Replacements
(Rhino)
It's no exaggeration to trumpet the Replacements as one of the most influential American bands of the ‘80s. Cited as essential inspiration by many of those groups that followed in their wake, they left an indelible imprint that lingers to this day. Yet, given their initial ramblings, it seemed an unlikely proposition at the time; their early albums for Minneapolis' Twin/Tone label were ragged, ramshackle affairs that seemed to reflect a band whose sole intent was to toss a defiant middle finger in the direction of the musical mainstream. After all, they had modeled their mantra from punk's template, but seemingly had little interest in making a significant statement of their own. Nihilistic and antagonistic, they staked their reputation on an irreverent attitude and insurgent fuck-all defiance.
That all changed with 1984's Let It Be, their Twin/Tone swansong and first album to show them striving for higher ambitions. Paul Westerberg, the band's acknowledged leader and chief protagonist, was steadily stretching out as a songwriter, his efforts culminating in "I Will Dare," the first of several standout songs the Replacements would offer in the albums that followed. The band's pop potential was then kick-started with their signing to Sire in 1985, a move meant to bring them a hint of respectability and expand their popularity beyond their core following and towards MTV's millions. After all, Sire was the label that had previously fostered the unwashed, untamed energy of the Talking Heads and the Ramones and then successfully marketed them to the masses.
After issuing expanded re-releases of the Mats' Twin/Tone catalogue earlier this year, Ryko has opted to tackle the second half of the band's discography by giving similar treatments to the four Sire sets. Those unfamiliar with the band's original output will probably find these offerings more accessible, a change in direction that almost certainly had something to do with their newly- acquired major label stature. Whether or not the band would acknowledge any such concessions seems questionable, but with Tim (rating: 7 out of 10 stars), their first release for their new label, the change was already evident. Although it retained a few frayed edges, the sound was cleaned up, polished and made more accessible; even those tracks producer Tommy Erdelyi (AKA Tommy Ramone, the original Ramones drummer) applied an obtrusive reverb to had the band sounding like they were playing from inside an echo chamber.
Still, the songs stood out, and populist anthems like "Kiss Me on the Bus" and "Bastards of the Young" showed a willingness to temper their irascible approach with a modern rock sensibility. The breezy "Waitress in the Sky" and downcast demeanor of "Here Comes a Regular" cast a new light on the ‘Mats' moody ambiance, a digression that helped the band earn some of the best notices of their career while also providing promise for a bigger breakthrough. So too, "Left of the Dial" became something of an alt-rock standard, its parched chorus of "...on and on and on and on..." imbuing it with a riveting refrain. Like each of the other reissues, it features an array of demos and unreleased material, along with detailed liner notes that offer additional insight into the album as a whole. Two early versions of "Can't Hardly Wait" - a song that would surface on their next album in finished form -- along with an unreleased rocker, "Nowhere Is My Home," originated with some early sessions overseen by their idol and inspiration Alex Chilton, while a demo of "Kiss Me on the Bus" and an alternate version of "Waitress in the Sky" showcase those songs in more primal mode. Finally, Westerberg's early solo take on his confessional "Here Comes a Regular" strips the song down to its emotional core, although the bare bones arrangement remains strikingly similar to the original.
It didn't take long for the band to hit their stride, and indeed, their second Sire set is the best of the bunch. Please To Meet Me (8) was, in a very real sense, a dream come true... not only for the fact that it boasts some of the best songs in the ‘Mats' canon - including the fully fleshed out version of "Can't Hardly Wait," the confessional "Red Red Wine" and their ode to their iconic hero, "Alex Chilton" - but also because it offered the opportunity to record at the legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis with producer Jim Dickinson (whose previous credits included, not coincidentally, Chilton's band Big Star). Ironically, each of the albums in their Sire trajectory would find a different person in the producer's chair, but whether through motivation, music or simply magic, Dickinson provided an ideal synergy. Now reduced to a trio due to the departure of longtime guitarist Bob Stinson, the band finds a perfect compromise between the unrepentant attitude of old and a newly engaging embrace. The reissue provides a bonus bonanza in the form of thirteen additional tracks, two of which aren't even listed on the sleeve. An affable rocker, "Bundle Up," a breezy version of "Valentine" and the crunching caterwaul of "Photo" stand out, but the proclamation put forth on "Kick It In" ("Our plan was to set the world on fire...") found them proudly echoing their intent.
Even so, despite the promise of its predecessor, the band's third album for the label and first to feature new guitarist Slim Dunlap, Don't Tell A Soul (6), was a make-it or break it proposition, the result of record company pressures that demanded a hit at any cost. As a result, the album does away with all the tattered extremes, as producer Matt Wallace tempered the band's approach with more homogenized sound in an effort to sow commercial consumption. With the sole exception of "I Won't," the more upbeat offerings eschew the brash, bombastic excess of their earliest albums, injecting power pop precision and a sonic sheen into signature songs like "Talent Show," "Back to Back," "We'll Inherit the Earth" and "I'll Be You" and even some uncharacteristic funk into "Asking Me Lies," a track that might have otherwise found a fit with fellow Minneapolis denizen, Prince. It also finds Westerberg baring his sentimental side via the haunting "Rock ‘n' Roll Ghost" and the heartfelt coda "Darlin' One." Happily, the add-ons allow the band to go back to basics, from the frayed country rock of "Portland" to the all-out abandon of the heretofore-unreleased "Wake Up." A choppier take on "Talent Show" and an edgier attempt at "We'll Inherit the Earth" recall the Replacements of old, but ultimately, it's an unruly cover of the Slade standard "Gudbuy T' Jane" that give their rowdier inclinations opportunity to rebound.
The Replacements broke up in 1991, but there was one last album to come, the aptly titled, Scott Litt-produced All Shook Down (7). Some contend it was more a Paul Westerberg solo opus than an actual Replacements record per se, and the fact that Westerberg's demos served as the foundation of the arrangements gives credence to that assertion. Certainly it's his cavalier persona and parched vocals that take center stage, although the swagger and confidence he showed here has much in common with the Faces and Stones, especially when Keef's at the helm. That's never more evident than on assertive, spiraling rockers like "When It Began," "Someone Take the Wheel," "Happy Town" and "Attitude," a song that more than most sums up the band's irascible outlook. The extras offer early attempts at several of the album's signature songs, although it's the three tunes originally released on a promo only EP (given the disparaging title Don't Sell Or Buy, It's Crap) that provide the reissue's real treasure trove.
In the midst of its ramshackle rock ‘n; roll, All Shook Down contained what was then Westerberg's best ballad, "Sadly Beautiful." Those two words seemed to sum up the ‘Mats' fate, one that portended great promise but tragically never reaped their full potential.
Standout tracks: "Kiss Me on the Bus," ""Left of the Dial," "Here Comes a Regular" (Tim) "Alex Chilton," "Can't Hardly Wait," "Red Red Wine" (Please To Meet Me) "Talent Show," "Darlin' One," "Portland" (Don't Tell a Soul) "Sadly Beautiful," Attitude," Kissin' in Action" LEE ZIMMERMAN
