replacements

Tim
$18.98
I agree with the last couple reviews - I liked the outtakes a lot! If there's an annoying trend it is the addition of bad "bonus tracks" at the end of classic reissues. For some reason I feel that I need to like them as much as the original album or I find it disappointing. Of course the outtakes are not as good as the originals, although Can't Hardly Wait (acoustic) and Kiss Me on the Bus (outtake) are pretty good considering the stylistic differences. It's way more concise than Pleased to Meet Me and about the same as Let it Be on the quality/quantity continuum.

Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? - The Best of the Replacements
$18.98
The first question any record geek worth his collection of rare, OOP picture sleeve singles asks about another compilation -- particularly one of a former indie cult band gone major -- is "who's it for, anyway?" Fans, who have all the original LP's, EP's and 7"'s? Or newbies, who must be tired of all the old guys telling them how great the 'Mats were "back in the day"? Since Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? (hereafter DYKWITIW?) contains no B-sides or other rarities -- beyond the two "new" 'Mats tracks, the engaging-but-slight "Message to the Boys" and "Pool and Dive" -- it's fair to assume this comp is for the kids.

As a Warner Music imprint, Rhino may not have wanted to weight this latest collection too heavily in favor of the Twin-Tone material. (Sire/Reprise's 1997 compilation All For Nothing/Nothing For All included no Twin-Tone tracks at all, and so provided a grievously incomplete summary of the band's work. On the other hand, the second disc, containing B-sides and other rarities, was worth the cost of the whole thing.) So the final score: eight (8) from the Twin-Tone years; ten (10) from the Sire/Reprise albums; two (2) new 'Mats tracks. As someone who got his introduction to the band in 1984 with Let It Be (and then promptly bought the first three Twin-Tone records -- Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash; Stink EP; and Hootenanny), I'll always be partial to the TT releases.

At 65 minutes, DYKWITIW? is a little light on the 1980-84 records: Rhino could have included "Johnny's Gonna Die" from Sorry Ma, and both "Androgynous" and "Sixteen Blue" from Let It Be. If the idea is to let younger fans know why the Replacements were one of the great indie/alternative bands of the '80's, it would have made sense to cull all the best tracks from the albums that made their reputation before they made the jump to Sire/Reprise. And while Paul Westerberg's songwriting was always the weapon that set the band apart from the other entrants in the "hard, fast, loud" competition, it might have been nice -- if only to show the extent to which Westerberg and Co. were indebted to 1970's AM and FM radio for their sound -- to incorporate the band's approach to covers. (Notable contenders: Kiss's "Black Diamond," T.Rex's "20th Century Boy," and the Grass Roots's "Temptation Eyes," the latter of which is available on several "unauthorized" releases.) But obviously, a single-disc collection couldn't accommodate every aspect of the band's work.

So maybe the Replacements, even with a relatively manageable recorded output, are just too big to be summarized in a single compact disc. A better solution, although more expensive for all involved, would be a double-disc collection, with the best of the Twin-Tone years (including rarities like "If Only You Were Lonely," "Nowhere Is My Home," and the early version of "Can't Hardly Wait") on the first disc, and the Sire/Reprise material on the second (make sure to save space for their cover of the Only Ones's "Another Girl, Another Planet").

Overall, DYKWITIW? gets 3 1/2 stars. It's a reasonable, if not terribly generous, collection of the Replacements' best tracks, and provides a decent introduction to a band whose reputation has taken an unfortunate nosedive in the last decade or so (probably due to all the mediocre Paul Westerberg solo albums, but that's another rant for another review). If you're a 40-something for whom the 'Mats were an important part of your college and post-college years, and you want to do that precocious teen or college-age kid a favor, get him a copy of Let It Be, followed by Sorry Ma and Tim.

Let It Be
$18.98

To me the Replacements sound like a ragged if above average bar band. I never understood their appeal or the heaps of praise piled on them. I love the anger and energy of punk bands like the Sex Pistols and the Dead Kennedys but The Replacements aren't on that level (not that I think they should sound like another band, just that they don't deliver that kind of intensity - on disk at least). They do have some merit - they can dish up a chugging energy and (then) guitarist Bob Stinson can wail. They wrote some good songs and they can play ballads. But too many of their songs share their same ole basic sound and Paul Westerburg's vocals are too ragged and spasmodic for my tastes. On the other hand, I love Tom Waits whose vocals might fit that description - I just plain find Westerburg to be unappealing (and this review is, after all, about my opinion). The pianos in particular are rudimentary, sloppy and out of tune.

