Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
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Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
I’ve posted many times about how I got lost in a jam band hell for several years and strayed from my musical roots. I was looking for something in that music, something I felt in the eighties, continued with into the early nineties but lost about the time I closed my record stores. I still listened to good music, but the hunger was gone and, aside for a few bands, there was very little magic in the jam scene. Fast forward to 2003 a friend’s daughter asked me to judge a high school battle of the bands. A local radio station covered the event and interviewed those of us serving as judges. When asked my favorite band I replied, without hesitation, The Replacements. Friends who hadn’t known me long were surprised I didn’t say The Grateful Dead or possibly Widespread Panic but no, it was unquestionably The Replacements. I went home that night and put on Let it Be for the first time in a while and remembered who I was. Jam band hell was over. Less than a year later I discovered DBT and started on a brand new musical journey and found that elusive magic in dozens of bands that were new to me much like I had twenty years before.
In 1983 I was in college in central Illinois and going home to the Chicago area and playing gigs with my band on weekends. I was already a huge fan of rock & roll, live shows and had a huge record collection, but hadn’t heard much of the newly emerging independent record scene. I fell into a group of like minded artistic types at school who were taking care of that for me though, introducing me to new bands at a dizzying rate. By the time I heard the ‘Mats I had already been exposed to R.E.M., Husker Du, Black Flag, X and others. It seemed I heard something new nearly every night. One Friday night my buddy Marty and I had plans to head out to the bars when he showed up with an album that he said I had to listen to first so we fired up a pipe, opened a beer and put it on. The first couple of tunes sounded like fairly generic punk fare but then came Color Me Impressed:
Everybody at your party
They don't look depressed
Everybody dressin' funny
Color me impressed
Stayin' out late tonight
Won't be gettin' any sleep
Givin' out their word
Cuz that's all that they won't keep
Put the party on the mirror
Oh shit, pass the bill to Chris
Intoxicated lover ending our french kiss
Can you stand me on my feet?
(Everybody) (many x)
Everybody at your party
They don't look depressed
And everybody's dressin' funny
Color me impressed
Color me impressed
Now we were talking! This was new, fresh and after attending my share of mindless parties thrown by mindless folks I felt the singer was reading my mind. “What the fuck was that?” I asked Marty. “That” he replied “Is The Replacements and the album is Hootenanny. They’re from Minneapolis. The singer is Paul Westerberg. You’re welcome.”
Needless to say my mind was blown. I went out the next day and bought Hootenanny, The Replacements Stink and their debut, Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out the Trash. I could tell immediately there was an evolution going on in their music as they really started as a fairly generic hardcore band but were clearly becoming something else. The band was pure fury and rage with Chris Mars banging the drums like his life depended on it, Tommy Stinson laying down basic but thick bass lines and guitarist Bob Stinson was flailing away on his six string. The heart of the band, however, was clearly Paul Westerberg. I was pretty sure he had a masterpiece or two in him. About a year later, on October 2 1984 the first of these, Let it Be, was released.
Let it Be was a monster right from the start. Never mind the balls it took for a barely heard of indie band to name a record that. Sure there were some punk songs but the focus was now squarely on the songwriting as shown in Androgynous, Sixteen Blue, Answering Machine and the record’s anthemic master stroke, Unsatisfied. That song in particular spoke to the angst so many of us felt back then. It hit that spot in me that didn’t quite belong in Ronald Reagan’s America. It was a call to those that didn’t quite belong. It was an anthem for a generation, it said what many of us felt and it did it with a kick ass guitar line.
Look me in the eye
Then, tell me that I'm satisfied
Was you satisfied?
Look me in the eye
Then, tell me that I'm satisfied
Hey, are you satisfied?
And it goes so slowly on
Everything I've ever wanted
Tell me what's wrong
Look me in the eye
And tell me that I'm satisfied
Were you satisfied?
Look me in the eye
Then, tell me I'm satisfied
And now are you satisfied?
