Shake The Sheets - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
User Score
9.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 1 out of 18

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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. 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 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
  9. mrbutterworth
    Feb 27, 2005
    10
    amazing
  10. JenniferL
    Nov 18, 2004
    10
    Ted is a golden god.
  11. 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!

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics

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.
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  3. All Music Guide
    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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