I guess this is one of those cases where "you had to be there" since their live shows were so legendary (although you had to catch em on a good night as there was the distinct possibility they'd be too drunk to play). This music does lend itself well to drunkenness and it sounds like they were drinking when they recorded it. I'm more of a stoner so that may be part of the problem right there.

As usual, it all comes down to a question of taste, so if you love this album and I tee you off, feel free to give my review a "not helpful" vote. It just doesn't do much for me, but I do like to write and spew my opinions, good and bad, so there you go. This one is supposedly their best and it represents their critical breakthrough before they began a downward slide into mediocrity via a futile quest for mainstream success. Judging from the other reviews, the remastering has been totally botched. I don't like the idea of cleaning up insignificant noises and intros that fans nonetheless hold dear but sometimes the bands want it that way and approve the changes. The sound has been compressed to hell, a disappointing sign of the times but otherwise the complaints might be a little picky but perfectly expected from fans. Frankly, I don't think it matters too much with this album anyways.

Breakdown:

"I Will Dare" - upbeat, rather happy, almost sing-songy (think nursery rhymes like "Mary Had A Little Lamb"), countryish yet still messy-sounding due to the band's trademark style. I'm don't like "sing-songy" and I'm not much for country. Still, I admit the song IS catchy and Peter Buck's (R.E.M.) solo is good. ***1/2

"Favorite Thing" - more propulsive than the previous tune, twangy in places, Westerburg shouting. **1/2

"We're Comin Out" - has a thrashy bent. Stinson goes off the hook. The quiet section at the end sounds a little aimless but it works up to a great climax. And I like some of the lines - "One more chance to get it all wrong." ***1/2

"Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out" - cool the way it starts out thrashing then abruptly changes into a catchy slower tempo. And it's punk-rock short. ****

"Androgenous" - beloved by many, a very good song, but I don't like it due to Paul's vocals, its sing-songy quality and the pathetic piano (the main instrument on this track) especially the way it craps out in the end. ***

"Black Diamond" -a KISS cover and a pretty faithful one. KISSucks. Whatever punk credibility they may have had went out the window at this point. Actually, this is an appropriate cover since both bands play plodding, rather tuneless rock n' roll. OK, the Mats are more melodic and much better but there ARE similarities. Maybe they covered this song to show how unpretentious they were. **

"Unsatisfied" - probably the best song on the album, it has crisp guitar, a very heartfelt delivery from Paul and the lap steel is a nice touch. ****1/2

"Seen Your Video" - an instrumental (until some vocals at the end), some decent rocking and playful guitar parts plus some more cheesy piano thrown in. ***

"Gary's Got A Boner" - I really don't care if Gary's got a boner, but the title tells you a lot about the band (childish sense of humor). This one's a bit too similar to "Cat Scratch Fever," another basic, average rock song. This track gets better when Stinson goes off on guitar. He's one of the main ingredients that make this an above average rock band. Minus 1 star for co-opting Ted Nugent. **

"Sixteen Blue" - another contender for best song, it's slow and melodic with emotive guitars. ****

"Answering Machine" - this is actually a very cool song, performed solo by Westerburg (on guitar, vocals and percussion). Great guitar tone, the verses generate an exciting feeling. As usual, I don't find the lyrics to be quite as affecting as they're meant to be. ("How do you say goodnight to an answering machine?" Uh . . . goodnight?) The operator's voice at the end is really annoying. That may be the point but it doesn't make me want to hear it. Minus one point for that. ***

Bonus Tracks:

"20th Century Boy" - they pull it off just because it's a great song to begin with, but the delivery is a bit sluggish. Pretty much what you'd expect a T. Rex song to sound like as covered by the Replacements. By comparison, I'd much rather hear the Siouxsie & Banshees version from 1979 (bias alert - I'm a big fan) which is technically inferior but at least tries something different by punking it up. ***

"Perfectly Lethal" - sounds good; could've easily fit on the album. ***

"Temptation Eyes" - Cover of a Grass Roots song. Pretty good. ***

"Answering Machine" - this home demo is cool because it kinda sounds like it was actually recorded on an answering machine. It's inferior to the album version but it doesn't have that annoying operator. ***1/2

"Heartbeat - It's a Lovebeat" - another cover. Eh, not bad. **1/2

"Sixteen Blue" - different vocals, different lyrics, same music. Not sung very well. Doesn't go over as well as the album version but the lyrics may actually be more poignant. ***

The Replacements (Snap Case)
$12.98
This is a great 'feel-good' movie. It's got something in it for both guys and girls: football, bar fight, personal problems, internal struggles, and romance.
My wife and I both love this movie and watch it whenever we want to watch something light and fun; with, of course, a guy-gets-girl happy ending.