Everything goes
Well, anything goes all of the time
Everything you dream of
Is right in front of you
And everything is a lie (or) And liberty is a lie
Look me in the eye
And tell me that I'm satisfed
Look me in the eye
Unsatisfied
I'm so, I'm so unsatisfied
I'm so dissatisfied
I'm so, I'm so unsatisfied
I'm so unsatisfied
Well, I'm-a
I'm so, I'm so unsatisfied
I'm so dissatis,dissattis...
I'm so
(here's Paul doing it in 1991)
Needless to say I was hooked but good. My friends and I drove to college towns around the Midwest hoping to catch this magic. Now this was the hard part. The magic wasn’t always there. The ‘Mats were a drunken angry lot and often seemed just as angry at their fans as they were at the world. At one show they played in their boxers and refused to play anything but hardcore versions of Black Sabbath tunes. It was funny, but it was shit. But then there were the other nights. The nights where it all came through on stage, the nights where the magic happened. We all felt that this was it, the band that was going to rule the world. They influenced me so much that I actually got kicked out of my own band when my bandmates didn’t quite get where I was coming from and couldn’t figure out my new, Westerberg influenced, songs.
Not long after Let it Be came out the band was signed by Sire records. The boys were now on a major label. That major label debut came in September 1985 in the form of the simply titled Tim. The album was produced by Tommy Erdyeli aka Tommy Ramone and was, if possible, even better than it’s predecessor. The punk was nearly gone now, but they still rocked hard with Hold My Life, Kiss Me On The Bus and others. It also had a softer side with Swingin’ Party and the albums best track, the sorrowful Here Comes A Regular which I always took to be the ragged sister of the theme to the sitcom Cheers. Where that song talked about a place where everyone knows your name, the Replacements sang about taking your place in back with the loudmouths. Once again not all of us belonged in Reagan’s America. Some of us belonged face down in a bar waiting for last call.
Almost immediately after Tim was released, guitarist Bob Stinson was fired from the band. Stinson’s drug and alcohol use had made him a liability and it was pretty clear as well that he and Paul were no longer on the same page. The resilient ‘Mats didn’t quit though and soon recorded their next album as a three piece with legendary Memphis producer Jim Dickinson. On June 17, 1987 Pleased to Meet me was released. The evolution continued and without Bob Stinson there were more ballads and pop songs than ever. Dickinson had produced one of Westerberg’s favorite bands with Big Star and it was only natural to pay homage to that with the classic Alex Chilton. The album also contained a bit of stylistic stretching with Nightclub Jitters, the acoustic ballad Skyway and the “should have been a hit“ single, Can‘t Hardly Wait which featured the Memphis Horns. Do lines get much better than:
Jesus rides beside me, he never buys any smokes…
Yeah I don’t think so.
None of us knew it then but Pleased To Meet Me was the last of the great records from the boys. To support the record the band became a four piece again with Slim Dunlop taking over the lead guitar slot. If anything they sounded better live than ever before. Gone were the drunk fests and nakedness but they were still angry and they still didn’t seem to give a damn about the fans. Those of us that got it didn’t care about that though, but it certainly didn’t help them expand the fan base.
The ‘Mats soldiered on and released two more albums, Don’t Tell a Soul and All Shook Down (actually a Westerberg solo record that the label wouldn’t release as such) eventually disbanding at a show I attended on July 4th 1991 in Chicago’s Grant Park with the band handing off their instruments to the roadies one by one until they had all left he stage for the last time. While the last two albums are not throwaways by any stretch, it was really over with Pleased To Meet Me. Hootenanny announced something great was coming and the trilogy that followed proved it. The Replacements were one of those bands, like their beloved Big Star, that influenced a whole new generation of artists. Nirvana’s breakthrough was even named for a ‘Mats tune (Never Mind). Others took the cue as well from the crassly commercial (Goo Goo Dolls) to the underappreciated (Slobberbone) and even our very own Drive-By Truckers.
So today when someone asks me who my favorite band is I’m sure they would expect me to say DBT, but I think Patterson Hood himself might agree, it’s always been the Replacements.
