The Replacements | ||
| Allmusic Biography : The Replacements initially formed in 1979, when Paul Westerberg joined a garage punk band formed by brothers Bob (guitar) and Tommy Stinson (bass) and drummer Chris Mars. Originally called the Impediments, the Minnesota residents changed their name to the Replacements after being banned from a local club for disorderly behavior. In their early days, they sounded quite similar to Hüsker Dü, the leaders of the Minneapolis punk scene. However, the Replacements were wilder and looser than the Hüskers and quickly became notorious for their drunken, chaotic gigs. After they built up a sizable local following the Minneapolis label Twin/Tone signed them. Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, a sloppy hardcore collection, was released in 1981 but failed to make much of an impact on the national scene. It was followed the next year by the Stink EP, which followed the same pattern as the debut. It was the bands second album, 1983s Hootenanny, that first garnered the band attention and helped build their fan base. On Hootenanny, the group started playing around with other genres, adding elements of pop, straightforward rock & roll, country, and folk, although sometimes the eclecticism was ironic. Hootenanny set the stage for Let It Be, the bands critical and artistic breakthrough. Released in 1984, Let It Be showed that the band had successfully expanded their musical reach and that Westerberg had grown considerably as a songwriter; he was now capable of pop like "I Will Dare," full-throttle rock & roll, and introspective ballads like "Answering Machine." Critics and fellow musicians were quick to praise the band, and they developed a large underground following. The buzz was large enough to convince Sire to sign the band in 1985. The Replacements first major-label album, Tim, was scheduled to be produced by Westerbergs idol, Alex Chilton, but the sessions fell through; the album was produced by former Ramone Tommy Erdelyi. Upon its release in 1985, Tim garnered rave reviews that equaled those for Let It Be. Though the band was poised for a popular breakthrough, they were unsure about making the leap into the mainstream. As a result, they never let themselves live up to their full potential. The Replacements landed a spot on Saturday Night Live, but they were roaring drunk throughout their performances and Westerberg said "f*ck" on the air. Their concerts had became notorious for such drunken, sloppy behavior. Frequently, the band was barely able to stand up, let alone play, and when they did play, they often didnt finish their songs. The Replacements also refused to make accessible videos -- the video for "Bastards of Young" featured nothing but a stereo system, playing the song -- thereby cutting themselves off from the mass exposure MTV could have granted them. After the tour for Tim, Bob Stinson was fired from the band, allegedly for his drug and alcohol addictions. The Replacements recorded their next album as a trio in Memphis, Tennessee, with former Big Star producer Jim Dickinson. The resulting album, Pleased to Meet Me, was more streamlined than their previous recordings. Again, the reviews were uniformly excellent upon its spring 1987 release, but the band didnt earn many new fans. During the tour for Pleased to Meet Me, guitarist Slim Dunlap filled the vacant lead guitarist spot and he became a full-time member after the tour. Two years later, the band returned in the spring of 1989 with Dont Tell a Soul, the Replacements last bid for a mainstream audience. The bandmembers had cleaned up, admitting that their years of drug and alcohol abuse were behind them, and were now willing to play the promotional game. Dont Tell a Soul boasted a polished, radio-ready production and the group shot MTV-friendly videos, beginning with the single "Ill Be You." Initially, the approach worked -- "Ill Be You" became a number one album rock track, crossing over to number 51 on the pop charts. However, Dont Tell a Soul never really took off and failed to establish the band as a major commercial force. Defeated from the lackluster performance of Dont Tell a Soul, Paul Westerberg planned on recording a solo album, but Sire rejected the idea. Consequently, the next Replacements album, All Shook Down, was a solo Westerberg record in all but name. Recorded with a cast of session musicians as well as the band, All Shook Down was a stripped-down, largely acoustic affair that hinted at the turmoil within the band. Chris Mars left shortly after its fall 1990 release, claiming that Westerberg had assumed control of the band; he would launch a solo career two years later. The Replacements toured in support of All Shook Down, with Steve Foley, formerly of the Minneapolis-based Things Fall Down, as their new drummer. Neither the tour nor the album were successful, and the Replacements quietly disbanded in the summer of 1991. Tommy Stinson formed Bash & Pop the following year; in 1995, he formed a new band called Perfect. Dunlap released a solo album in 1993. Bob Stinson died February 15, 1995, from a drug overdose. Westerberg began a solo career slowly, releasing two songs on the Singles ("Dyslexic Heart," "Waiting for Somebody") soundtrack in 1992; he also scored the film. He released his debut solo album, 14 Songs, in the summer of 1993 to mixed reviews. A partial reunion of the Mats took place in 2006 when Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars recorded two new songs for the collection Dont You Know Who I Think I Was?: The Best of the Replacements, though Mars didnt play drums, only adding backing vocals. In February 2012, Slim Dunlap suffered a massive stroke that left him unable to walk, speak, eat solid food, or play the guitar. With Dunlap requiring constant care, a number of musicians banded together to raise money for his medical bills, and Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson recorded an EP of cover tunes, Songs for Slim, under the name the Replacements. (Mars didnt play on the sessions, but he did contribute cover artwork.) With Dunlaps approval, Westerberg and Stinson assembled a new lineup of the Replacements, featuring Dave Minehan on guitar and Josh Freese on drums, both of whom had worked on Westerbergs solo projects. The Replacements returned to the stage in August 2014 to headline the Toronto Riot Fest, soon followed by Riot Fest dates in Chicago and Denver. The Mats played a handful of concerts and festival appearances, and began work on a new album. However, tensions between Stinson and Westerberg began to simmer during a spring 2015 tour, and in June 2015, at the end of their set at the Primavera Sound Festival in Portugal, Westerberg announced the Replacements had just played their last show. Westerberg soon formed a new group with Juliana Hatfield, the I Dont Cares, releasing the album Wild Stab in January 2016. Two months later, author Bob Mehr published the book Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements, a well-researched study of the groups rise and fall. Meanwhile, Stinson resuscitated Bash & Pop, putting together a new edition of the band and releasing the album Anything Could Happen in January 2017. With Westerberg and Stinsons projects feeding a revived interest in the Replacements, in October 2017 Rhino Records released For Sale: Live at Maxwells 1986, a previously unreleased professional recording of a New Jersey club show that the band performed only a few months before Bob Stinson was fired. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 17 Title: Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash Released: 1981-08-25 Tracks: 18 Duration: 36:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Takin’ a Ride (02:23) 2 Careless (01:08) 3 Customer (01:29) 4 Hangin’ Downtown (02:06) 5 Kick Your Door Down (03:11) 6 Otto (02:09) 7 I Bought a Headache (02:24) 8 Rattlesnake (01:48) 9 I Hate Music (01:50) 10 Johnny’s Gonna Die (03:32) 11 Shiftless When Idle (02:18) 12 More Cigarettes (01:20) 13 Don’t Ask Why (01:57) 14 Somethin’ to Dü (01:41) 15 I’m in Trouble (02:10) 16 Love You Till Friday (01:53) 17 Shutup (01:23) 18 Raised in the City (01:59) |
| Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash : Allmusic album Review : Part of the Replacements appeal always was that they didnt quite fit into any tidy category and nowhere was that truer than on their 1981 debut, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash. Falling over themselves to fit into the Minneapolis hardcore scene, the Mats played fast and loose, which was part of the problem -- they were too loose, lacking the discipline to fit within hardcore, which even in 81 was adhering to the loud-fast rules that would later morph into straight-edge. Then again, that was a common problem in the Twin Cities, as Hüsker Dü also were too big and blustery to be a standard hardcore band, but where the Huskers traded in violence and fury at this early stage, the Replacements wallowed in cheap thrills. Danger still pulsated in their music, but the group didnt inflict emotional damage: they were a party spinning out of control, getting sloppier with every beer swilled. The messiness on Sorry Ma is hardly confined to the cheap, thin recording or the bands playing -- they sound as if theyre stumbling upon each other as they fumble for the next chord -- but how the songs pile up one after another, most not managing to get close to the two-minute mark. Such brevity could be dubbed as hardcore, but apart from the volume and speed, this doesnt feel like hardcore: theres too much beer and boogie for that. Then, theres also the fact that the Replacements reveled in mid-American junk culture, with Paul Westerberg boasting that hed bought himself a headache the very year that Black Flag sneered that they had nothing better to do then having a bottle of brew as they watched the TV. Neither did the Replacements, but they sang about this with no disdain, as they enjoyed being "Shiftless When Idle," as one of the best songs here called it. This could be called defiant if it seemed like the Mats were raging against anything besides garden-variety suburban troubles, as theres nothing that attacks other punkers (quite the opposite; there are love letters to Johnny Thunders and Hüsker Dü), and even when Westerberg is chronicling Midwestern ennui, theres a sense of affection to his laments, as if he loves the place and loves acting like an angry young crank. This strain of premature curmudgeonly humor is undercut by the boundless energy of the band, so happy to make noise they dont care if theyre recycling old-time rock & roll riffs that are closer to amped-up Rockpile than the Ramones, as theres more swing to the rhythms than that -- swing that careens wildly and madly, but swings all the same. And thats what made the Replacements seem so different with their debut -- they didnt fit anywhere within American punk, but theres no defiance here; theres a celebration of who and what they are thats genuinely, infectiously guileless. It may not quite sound like any other American punk record but Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash is one of the best LPs the entire scene produced in the early 80s. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 17 Title: Stink Released: 1982 Tracks: 8 Duration: 15:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Kids Don’t Follow (02:50) 2 Fuck School (01:26) 3 Stuck in the Middle (01:48) 4 God Damn Job (01:19) 5 White and Lazy (02:06) 6 Dope Smokin Moron (01:31) 7 Go (02:30) 8 Gimme Noise (01:40) |
 | Album: 3 of 17 Title: Hootenanny Released: 1983-04-29 Tracks: 12 Duration: 31:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Hootenanny (01:52) 2 Run It (01:11) 3 Color Me Impressed (02:26) 4 Willpower (04:22) 5 Take Me Down to the Hospital (03:47) 6 Mr. Whirly (01:55) 7 Within Your Reach (04:24) 8 Buck Hill (02:09) 9 Lovelines (02:01) 10 You Lose (01:41) 11 Hayday (02:06) 12 Treatment Bound (03:15) |
| Hootenanny : Allmusic album Review : Hootenanny is the place where the Replacements began to branch out from the breakneck punk that characterized their first two records -- which isnt quite the same thing as growing up, however. The brilliant thing about Hootenanny is that it teeters at the brink of maturity but never makes the dive into that deep pool. Paul Westerberg nevertheless dips a toe into those murky waters with "Color Me Impressed," as good an angst-ridden rocker as he would ever write, and the heartbroken "Within Your Reach," which presented a break from the Replacements past in its slower tempo, driven by a stiff yet sad drum loop, and its vulnerability. Not long after this, Westerbergs vulnerability would become central to the Mats, although here hes keeping it way in check, but Hootenanny has something better to offer than a collection of soul-searching ballads: it offers the manic, reckless spirit so key to the Replacements legend. All the myths of the Replacements at their peak speak to how it seemed like anything could happen at one of their shows, how Bob Stinson could blow out his amplifiers, how Westerberg would stumble through impromptu kitsch covers, how it could seem like the band would never make it to the end of the show. Well, Hootenanny is the only record of theirs where it seems like they may not make it to the end of the album, so ragged and reckless it is. It lurches to life with the folk piss-take "Hootenanny" before spinning out of control with "Run It," a piece of faux-core harder and funnier than anything on Stink. Hootenanny continues to bounce from extreme to extreme, stopping for a Beatles parody on "Mr. Whirly" and the instrumental "Buck Hill" before Westerberg reads out personal ads on "Lovelines." Almost all of the albums 12 songs could be seen as slight on their own merits, but the whole is greater than its individual parts, not just in how it is a breathless good time, but how this album offers a messy break from American punk traditions, ushering in an era of irony and self-deprecation that came to define much of American underground rock in the next decade. Nowhere is the Replacements influence clearer than on Hootenanny, and although they made better records, no other one captures what the band was all about better than this. