the subtle, nuanced excursions of its predecessor, it's redeemed by an urgent, unrelenting focus.
    Read full review
  3. AllMusic
    80
    Using only guitars and drums, the Pharmacists whip up a powerful mix of wild abandon and subtlety that is a perfect backing for Leo's vocal dexterity and clanging guitar heroics.
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