In 1983 I was in college in central Illinois and going home to the Chicago area and playing gigs with my band on weekends. I was already a huge fan of rock & roll, live shows and had a huge record collection, but hadn’t heard much of the newly emerging independent record scene. I fell into a group of like minded artistic types at school who were taking care of that for me though, introducing me to new bands at a dizzying rate. By the time I heard the ‘Mats I had already been exposed to R.E.M., Husker Du, Black Flag, X and others. It seemed I heard something new nearly every night. One Friday night my buddy Marty and I had plans to head out to the bars when he showed up with an album that he said I had to listen to first so we fired up a pipe, opened a beer and put it on. The first couple of tunes sounded like fairly generic punk fare but then came Color Me Impressed:
Everybody at your party
They don't look depressed
Everybody dressin' funny
Color me impressed
Stayin' out late tonight
Won't be gettin' any sleep
Givin' out their word
Cuz that's all that they won't keep
Put the party on the mirror
Oh shit, pass the bill to Chris
Intoxicated lover ending our french kiss
Can you stand me on my feet?
(Everybody) (many x)
Everybody at your party
They don't look depressed
And everybody's dressin' funny
Color me impressed
Color me impressed
Now we were talking! This was new, fresh and after attending my share of mindless parties thrown by mindless folks I felt the singer was reading my mind. “What the fuck was that?” I asked Marty. “That” he replied “Is The Replacements and the album is Hootenanny. They’re from Minneapolis. The singer is Paul Westerberg. You’re welcome.”
Needless to say my mind was blown. I went out the next day and bought Hootenanny, The Replacements Stink and their debut, Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out the Trash. I could tell immediately there was an evolution going on in their music as they really started as a fairly generic hardcore band but were clearly becoming something else. The band was pure fury and rage with Chris Mars banging the drums like his life depended on it, Tommy Stinson laying down basic but thick bass lines and guitarist Bob Stinson was flailing away on his six string. The heart of the band, however, was clearly Paul Westerberg. I was pretty sure he had a masterpiece or two in him. About a year later, on October 2 1984 the first of these, Let it Be, was released.
Let it Be was a monster right from the start. Never mind the balls it took for a barely heard of indie band to name a record that. Sure there were some punk songs but the focus was now squarely on the songwriting as shown in Androgynous, Sixteen Blue, Answering Machine and the record’s anthemic master stroke, Unsatisfied. That song in particular spoke to the angst so many of us felt back then. It hit that spot in me that didn’t quite belong in Ronald Reagan’s America. It was a call to those that didn’t quite belong. It was an anthem for a generation, it said what many of us felt and it did it with a kick ass guitar line.
Look me in the eye
Then, tell me that I'm satisfied
Was you satisfied?
Look me in the eye
Then, tell me that I'm satisfied
Hey, are you satisfied?
And it goes so slowly on
Everything I've ever wanted
Tell me what's wrong
Look me in the eye
And tell me that I'm satisfied
Were you satisfied?
Look me in the eye
Then, tell me I'm satisfied
And now are you satisfied?
Everything goes
Well, anything goes all of the time
Everything you dream of
Is right in front of you
And everything is a lie (or) And liberty is a lie
Look me in the eye
And tell me that I'm satisfed
Look me in the eye
Unsatisfied
I'm so, I'm so unsatisfied
I'm so dissatisfied
I'm so, I'm so unsatisfied
I'm so unsatisfied
Well, I'm-a
I'm so, I'm so unsatisfied
I'm so dissatis,dissattis...
I'm so
(here's Paul doing it in 1991)
Needless to say I was hooked but good. My friends and I drove to college towns around the Midwest hoping to catch this magic. Now this was the hard part. The magic wasn’t always there. The ‘Mats were a drunken angry lot and often seemed just as angry at their fans as they were at the world. At one show they played in their boxers and refused to play anything but hardcore versions of Black Sabbath tunes. It was funny, but it was shit. But then there were the other nights. The nights where it all came through on stage, the nights where the magic happened. We all felt that this was it, the band that was going to rule the world. They influenced me so much that I actually got kicked out of my own band when my bandmates didn’t quite get where I was coming from and couldn’t figure out my new, Westerberg influenced, songs.