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 17 Title: Let It Be Released: 1984-10-02 Tracks: 17 Duration: 54:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Will Dare (03:18) 2 Favorite Thing (02:19) 3 We’re Comin’ Out (02:20) 4 Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out (01:53) 5 Androgynous (03:10) 6 Black Diamond (02:40) 7 Unsatisfied (04:01) 8 Seen Your Video (03:08) 9 Gary’s Got a Boner (02:28) 10 Sixteen Blue (04:23) 11 Answering Machine (03:54) 12 20th Century Boy (03:56) 13 Perfectly Lethal (03:30) 14 Temptation Eyes (02:30) 15 Answering Machine (solo home demo) (02:43) 16 Heartbeat – It’s a Lovebeat (rough mix) (02:55) 17 Sixteen Blue (alternate vocal) (05:08) |
| Let It Be : Allmusic album Review : Let It Be looms large among 80s rock albums, generally regarded as one of the greatest records of the decade. So large is its legend and so universal its acclaim that all the praise tends to give the impression that the Replacements fourth album was designed as a major statement, intended to be something important when its genius, like so many things involving the Mats, feels accidental. Compared to other underground landmarks from 1984, Let It Be feels small scale, as it lacks the grand, sprawling ambition of the Minutemens Double Nickels on the Dime or the dramatic intensity of Hüsker Düs Zen Arcade, or if the other side of the Atlantic is taken into equation, the clean sense of purpose of The Smiths. Nothing about Let It Be is clean; its all a ragged mess, careening wildly from dirty jokes to wounded ballads, from utter throwaways to songs haunting in their power. Unlike other classics, Let It Be needs those throwaways -- that Kiss cover, those songs about Tommy getting his tonsils out and Garys boner, that rant about phony rock & roll -- to lighten the mood and give the album its breathless pacing, but also because without these asides, the album wouldnt be true to the Replacements, who never separated high and low culture, who celebrated pure junk and reluctantly bared their soul. This blend of bluster and vulnerability is why the Replacements were perhaps the most beloved band of their era, as they captured all the chaos and confusion of coming of age in the midst of Reaganomics, and Let It Be is nothing if not a coming-of-age album, perched precisely between adolescence and adulthood. Theres just enough angst and tastelessness to have the album speak to teenagers of all generations and just enough complicated emotion to make this music resonate with listeners long past those awkward years, whether they grew up with this album or not. All this works because there is an utter lack of affect in Paul Westerbergs songs and unrestrained glee in the Replacements roar. Sure, Let It Be has moments where the thunder rolls away and Westerberg is alone, playing "Androgynous" on a piano and howling about having to say good night to an answering machine, but they flow naturally from the bands furious rock & roll, particularly because the raw, unsettled "Unsatisfied" acts as a bridge between these two extremes. But if Let It Be was all angst, it wouldnt have captured so many hearts in the 80s, becoming a virtual soundtrack to the decade for so many listeners, or continue to snag in new fans years later. Unlike so many teenage post-punk records, this doesnt dwell on the pain; it ramps up the jokes and, better still, offers a sense of endless possibilities, especially on the opening pair of "I Will Dare" and "Favorite Thing," two songs where it feels as if the world opened up because of these songs. And that sense of thrilling adventure isnt just due to Westerberg; its due to the Mats as a band, who have never sounded as ferocious and determined as they do here. Just a year earlier, they were playing almost everything for laughs on Hootenanny and just a year later a major-label contract helped pull all their sloppiness into focus on Tim, but here Chris Mars and Tommy Stinsons rhythms are breathlessly exciting and Bob Stinsons guitar wails as if nothing could ever go wrong. Of course, plenty went wrong for the Replacements not too much further down the road, but here they were fully alive as a band, living gloriously in the moment, a fleeting moment when anything and everything seems possible, and that moment still bursts to life whenever Let It Be is played. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 17 Title: Tim Released: 1985-07-01 Tracks: 17 Duration: 58:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hold My Life (04:21) 2 I’ll Buy (03:25) 3 Kiss Me on the Bus (02:54) 4 Dose of Thunder (02:19) 5 Waitress in the Sky (02:02) 6 Swingin Party (03:51) 7 Bastards of Young (03:38) 8 Lay It Down Clown (02:24) 9 Left of the Dial (03:43) 10 Little Mascara (03:36) 11 Here Comes a Regular (05:06) 12 Cant Hardly Wait (outtake, acoustic) (03:52) 13 Nowhere Is My Home (04:01) 14 Cant Hardly Wait (outtake, electric) (03:09) 15 Kiss Me on the Bus (studio demo) (03:00) 16 Waitress in the Sky (alternate version) (02:00) 17 Here Comes a Regular (alternate version) (05:22) |
