jdawson | Uncategorized | Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
I’ll admit that I’m a novice when it comes to the Replacements. My closest association is owning a Paul Westerberg solo album.
Will some of you folks in the know about the Replacements let me know if they’re Rhino anthology is a good place to start, or are there too many holes in the track list?
Giving fans further hope for some kind of Replacements reunion, group principals Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson joined forces last month to “mess around” in Minneapolis with Soul Asylum/Prince drummer Michael Bland.
Stinson told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the trio didn’t roll any tape, because “that’s getting to first base. We’re sort of still in the dugout chewing gum.” But he assured that he and Westerberg are “good friends, and I’m sure we’re going to work together again.”
Westerberg’s manager, Darren Hill, confirmed the sessions to Billboard but added there are “no plans beyond that right now.”
The Replacements, who split in 1991, have been back in the spotlight this year as Rhino has rolled out expanded reissues of the band’s complete studio catalog. The second and final batch, covering the band’s major-label years with Sire, was released Sept. 23.
After years apart, Westerberg and Stinson hit the studio in 2006 to record two new songs for a Replacements retrospective and additional material for the animated film “Open Season.”
In separate interviews with Billboard earlier this year, both men said the door isn’t closed for some kind of project between them, although they added that Replacements drummer Chris Mars was unlikely to participate, owing to his thriving post-Replacements career as an artist.
Westerberg and Stinson have been tempted by numerous lucrative offers to reunite for festivals such as the 2008 Coachella, but “at the last minute, it just didn’t seem like the right thing to do, so we didn’t do it,” Stinson said. “But I think Paul and I have something to offer each other still. I think that’s pretty obvious when we get together.”
“I’m very hesitant about dragging the name out there and what damage we could do to the legend,” Westerberg said. “Whatever we did, someone would want something else. If I went up there straight, they’d want us wasted. If we were f–ked up, they’d want us to be this or that.”
“Don’t You Know Who I think I Was” is a greatest hits album, which is probably the best place to start (I don’t have it, but I’ve heard all the songs on it except two). Let It Be, Tim, and Pleased to Meet Me are probably the best three. Don’t Tell a Soul was probably their most commercial-sounding album, but it is also an excellent album, in my opinion. All Shook Down has high points and low points, it being the last album they did and, from what I read, really the first Paul Westerberg solo album. Hootenanny is also an odd mix of songs, when they were morphing from a post-punk band to what they would become. It too has some high points and some low points. Sorry Ma and Stink are basically post-punk albums - not that that is bad necessarily - but they pale in comparison to what they would become (they are from Minneapolis, the home of Husker Du). All For Nothing is a 2 disc compilation. The first disc is a greatest hits collection from the Sire years, which was Tim, Pleased to Meet Me, Don’t Tell a Soul, and All Shook Down. The second disc are rarities, b-sides, etc. with standout songs being “Birthday Gal,” “Portland,” “We Know the Night,” and a boozy “Cruella De Vil.”
I’d start with DON’T TELL A SOUL and work your way backwards… I actually like The Replacements early (more roughly produced; or not hardly produced) songs… later on when they got some MTV video play the song writing didn’t really change but the sound did..
I saw the band back in 1987 / 1988 (who can remember?) and the band was in full form.. which was, drunk as usual.. but very memorable! And I even had Tommy Stinson walk right in front of me before the show.. a friend of mine got a piece of Paul Westerberg’s flannel shirt.. as he tossed the shirt into the crowd it was ripped to shreds…
I’ve always love the Replacements but they are really hard to discribe to someone who has only heard a few songs played on the radio… get ‘Sorry Ma, forgot to take out the trash’ to hear the real Replacements (my opinion).
“Don’t You Know Who I think I Was” is a greatest hits album, which is probably the best place to start (I don’t have it, but I’ve heard all the songs on it except two). Let It Be, Tim, and Pleased to Meet Me are probably the best three. Don’t Tell a Soul was probably their most commercial-sounding album, but it is also an excellent album, in my opinion. All Shook Down has high points and low points, it being the last album they did and, from what I read, really the first Paul Westerberg solo album. Hootenanny is also an odd mix of songs, when they were morphing from a post-punk band to what they would become. It too has some high points and some low points. Sorry Ma and Stink are basically post-punk albums - not that that is bad necessarily - but they pale in comparison to what they would become (they are from Minneapolis, the home of Husker Du). All For Nothing is a 2 disc compilation. The first disc is a greatest hits collection from the Sire years, which was Tim, Pleased to Meet Me, Don’t Tell a Soul, and All Shook Down. The second disc are rarities, b-sides, etc. with standout songs being “Birthday Gal,” “Portland,” “We Know the Night,” and a boozy “Cruella De Vil.”
Comment by alex — October 8, 2008 @ 5:23 pm
I’d start with DON’T TELL A SOUL and work your way backwards… I actually like The Replacements early (more roughly produced; or not hardly produced) songs… later on when they got some MTV video play the song writing didn’t really change but the sound did..
I saw the band back in 1987 / 1988 (who can remember?) and the band was in full form.. which was, drunk as usual.. but very memorable! And I even had Tommy Stinson walk right in front of me before the show.. a friend of mine got a piece of Paul Westerberg’s flannel shirt.. as he tossed the shirt into the crowd it was ripped to shreds…
I’ve always love the Replacements but they are really hard to discribe to someone who has only heard a few songs played on the radio… get ‘Sorry Ma, forgot to take out the trash’ to hear the real Replacements (my opinion).
-Rob
Comment by Rob — October 8, 2008 @ 7:09 pm