Not long after Let it Be came out the band was signed by Sire records. The boys were now on a major label. That major label debut came in September 1985 in the form of the simply titled Tim. The album was produced by Tommy Erdyeli aka Tommy Ramone and was, if possible, even better than it’s predecessor. The punk was nearly gone now, but they still rocked hard with Hold My Life, Kiss Me On The Bus and others. It also had a softer side with Swingin’ Party and the albums best track, the sorrowful Here Comes A Regular which I always took to be the ragged sister of the theme to the sitcom Cheers. Where that song talked about a place where everyone knows your name, the Replacements sang about taking your place in back with the loudmouths. Once again not all of us belonged in Reagan’s America. Some of us belonged face down in a bar waiting for last call.
Almost immediately after Tim was released, guitarist Bob Stinson was fired from the band. Stinson’s drug and alcohol use had made him a liability and it was pretty clear as well that he and Paul were no longer on the same page. The resilient ‘Mats didn’t quit though and soon recorded their next album as a three piece with legendary Memphis producer Jim Dickinson. On June 17, 1987 Pleased to Meet me was released. The evolution continued and without Bob Stinson there were more ballads and pop songs than ever. Dickinson had produced one of Westerberg’s favorite bands with Big Star and it was only natural to pay homage to that with the classic Alex Chilton. The album also contained a bit of stylistic stretching with Nightclub Jitters, the acoustic ballad Skyway and the “should have been a hit“ single, Can‘t Hardly Wait which featured the Memphis Horns. Do lines get much better than:
Jesus rides beside me, he never buys any smokes…
Yeah I don’t think so.
None of us knew it then but Pleased To Meet Me was the last of the great records from the boys. To support the record the band became a four piece again with Slim Dunlop taking over the lead guitar slot. If anything they sounded better live than ever before. Gone were the drunk fests and nakedness but they were still angry and they still didn’t seem to give a damn about the fans. Those of us that got it didn’t care about that though, but it certainly didn’t help them expand the fan base.
The ‘Mats soldiered on and released two more albums, Don’t Tell a Soul and All Shook Down (actually a Westerberg solo record that the label wouldn’t release as such) eventually disbanding at a show I attended on July 4th 1991 in Chicago’s Grant Park with the band handing off their instruments to the roadies one by one until they had all left he stage for the last time. While the last two albums are not throwaways by any stretch, it was really over with Pleased To Meet Me. Hootenanny announced something great was coming and the trilogy that followed proved it. The Replacements were one of those bands, like their beloved Big Star, that influenced a whole new generation of artists. Nirvana’s breakthrough was even named for a ‘Mats tune (Never Mind). Others took the cue as well from the crassly commercial (Goo Goo Dolls) to the underappreciated (Slobberbone) and even our very own Drive-By Truckers.
So today when someone asks me who my favorite band is I’m sure they would expect me to say DBT, but I think Patterson Hood himself might agree, it’s always been the Replacements.
We call him Scooby Do, but Scooby doesn’t do. Scooby, is not involved
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Excellent job, TC!!
“Excited people get on daddy’s nerves.” - M. Cooley
Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
ALSUM job TC!
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
job very well done, tc.
great band. great lp's. great tales. great write up.
great band. great lp's. great tales. great write up.
Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Nicely done, TC. The Replacements are one of the many bands that I should've gotten into way back when.
If you don't run you rust
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
struttin' up the aisle...big deal you get to fly.
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
I can distinctly remember driving on Rt 78, listening to WPRB from Princeton, 1983, junior year of high school.........I'm In Trouble comes on, and 2
minutes later I'm thinking to myself, thats the greatest thing I've ever heard.
minutes later I'm thinking to myself, thats the greatest thing I've ever heard.
Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
I've gotten more into the 'Mats and solo Paul in the last year or so. I was more a Husker Du and Bob Mould fan. Let It Be/Tim/Pleased To Meet is as strong a 3 album run as you'll find anywhere.