| Tim : Allmusic album Review : Moving to a major label was inevitable for the Replacements: they garnered too much acclaim and attention after Let It Be to stay on Twin/Tone, especially as the label faced the same distribution problems that plagued many indies in the mid-80s -- plus, the Mats crosstown rivals, Hüsker Dü, made the leap to the big leagues, paving the way for their own hop over to Sire. The Replacements may have left Twin/Tone behind but they werent quite ready to leave Minneapolis in the dust, choosing to record in their hometown with Tommy Erdelyi -- aka Tommy Ramone -- who gives the Mats a big, roomy sound without quite giving them gloss; compared to Let It Be, Tim is polished, but compared to many American underground rock records of the mid-80s (including those by the Ramones), its loose and kinetic. The production -- guitars that gained muscle, drums and vocals that gained reverb -- is the biggest surface difference, but there arent just changes in how the Replacements sound; what theyre playing is different too, as Paul Westerberg begins to turn into a self-aware songwriter. A large part of the charm of Let It Be was how it split almost evenly between ragged vulgarity and open-hearted rockers, with Westerbergs best songs betraying a startling, beguiling lack of affect. Thats not quite the case with Tim, as Westerberg consciously writes alienation anthems: the rallying cry of "Bastards of Young" and the college radio love letter "Left of the Dial," songs written with a larger audience in mind -- not a popular audience, but a collection of misfits across the nation, who huddled around Westerbergs raw, twitchy loneliness on "Swingin Party" and "Here Comes a Regular," or the urgent and directionless "Hold My Life." These songs are Westerberg at his confessional peak, but instead of undercutting this ragged emotion or hiding it away, as he did on the Twin/Tone albums, he pairs it with the exuberance of "Kiss Me on the Bus" -- an adolescent cousin to "I Will Dare" -- and channels his smart-ass comments into the terrifically cynical rockabilly shuffle "Waitress in the Sky." All this eats up so much oxygen that theres not much air left for any of the recklessness of the Twin/Tone LPs: theres no stumbling, no throwaway jokes, with even the twin rave-ups of "Dose of Thunder" and "Lay It Down Clown" straightened out, no matter how much Bob Stinson might try to pull them apart, which is perhaps the greatest indication that the Replacements were no longer the band they were just a couple years ago. Some Mats fans never got over this change, but something was gained in this loss: the Replacements turned into a deeper band on Tim, one that spoke, sometimes mumbled, to the hearts of losers and outcasts who lived their lives on the fringe. If Let It Be captured the spirit of the Replacements, then Tim captured their soul. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 17 Title: Boink!! Released: 1986 Tracks: 8 Duration: 20:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Color Me Impressed (02:26) 2 White and Lazy (02:06) 3 Within Your Reach (04:24) 4 If Only You Were Lonely (02:32) 5 Kids Don’t Follow (02:50) 6 Nowhere Is My Home (04:01) 7 Take Me Down to the Hospital (?) 8 Go (02:30) |
 | Album: 7 of 17 Title: Pleased to Meet Me Released: 1987-04 Tracks: 11 Duration: 33:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I.O.U. (02:57) 2 Alex Chilton (03:13) 3 I Don’t Know (03:19) 4 Nightclub Jitters (02:45) 5 The Ledge (04:04) 6 Never Mind (02:47) 7 Valentine (03:31) 8 Shooting Dirty Pool (02:20) 9 Red Red Wine (03:01) 10 Skyway (02:06) 11 Can’t Hardly Wait (03:03) |
| Pleased to Meet Me : Allmusic album Review : All things considered, Tim was an easy transition to the majors for the Replacements, at least as far as the making of the album goes: things went wrong after the release, as the band botched big showcases like its Saturday Night Live spot, leading up to the dismissal of Bob Stinson at the conclusion of the Tim tour. The dust hadnt settled when the Mats headed down to Memphis to record Pleased to Meet Me with producer Jim Dickinson at Ardent Studios -- or to phrase it in Alex Chilton-speak, to record with Big Stars 3rd producer at the studio where all three Big Star albums were made. All this fanboy worship perhaps naturally led to a full-blown mash note to Paul Westerbergs idol, who also turned up to play a couple of licks on a finally finished "Cant Hardly Wait," which initially was attempted with Chilton as a producer before Tim, but Pleased to Meet Me didnt resemble either the crystalline pop of #1 Record or the narcissistic black hole of 3rd. Dickinson gave the Replacements a full-blooded, muscular production, cranking up guitars, hauling out an upright bass for Tommy Stinson, and bringing in horns -- even strings -- to flesh out Westerbergs songs. This was the Replacements as professionals and, ever the contrarians, they strained against it -- albeit only sporadically and underneath the surface -- with Westerbergs outsider stance calcifying into the invigorating bitterness of "I.O.U." and "I Dont Know." These two proto-slacker anti-anthems -- quite the inverse of the call to arms of "Bastards of Young" and "Left of the Dial" -- are the only times the groups self-sabotage surfaces here, as the bandmembers pretty much give themselves over to Dickinsons studio savvy, leading to the ominous pulse of "The Ledge" and the brilliant, shining power pop of "Never Mind," "Alex Chilton," and "Valentine," along with such left-field twists as the mock jazz of "Nightclub Jitters." This kind of colorful, almost cinematic production -- even the greasy rocker "Shooting Dirty Pool" is enhanced by the sound of breaking glass -- was unheard of on a Replacements record and it all came to a head on "Cant Hardly Wait," which was glossed over with swelling strings and the Memphis Horns. All these fancy accoutrements would seem like the antithesis of the Replacements spirit, but Dickinsons grand production merely blows the Mats up to epic scale, leaving their essence intact: Westerberg even gets a lovely fragile acoustic moment in "Skyway" and there are down-and-dirty rockers like "Shooting Dirty Pool" and "Red Red Wine" that feel like throwaways, but are necessary to the spirit of the record. The Replacements never sounded better with a bigger production than they did on Pleased to Meet Me, so its hard not to see it as the one that got away, the record that should have been the breakthrough, especially in the year when fellow American underground rockers R.E.M. leaped into the Top Ten (but, its also true that "The Ledge" may not have been the best single choice, as songs about suicides dont often provide entry into the Top 40). Then again, the Replacements dont make sense as a success story, so the failure of the gleaming, glistening Pleased to Meet Me winds up making its polish kind of heart-rending. As it turns out, this was the last time they could still shoot for the stars and seem like their scrappy selves and, in many ways, it was the last true Replacements album. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 17 Title: Don’t Tell a Soul Released: 1989-01-31 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:04:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Talent Show (03:33) 2 Back to Back (03:21) 3 We’ll Inherit the Earth (04:21) 4 Achin’ to Be (03:42) 5 They’re Blind (04:41) 6 Anywhere’s Better Than Here (02:47) 7 Asking Me Lies (03:37) 8 I’ll Be You (03:29) 9 I Won’t (02:42) 10 Rock ’n’ Roll Ghost (03:23) 11 Darlin’ One (03:54) 12 Portland (04:28) 13 Wake Up (02:13) 14 Talent Show (studio demo) (02:54) 15 We’ll Inherit the Earth (mix 1) (04:02) 16 Date to Church (03:49) 17 We Know the Night (03:28) 18 Gudbuy T’ Jane (04:09) |