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Even during my most hardcore Dead tour addicted years I was still a huge Replacements fan. I had the good fortune to get to see them live six times during tours for the last three albums they released. I never got to see the Bob Stinson era lineup, but i still have some pretty wild stories; as does just about anyone who was lucky enough to see them a half a dozen times.
Keep calm and have a cigar
Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Very nice TC. Job well done!!!!
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
This was a great read, especially the part about being saved from "jam band hell". I've never been able to get into the Replacements -- I know they have great songs, but the "80s" production of their albums just doesn't sound right to my 90s ears -- but this writeup makes me want to give them another shot.
ain't no static on the gospel radio
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Excellent, TC! Just right. In your honor, i'll even give Tim another try; that one's never spoken to me.
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Love the write up TC.
Here's a truly great PW solo moment. This from his Mono/Stereo project about ten years ago:
Here's a truly great PW solo moment. This from his Mono/Stereo project about ten years ago:
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Duke Silver wrote:This was a great read, especially the part about being saved from "jam band hell". I've never been able to get into the Replacements -- I know they have great songs, but the "80s" production of their albums just doesn't sound right to my 90s ears -- but this writeup makes me want to give them another shot.
Just curious, but what does "80's" production mean exactly? I know Tim sounds kind of shitty, but thats got more to do with the fact that
Tommy Ramone was already pretty much deaf at that point. I'm not saying you're wrong, I just don't know what that means.
Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
mjk73 wrote:I've gotten more into the 'Mats and solo Paul in the last year or so. I was more a Husker Du and Bob Mould fan. Let It Be/Tim/Pleased To Meet is as strong a 3 album run as you'll find anywhere.
Interesting.
Back then folks did seem to be in the classic one-camp-or-the-other split (Beatles/Stones, Bowie/Mott, Zep/Sabbath, Wilco/Son Volt, etc., etc.). I was also more of a Husker Du fan and thought the 'Mats were just a bunch of drunk, sloppy losers for drunk, sloppy, frat-boy punks, so I didn't pay much attention until I heard Tim, but that album did the trick.
Then I went back and gave Let It Be another try. Glad I did.
Since I wasn't a diehard fan (and didn't feel let down by their improved playing, etc.), I didn't mind their major-label stuff and really enjoyed Please to Meet Me. And there are also some great moments on Don't Tell a Soul and All Shook Down.
Nice work, TC.
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
emandrisdad wrote:Duke Silver wrote:This was a great read, especially the part about being saved from "jam band hell". I've never been able to get into the Replacements -- I know they have great songs, but the "80s" production of their albums just doesn't sound right to my 90s ears -- but this writeup makes me want to give them another shot.
Just curious, but what does "80's" production mean exactly? I know Tim sounds kind of shitty, but thats got more to do with the fact that
Tommy Ramone was already pretty much deaf at that point. I'm not saying you're wrong, I just don't know what that means.
I don't know if I can explain it, but the production of "Tim" is exactly what I'm talking about. Thin, too-crisp drums, too much reverb on everything...slick, shiny. The opposite of "raw", whatever that would be. I associate it with the 80s, but it might not necessarily be unique to that period.
ain't no static on the gospel radio
Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Great read TC. You captured the essence of the whole indie movement. I didn't catch on to The Replacements until Don't Tell a Soul (which I loved), and had to backtrack their earlier work. Westerberg was a Pop God trapped in a punk band, and eventually found that his creative genius needed to steer in another direction. His influence is all over Alternative music. It's funny, but my favorite 'Mats song 'When It Began'; apparently wasn't a Replacements song.
I wonder if Westerberg would be more of a household name, if he had surfaced in another time or place in rock history. His subtle nuances and musical sensibilities were ill suited to the burgeoning punk scene; that he found himself in. He played this edgier role with relish, but shined even brighter when he explored those dark corners with more melody.
The Replacements were every bit as good as you say, TC. I can't help but feel, though, that they fell far short of their potential.
I wonder if Westerberg would be more of a household name, if he had surfaced in another time or place in rock history. His subtle nuances and musical sensibilities were ill suited to the burgeoning punk scene; that he found himself in. He played this edgier role with relish, but shined even brighter when he explored those dark corners with more melody.
The Replacements were every bit as good as you say, TC. I can't help but feel, though, that they fell far short of their potential.
A thousand clusterfucks will not kill my tiny light
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Slipkid42 wrote:The Replacements were every bit as good as you say, TC. I can't help but feel, though, that they fell far short of their potential.
I think you're completely right about the potential. The thing is I just don't feel Westerberg had that patience and perseverance to be that much bigger than they became. He can still write a song but the ambition or lack thereof, to me, was always the issue. To be completely fair that's a tough road and I'm sure not for everyone.
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Well done TC.
Lots of good music has come out of Minneapolis.
Lots of good music has come out of Minneapolis.
Can you hear that singing? Sounds like gold...
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Nicely done TC.
Date to Church was the song chosen for the "grand entrance" at my wedding reception. Funny to see the whole room clapping along. Grandma was diggin it!
Date to Church was the song chosen for the "grand entrance" at my wedding reception. Funny to see the whole room clapping along. Grandma was diggin it!
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
The thing I think that ties DBT and The Replacements together for me is the darkness is somehow uplifting. And the rock is as intense as I want and as tender too.
What rocked harder or made you wanna rebel more than Black Diamond?
even the lyrics "Write you a letter in the morning...someone's got a stamp that I can borrow" or "how do I say I'm lonely to an answering machine" though now obviously culturally outdated, still have that sting...
and "all she's ever losin, is a little mascara" well fuckit. I could write a whole book from that 8 word
line.
The first thing I did after finding Southern Rock Opera, was look for my old Replacements Tapes. When I found out they were jacked up or I sold em for weed or something, I went out and bought Let it Be.
What rocked harder or made you wanna rebel more than Black Diamond?
even the lyrics "Write you a letter in the morning...someone's got a stamp that I can borrow" or "how do I say I'm lonely to an answering machine" though now obviously culturally outdated, still have that sting...
and "all she's ever losin, is a little mascara" well fuckit. I could write a whole book from that 8 word
line.
The first thing I did after finding Southern Rock Opera, was look for my old Replacements Tapes. When I found out they were jacked up or I sold em for weed or something, I went out and bought Let it Be.
NSFW
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Great review. Most of my friends thought Let It Be was a huge sellout at the time and abandoned the Replacements in that dramatic 20somethings way full of misguided purpose and exaggeration. A few seemed to regret it with Tim and Pleased To Meet Me, but I had it rubbed in my face hard again with Don't Tell A Soul. Call All Shook Down a Westerberg solo album if you want, it is close to being on par with their best records, just a different style. A couple crappy throwaway songs, but those are on all their records.
Tim is one of the pillars of my life.
Loving the Replacements is probably why I like ABAAC better than most here.
Tim is one of the pillars of my life.
Loving the Replacements is probably why I like ABAAC better than most here.
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
littlemamma wrote:The thing I think that ties DBT and The Replacements together for me is the darkness is somehow uplifting. And the rock is as intense as I want and as tender too.
I think that's exactly right. Good call.
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
THE REPLACEMENTS SUCK!!!!!!!! But I did here from a friend that said some kid in his neighborhood told him that before Slim Dunlap joined the band he played Mr Vargas in Fast Times At Ridgemont High.
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
courtesy of aquarium drunkard.
http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/
http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/
Scratch The Surface :: The Replacements: Let It Be
Album artwork: Does it indeed affect our listening experience, and if so, how? Scratch the Surface, a recurring feature on Aquarium Drunkard, takes a look at particularly interesting and/or exceptional cover art choices.