| Don’t Tell a Soul : Allmusic album Review : Two albums into their major-label contract and the Replacements had yet to have a hit -- they racked up some respectable sales but they were still a cult college band, never coming close to the Top Ten success R.E.M. had with Document. This lack of hits certainly weighed heavily on the bands label, which exerted a slightly heavier pressure than the chorus of fans and critics lamenting the groups lack of success, but all of this pressure from supporters and suits led the band to place a big bet on Dont Tell a Soul, a highly lacquered dilution of the Mats that is as misguided a crossover attempt as can be imagined. Matt Wallaces enormous, bottomless production -- as fathomless and dull as a muddy lake -- is merely a symptom of the illness that infected the Replacements during the making of Dont Tell a Soul, an illness that left the bandmembers with little sense of themselves. Blame for this cant be placed on the shoulders of Slim Dunlap, a Minneapolis rock fixture belatedly replacing Bob Stinson almost four years after his departure, as the guitarist is an easy, comfortable fit, lending nice country grace notes to ballads and goosing rockers with understated leads. So, does the blame for Dont Tell a Soul lay at the feet of Paul Westerberg? In part, yes, but not because the lead Replacement comes up with a set of substandard songs. Yes, a couple of his worse numbers are here -- none more egregious than the bewildering ham-fisted funk of "Asking Me Lies," and the muddled anthem "Well Inherit the Earth" isnt far behind -- but so are a couple of his finest, including the lovely "Achin to Be," the haunted "Rock n Roll Ghost," the sweetly self-mythologizing "Talent Show," and "Ill Be You," whose urgency masks its melancholy. Taken as an overall set of tunes, though, the songs on Dont Tell a Soul reveal a writer who is becoming self-conscious of his role as a writer, over-thinking his constructions and rewriting too carefully, dampening the over-spilling emotion that was always one of his finest characteristics; hes writing with his reputation in mind. Perhaps such overly considered songs deserve an overly considered production, but Wallaces inflated renderings of Westerbergs fussy tunes are absurdly large, pointing out that Westerbergs ballads always were endearing because they were fragile, an element acutely missing from Dont Tell a Soul. But whats really missed here is any sense that this is the work of a band: this is a record thats been assembled track to track, lacking any spark or spontaneity. This is what the Replacements would sound like if they werent a rock & roll band, something that is painfully evident on the one straight-ahead rocker, the stiff and embarrassing "I Wont," a tune that the Mats could have tossed off with abandon at any other time. "I Wont" is one of only a handful of songs with a sprightly tempo, as the rest of the record ranges from anonymous album rock to mannered writerly ballads. The other fast one is, of course, "Ill Be You," the song that did manage to crawl into modern rock charts and pop up on MTV, but it failed to bring the record any further up the charts. Ultimately, thats the saddest thing about Dont Tell a Soul: its a transparent sellout that failed to sell. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 17 Title: All Shook Down Released: 1990-09 Tracks: 13 Duration: 41:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Merry Go Round (03:39) 2 One Wink at a Time (03:04) 3 Nobody (03:08) 4 Bent Out of Shape (03:45) 5 Sadly Beautiful (03:16) 6 Someone Take the Wheel (03:40) 7 When It Began (03:07) 8 All Shook Down (03:15) 9 Attitude (02:43) 10 Happy Town (02:54) 11 Torture (01:51) 12 My Little Problem (04:03) 13 The Last (02:55) |
| All Shook Down : Allmusic album Review : Battered and broken from the debacle of Dont Tell a Soul -- the albums failure to take off, followed by a disastrous tour supporting Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers -- the Replacements were on their last legs when it came time for 1990s All Shook Down, so worn down that the band ceased to exist for most intents and purposes. Paul Westerberg even began recording the album as a solo project with R.E.M. producer Scott Litt, gradually turning it into the final Replacements album. It may bear the bands name, but All Shook Down never quite shakes the feeling of a solo album; above all, its a writers album, with the focus placed entirely on the songs. To a certain extent, that was true of the ballad-heavy Dont Tell a Soul, but that felt over-thought from its conception to execution, where there is a light touch to All Shook Down, despite its plethora of guest musicians, including John Cales viola on "Sadly Beautiful," Heartbreaker Benmont Tench, Terry Reid, and a duet with Concrete Blondes Johnette Napolitano on "My Little Problem." Instead of aiming for a crossover hit, Westerberg has now resigned himself to his status as an also-ran, even embracing it to some extent, so there are no sops to rock radio aside from "My Little Problem," whose bluster is jarring amidst the nimble folk-pop of the rest of the record. All the acoustic guitars and skipping electric guitars push All Shook Down far outside of the nascent Zeitgeist of grunge, or the sound of college rock in 1990; although Westerberg would soon be back in the thick of things with his Singles soundtrack -- sounding not too dissimilar to this record -- this finds him retreating from the rat race, reflecting on what hes been through. All Shook Down is designed as a coda to the Replacements career, with Westerberg looking back to "When It Began," pleading that "Someone Take the Wheel" and wrapping the whole thing up with "The Last," as self-aware a final song as the Beatles "The End." Westerberg balances these self-referential slices of autobiography with his self-deprecation and heartbreak, but all this melancholy never feels heavy, not even when he dips into thick sorrow on "Sadly Beautiful" or the disembodied spookiness of "All Shook Down." Theres a palpable sense of relief to All Shook Down, as if Westerberg realized he dodged a bullet by not becoming a true rock star. This lightness is appealing, especially as it surfaces in his writing, which is surely more considered than it was even on Pleased to Meet Me, but it has an offhand quality, recalling the casual virtuosity of Let It Be and Tim -- its the same guy, only older but maybe not too much wiser. And as its true to that spirit, All Shook Down winds up being a note-perfect denouement to the Replacements career, even if its quiet and careful in a way the band never was at its peak. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 17 Title: All for Nothing/Nothing for All Released: 1997-10-28 Tracks: 34 Duration: 1:50:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Left of the Dial (03:44) 2 Kiss Me on the Bus (02:54) 3 Bastards of Young (03:38) 4 Here Comes a Regular (04:45) 5 Skyway (02:06) 6 Alex Chilton (03:13) 7 The Ledge (04:04) 8 Can’t Hardly Wait (03:03) 9 I’ll Be You (03:29) 10 Achin’ to Be (03:41) 11 Talent Show (03:32) 12 Anywhere’s Better Than Here (02:47) 13 Merry Go Round (03:39) 14 Sadly Beautiful (03:16) 15 Nobody (03:08) 16 Someone Take the Wheel (03:40) 1 I Can’t Hardly Wait (the Tim version) (03:06) 2 Birthday Gal (03:52) 3 Beer for Breakfast (01:37) 4 Till Were Nude (02:09) 5 Election Day (02:55) 6 Jungle Rock (02:35) 7 All He Wants to Do Is Fish (02:42) 8 Date to Church (03:49) 9 Cruella DeVille (02:12) 10 We Know the Night (03:21) 11 Portland (04:29) 12 Wake Up (01:58) 13 Satellite (03:39) 14 Like a Rolling Pin (03:05) 15 Another Girl, Another Planet (02:31) 16 Who Knows (03:52) 17 All Shook Down (04:28) 18 I Dont Know (03:06) |
 | Album: 11 of 17 Title: Dont You Know Who I Think I Was? The Best of The Replacements Released: 2006-06-13 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:05:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Takin a Ride (02:23) 2 Shiftless When Idle (02:18) 3 Kids Dont Follow (02:50) 4 Color Me Impressed (02:26) 5 Within Your Reach (04:25) 6 I Will Dare (03:18) 7 Answering Machine (03:40) 8 Unsatisfied (04:01) 9 Here Comes a Regular (04:49) 10 Kiss Me on the Bus (02:54) 11 Bastards of Young (03:38) 12 Left of the Dial (03:43) 13 Alex Chilton (03:13) 14 Skyway (02:05) 15 Cant Hardly Wait (03:04) 16 Achin to Be (03:41) 17 Ill Be You (03:29) 18 Merry Go Round (03:39) 19 Message to the Boys (03:27) 20 Pool & Dive (02:07) |
| Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? The Best of The Replacements : Allmusic album Review : Great as the Replacements were, its a little difficult to recommend one of their great albums as an introduction to the band. Sure, its easy to see Let It Be as a masterwork of the 80s underground, capturing the groups ragged humor and heart, but it doesnt quite illustrate the depth of Paul Westerbergs songwriting the way Tim did, even if that record wasnt as ferocious as Let It Be, nor did it have the slick diversity of Pleased to Meet Me -- and none of the three had the raw, raucous kick of the Mats first three albums (they also didnt have the desperate-for-a-hit vibe of Dont Tell a Soul or the sadly beautiful hangover of All Shook Down, but thats another matter entirely). It could be argued that any of those three would be effective intros, but the Replacements truly needed a compilation. Of course, they already got one in 1997, when Reprise issued All for Nothing/Nothing for All, containing one disc of hits and one of rarities, but due to legalities, it had nothing from the bands Twin/Tone work, which meant it had nothing at all from anything before Tim -- a severe handicap for a career overview to overcome. Released nearly a decade later, Dont You Know Who I Think I Was?: The Best of the Replacements trumps its predecessor for the mere fact that it does contain cuts from Twin/Tone -- eight of them, in fact, sampling from Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, Stink, and Hootenanny in addition to three selections from Let It Be. While its possible to quibble about the actual selections -- any teenager or college kid of the 80s will likely have a friend that put "Androgynous" on a mixtape, not "Answering Machine" -- these records are well-represented, as are Tim with four songs and Pleased to Meet Me with three cuts, balanced by the two singles from Dont Tell a Soul ("Achin to Be," "Ill Be You") and a song from All Shook Down, an underrated record that nevertheless feels like the first Westerberg solo album it should have been, so its rightly downplayed. These 18 songs make for an excellent introduction to one of the major American bands of the 80s, and that alone would have been a nice addition to the Replacements catalog (not to mention a good appetizer for the forthcoming box set allegedly in the works). But what makes Dont You Know Who I Think I Was? noteworthy for fans is the presence of two new tracks by a reunited Replacements. While this isnt exactly the full-fledged reunion that many fans have longed for -- Chris Mars sat this one out on drums, but he does provide harmonies -- "Message to the Boys" and "Pool & Dive" are perfectly credible, enjoyable throwaways, sounding a bit like if the Mats were Westerbergs backing band for 14 Songs. Theyre not great, but theyre loose, silly, and a whole lot more fun than anything Westerberg has been up to since 14 Songs, and a nice coda to an already strong compilation. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 17 Title: Original Album Series Released: 2012 Tracks: 63 Duration: 2:51:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Takin’ a Ride (02:23) 2 Careless (01:08) 3 Customer (01:29) 4 Hangin’ Downtown (02:06) 5 Kick Your Door Down (03:11) 6 Otto (02:09) 7 I Bought a Headache (02:24) 8 Rattlesnake (01:48) 9 I Hate Music (01:50) 10 Johnny’s Gonna Die (03:32) 11 Shiftless When Idle (02:18) 12 More Cigarettes (01:20) 13 Don’t Ask Why (01:57) 14 Somethin’ to Dü (01:41) 15 I’m in Trouble (02:10) 16 Love You Till Friday (01:53) 17 Shutup (01:23) 18 Raised in the City (01:59) 1 Hootenanny (01:52) 2 Run It (01:11) 3 Color Me Impressed (02:26) 4 Willpower (04:22) 5 Take Me Down to the Hospital (03:47) 6 Mr. Whirly (01:55) 7 Within Your Reach (04:24) 8 Buck Hill (02:09) 9 Lovelines (02:01) 10 You Lose (01:41) 11 Hayday (02:06) 12 Treatment Bound (03:15) 1 I Will Dare (03:18) 2 Favorite Thing (02:19) 3 We’re Comin’ Out (02:20) 4 Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out (01:54) 5 Androgynous (03:11) 6 Black Diamond (02:40) 7 Unsatisfied (04:01) 8 Seen Your Video (03:08) 9 Gary’s Got a Boner (02:28) 10 Sixteen Blue (04:23) 11 Answering Machine (03:44) 1 Hold My Life (04:21) 2 I’ll Buy (03:25) 3 Kiss Me on the Bus (02:54) 4 Dose of Thunder (02:19) 5 Waitress in the Sky (02:02) 6 Swingin Party (03:51) 7 Bastards of Young (03:38) 8 Lay It Down Clown (02:24) 9 Left of the Dial (03:43) 10 Little Mascara (03:36) 11 Here Comes a Regular (04:45) 1 I.O.U. (02:57) 2 Alex Chilton (03:13) 3 I Don’t Know (03:19) 4 Nightclub Jitters (02:45) 5 The Ledge (04:04) 6 Never Mind (02:47) 7 Valentine (03:31) 8 Shooting Dirty Pool (02:20) 9 Red Red Wine (03:01) 10 Skyway (02:06) 11 Can’t Hardly Wait (03:03) |