“He [Daniel Corrigan; photographer] captured a moment. The one overriding thing that’s always been in the back of my head: It’s a great shot, and it’s become iconographic and it says ‘the Replacements’ and everybody recognizes it. And…from the very first time I saw it I was like, ‘What the fuck are they doing on a roof?’ You know, this ‘candid’ moment, and they’re on a fucking rooftop. They had to crawl out a window – there’s nothing candid about it.” – Dave Ayers, from The Replacements – All Over But the Shouting
Let It Be is (in?)famous for lots of reasons, its cheeky, idol-biting title not withstanding, but its cover is probably the most well known for its depiction of the band: four jeans and sneaker bedecked lads on a rooftop somewhere, a black and white photo with red, superimposed letters spelling out the band name and the album title. Photographer Daniel Corrigan was hired to do the promotional photos for Let It Be and his first attempt at getting the album cover was a bit ramshackle. Sent to do a portrait at a Replacements show at the University of Minnesota, Corrigan was having no luck getting the band to cooperate. “So I told ‘em I had coke, but, ‘We can’t do it downstairs here. We have an office up on the top floor. Let’s go up there and we can all do lines.’ I didn’t have any coke, I just wanted to get ‘em in the elevator because they’d be trapped.” The result, Corrigan’s favorite photo of the shoot, was his pick for the album cover.
But that wasn’t the end. Corrigan was asked to try again, and this time he ended up at the home of Bob and Tommy Stinson, the Replacements’ practice space. He took some standard practice room shots but then decided to take the band out on the roof. The rest is history.
The photograph is legendary because of how perfectly it seems to capture the very essence of the band. The individual members’ personalities seem etched into the image, whether it’s Paul Westerberg, talking and not looking at the camera at all, Tommy Stinson, sleepily rubbing his eyes while clutching a pack of cigarettes, Bob Stinson, peering around Westerberg and arching his eyebrows mischievously, or Chris Mars, at the very back, looking calmly and directly at the camera.
Every great contradiction that made the Replacements the best American rock and roll band of the past thirty years is ensconced in that photograph. The roof on which they’re perched seems the refuge of a heart-on-his-sleeve would-be romantic who escapes out his bedroom window to peer up at the stars on lonely nights, a few, random trophies, the evidence of attempts at conformity within the larger world, peering down at him through the window. Yet, the whole fact that they’re on a roof in the first place seems calculated, aimed at a depiction of the band as something outside the mainstream. This posed photograph, intended to help them sell records, couldn’t seem to matter less to the group of four who all seem preoccupied with their own intentions rather than looking focused in any way. And still, despite this perceived nose-thumbing, there is the juxtaposition of a band looking to be like the bands they so idolized, the ones that made them pick up a guitar or a set of drumsticks or a songwriter’s pen in the first place.
The photo is also as perfect a depiction of the album’s contents as one could ask for: swinging-for-the-fences hits like “I Will Dare;” howling, maudlin anthems like “Unsatisfied,” “Sixteen Blue” and “Answering Machine;” raspberries-as-songs like “Gary’s Got a Boner;” and even an ode to an influence posed to sound like a piss-take in their cover of Kiss’ “Black Diamond.” This is what album art was meant to do. When taken as a whole with the recorded music, it should be a natural extension of what’s underneath the album sleeve. “[The Let It Be cover] was a great little piece of mythmaking,” wrote Michael Azerrad in Our Band Could Be Your Life. In that manner is Let It Be and its cover truly what rock and roll albums are all about. words/ j neas
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Apropos of nothing, when searching for a video of The Replacements doing "Portland" yesterday I stumbled upon a band from Israel called The Replacements doing Zeppelin covers (and none too keenly at that).
- Kudzu Guillotine
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Reunion talk is beginning to rear it's ugly head again.
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Re: Artist of the Week 8/9/2010 The Replacements
Kudzu Guillotine wrote:Reunion talk is beginning to rear it's ugly head again.
I don't ever want to see it. What's the point really? The thing that was my beloved Mats died long before 1991 and I don't need to see any ghosts. Now Paul getting out there and playing again I would go see and I do hope to catch Tommy at some point, but the Replacements? They don't exist anymore.
We call him Scooby Do, but Scooby doesn’t do. Scooby, is not involved