| Original Album Series : Allmusic album Review : This Rhino U.K. 2012 budget-priced box set rounds up the prime of the Replacements: five albums, beginning with their debut Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, continuing with the Twin/Tone landmarks Hootenanny and Let It Be, then concluding with their major-label debut Tim and their first post-Bob Stinson album Pleased to Meet Me. These arent the expanded versions Rhino put out in the 2000s; theyre just the albums, but thats enough to make this a worthwhile purchase, particularly at this price. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 17 Title: Songs for Slim Released: 2013-03-05 Tracks: 5 Duration: 13:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Busted Up (03:26) 2 Radio Hook Word Hit (02:56) 3 Im Not Sayin (03:06) 4 Lost Highway (02:22) 5 Everythings Coming Up Roses (02:03) |
 | Album: 14 of 17 Title: The Complete Studio Albums 1981–1990 Released: 2015-04-14 Tracks: 95 Duration: 4:27:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Takin’ a Ride (02:23) 2 Careless (01:08) 3 Customer (01:29) 4 Hangin’ Downtown (02:06) 5 Kick Your Door Down (03:11) 6 Otto (02:09) 7 I Bought a Headache (02:24) 8 Rattlesnake (01:48) 9 I Hate Music (01:50) 10 Johnny’s Gonna Die (03:32) 11 Shiftless When Idle (02:18) 12 More Cigarettes (01:20) 13 Don’t Ask Why (01:57) 14 Somethin’ to Dü (01:41) 15 I’m in Trouble (02:10) 16 Love You Till Friday (01:53) 17 Shutup (01:23) 18 Raised in the City (01:59) 1 Kids Don’t Follow (02:50) 2 Fuck School (01:26) 3 Stuck in the Middle (01:48) 4 God Damn Job (01:19) 5 White and Lazy (02:06) 6 Dope Smokin Moron (01:31) 7 Go (02:30) 8 Gimme Noise (01:40) 1 Hootenanny (01:52) 2 Run It (01:11) 3 Color Me Impressed (02:26) 4 Willpower (04:22) 5 Take Me Down to the Hospital (03:47) 6 Mr. Whirly (01:55) 7 Within Your Reach (04:24) 8 Buck Hill (02:09) 9 Lovelines (02:01) 10 You Lose (01:41) 11 Hayday (02:06) 12 Treatment Bound (03:15) 1 I Will Dare (03:18) 2 Favorite Thing (02:19) 3 We’re Comin’ Out (02:20) 4 Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out (01:54) 5 Androgynous (03:11) 6 Black Diamond (02:40) 7 Unsatisfied (04:01) 8 Seen Your Video (03:08) 9 Gary’s Got a Boner (02:28) 10 Sixteen Blue (04:23) 11 Answering Machine (03:44) 1 Hold My Life (04:21) 2 I’ll Buy (03:25) 3 Kiss Me on the Bus (02:54) 4 Dose of Thunder (02:19) 5 Waitress in the Sky (02:02) 6 Swingin Party (03:51) 7 Bastards of Young (03:38) 8 Lay It Down Clown (02:24) 9 Left of the Dial (03:43) 10 Little Mascara (03:36) 11 Here Comes a Regular (04:45) 1 I.O.U. (02:57) 2 Alex Chilton (03:13) 3 I Don’t Know (03:19) 4 Nightclub Jitters (02:45) 5 The Ledge (04:04) 6 Never Mind (02:47) 7 Valentine (03:31) 8 Shooting Dirty Pool (02:20) 9 Red Red Wine (03:01) 10 Skyway (02:06) 11 Can’t Hardly Wait (03:03) 1 Talent Show (03:32) 2 Back to Back (03:18) 3 We’ll Inherit the Earth (04:21) 4 Achin’ to Be (03:40) 5 They’re Blind (04:36) 6 Anywhere’s Better Than Here (02:47) 7 Asking Me Lies (03:39) 8 I’ll Be You (03:26) 9 I Won’t (02:42) 10 Rock ’n’ Roll Ghost (03:23) 11 Darlin’ One (03:39) 1 Merry Go Round (03:39) 2 One Wink at a Time (03:04) 3 Nobody (03:08) 4 Bent Out of Shape (03:45) 5 Sadly Beautiful (03:16) 6 Someone Take the Wheel (03:40) 7 When It Began (03:07) 8 All Shook Down (03:15) 9 Attitude (02:43) 10 Happy Town (02:54) 11 Torture (01:51) 12 My Little Problem (04:03) 13 The Last (02:55) |
| The Complete Studio Albums 1981–1990 : Allmusic album Review : Released in support of the Replacements ongoing mid-2010s reunion, the 2015 box The Complete Studio Albums 1981-1990 rounds up all the studio albums the Replacements made for Twin/Tone and Reprise, plus the Stink EP. This may be based on the 2008 remasters from Rhino, but the box lacks any of the 2008 bonus tracks so this isnt a set for die-hard Mats fans, who will miss all those outtakes, B-sides, live cuts, alternate takes, and stray songs. What this is, then, is the complete canon at an exceedingly affordable price -- the kind of thing that the less dedicated, whether theyre nostalgic Gen-Xers or curious Millennials, will find attractive. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 17 Title: The Twin/Tone Years Released: 2015-08-11 Tracks: 49 Duration: 1:56:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Takin’ a Ride (02:23) 2 Careless (01:08) 3 Customer (01:29) 4 Hangin’ Downtown (02:06) 5 Kick Your Door Down (03:11) 6 Otto (02:09) 7 I Bought a Headache (02:24) 8 Rattlesnake (01:48) 9 I Hate Music (01:50) 10 Johnny’s Gonna Die (03:32) 11 Shiftless When Idle (02:18) 12 More Cigarettes (01:20) 13 Don’t Ask Why (01:57) 14 Somethin’ to Dü (01:41) 15 I’m in Trouble (02:10) 16 Love You Till Friday (01:53) 17 Shutup (01:23) 18 Raised in the City (01:59) 1 Kids Don’t Follow (02:50) 2 Fuck School (01:26) 3 Stuck in the Middle (01:48) 4 God Damn Job (01:19) 5 White and Lazy (02:06) 6 Dope Smokin Moron (01:31) 7 Go (02:30) 8 Gimme Noise (01:40) 1 Hootenanny (01:52) 2 Run It (01:11) 3 Color Me Impressed (02:26) 4 Willpower (04:22) 5 Take Me Down to the Hospital (03:47) 6 Mr. Whirly (01:55) 7 Within Your Reach (04:24) 8 Buck Hill (02:09) 9 Lovelines (02:01) 10 You Lose (01:41) 11 Hayday (02:06) 12 Treatment Bound (03:15) 1 I Will Dare (03:18) 2 Favorite Thing (02:19) 3 We’re Comin’ Out (02:20) 4 Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out (01:54) 5 Androgynous (03:11) 6 Black Diamond (02:40) 7 Unsatisfied (04:01) 8 Seen Your Video (03:08) 9 Gary’s Got a Boner (02:28) 10 Sixteen Blue (04:23) 11 Answering Machine (03:44) |
| The Twin/Tone Years : Allmusic album Review : In 1979, the Replacements were widely regarded as just another sloppy punk-inspired band to emerge from the Minneapolis underground music scene. But that began to change in 1981, when local indie label Twin/Tone Records released the groups debut album, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, which showed the Replacements had plenty of fire to go along with their snarky attitude, and Paul Westerberg was a songwriter to watch, writing elemental but catchy tunes with lyrics that were funny but heartfelt. By 1984, the Replacements were one of the most talked-about independent bands in America, and their third album, Let It Be, was earning rave reviews from the nations top rock writers. The critical and commercial success of Let It Be attracted the attention of major labels, and the Replacements signed to Sire Records in 1985, leaving the independent label community behind. The Twin/Tone Years is a special box set that includes vinyl reissues of four of the Replacements best-known releases for the label -- 1981s Sorry Ma..., the 1982 EP Stink, the 1983 album Hootenanny, and 1984s Let It Be. This isnt a complete package of the Replacements recordings for Twin/Tone -- it doesnt include the bands debut 7" single, the 12" single of "I Will Dare," or the cassette-only live album The Shit Hits the Fans -- but this still makes for a fine overview of the Replacements early years (especially given the presence of Let It Be, arguably the groups best album), and should especially please vinyl enthusiasts. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 17 Title: The Sire Years Released: 2016-03-29 Tracks: 46 Duration: 2:30:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hold My Life (04:21) 2 I’ll Buy (03:25) 3 Kiss Me on the Bus (02:54) 4 Dose of Thunder (02:19) 5 Waitress in the Sky (02:02) 6 Swingin Party (03:51) 7 Bastards of Young (03:38) 8 Lay It Down Clown (02:24) 9 Left of the Dial (03:43) 10 Little Mascara (03:36) 11 Here Comes a Regular (04:45) 1 I.O.U. (02:57) 2 Alex Chilton (03:13) 3 I Don’t Know (03:19) 4 Nightclub Jitters (02:45) 5 The Ledge (04:04) 6 Never Mind (02:47) 7 Valentine (03:31) 8 Shooting Dirty Pool (02:20) 9 Red Red Wine (03:01) 10 Skyway (02:06) 11 Can’t Hardly Wait (03:03) 1 Talent Show (03:32) 2 Back to Back (03:18) 3 We’ll Inherit the Earth (04:21) 4 Achin’ to Be (03:40) 5 They’re Blind (04:36) 6 Anywhere’s Better Than Here (02:47) 7 Asking Me Lies (03:39) 8 I’ll Be You (03:26) 9 I Won’t (02:42) 10 Rock ’n’ Roll Ghost (03:23) 11 Darlin’ One (03:39) 1 Merry Go Round (03:39) 2 One Wink at a Time (03:04) 3 Nobody (03:08) 4 Bent Out of Shape (03:45) 5 Sadly Beautiful (03:16) 6 Someone Take the Wheel (03:40) 7 When It Began (03:07) 8 All Shook Down (03:15) 9 Attitude (02:43) 10 Happy Town (02:54) 11 Torture (01:51) 12 My Little Problem (04:03) 13 The Last (02:55) |
| The Sire Years : Allmusic album Review : A four-LP box set, The Sire Years puts the Replacements major-label catalog back into circulation on vinyl. One of the distinguishing factors of this box -- aside from the "previously unreleased Polaroid" that graces the cover -- is that this marks the first U.S. vinyl release of All Shook Down, the 1990 farewell that arrived just as CDs overtook LPs as the American format of choice. Its here, along with Tim, Pleased to Meet Me, Dont Tell a Soul, and All Shook Down, making this a handy way to get some great records on fresh new vinyl. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 17 Title: For Sale: Live At Maxwells 1986 Released: 2017-10-06 Tracks: 29 Duration: 1:22:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hayday (02:00) 2 Color Me Impressed (02:41) 3 Dose of Thunder (02:37) 4 Fox on the Run (01:10) 5 Hold My Life (04:36) 6 I Will Dare (03:54) 7 Favorite Thing (02:21) 8 Unsatisfied (02:52) 9 Can’t Hardly Wait (03:18) 10 Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out (02:11) 11 Takin’ a Ride (02:45) 12 Bastards of Young (03:43) 13 Kiss Me on the Bus (04:06) 14 Black Diamond (03:07) 1 Johnny’s Gonna Die (03:54) 2 Otto (02:06) 3 I’m in Trouble (02:24) 4 Left of the Dial (03:25) 5 God Damn Job (01:35) 6 Answering Machine (03:06) 7 Waitress in the Sky (02:26) 8 Take Me Down to the Hospital (03:58) 9 Gary’s Got a Boner (02:40) 10 If Only You Were Lonely (02:56) 11 Baby Strange (02:48) 12 Hitchin’ a Ride (02:49) 13 Nowhere Man (02:22) 14 Go (03:03) 15 Fuck School (01:58) |
| For Sale: Live At Maxwell's 1986 : Allmusic album Review : Depending on what night you saw them, the Replacements could be one of the greatest, most inspiring rock bands to ever take the stage, or a sloppy, sodden mess not fit for the cheap beer on their rider. While the good shows outweighed the bad, the Replacements outsized consumption of booze (and other substances), their dramatic emotional ups and downs, and their collective self-destructive streak made them something of a crapshoot as a live act. And their reputation in this area was not helped by The Shit Hits the Fans, the cassette-only authorized bootleg that captured the Mats in 1984 stumbling through a set dominated by shambolic covers of songs they didnt really know. But thankfully, we finally have a document that confirms just how good the Replacements could be when the fates allowed. For Sale: Live at Maxwells 1986 preserves a show the band played in Hoboken, New Jersey that was recorded by a 24-track mobile unit for a possible promotional live release. Since guitarist Bob Stinson was bounced from the lineup a few months later, that promo LP never materialized, but three decades later, the tapes were dusted off for commercial release, and the results are revelatory. Quite simply, this is a nearly perfect Replacements set; they are tight and focused, but not so much that it squeezes the life out of them, and theyre full of energy and seemingly having a blast. The song selection pulls the cream from their first four albums, and the Mats attack the songs with plenty of crash-and-bash muscle and a surprising amount of nuance, as Paul Westerbergs vocals wring the very potent emotions from numbers like "Unsatisfied," "Bastards of Young," and "Left of the Dial." The snarl of Westerberg and Stinsons guitars is a thing of grimy beauty on these performances, and bassist Tommy Stinson and drummer Chris Mars drive this show like Casey Jones on steroids. This is the Replacements on an especially good night, though it still sounds like them and no one else; their unique mixture of "so what" snark and heart-on-their-sleeves vulnerability shines through at every turn. There are enough flubbed notes and forgotten lyrics to make this sound very much in the moment in a tiny club, but its not ragged, its just right, the way live rock & roll is meant to sound. And the engineering and mix are exactly what this band needed, loud and proud with just enough clarity to let the details come through. Near the end of the show, Westerberg declares, "I know this aint the rockingest show of our career," but it sure boasts just about everything that made them one of the greatest rock bands of their day. Just as much as their very best studio work, For Sale is a invigorating, joyous, rollicking summation of a remarkable band on a night when they truly lived up to their legend. If you ever loved the Mats, you need to hear this. | ||