Note: Before we begin, to paraphrase Robert Plant….it’s be a long, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time… since I’ve written a Sweepertee (or Rock n Rolled for that matter). Apologies. For those who have never read a Sweepertee before (and I’m sure that makes up alot of the Pax by now), this is part of The Butcher’s Word. I used to feed Dredd various musical recommendations, suggestions, etc. But if it was something that I was absolutely, positively sure that he would like, I would offer a “money back guarantee” (ie I’ll pay you the cost of the download if you don’t like it). Dredd then named such stamp of approval a “Sweepertee.” So here I offer my completely subjective, but hopefully enlightening, take on the music world.
Now for The Replacements.
For the HateHates this is not the movie about NFL scab players starring Johnny Utah and Lex Luthor (ok, that might have just gone right over the HateHates heads again).
This is about THE REPLACEMENTS. Critically acclaimed. Universally revered. Commercially unknown (for the most part). I know there are some fellow diehards among the Pax (RoboCop, OBT, Hyannis), but for the most part, most know of The Replacements, but don’t know The Replacements.
Quick: name a Replacements song.
But if you were to trace the family tree of what is Indie/Alternative/Punk/Grunge rock back to its roots, there would stand The Replacements. There are many a band today that owe them royalties.
I’ll spare you the history and direct you to their Wiki Page (fairly academic, but hits all the bases). They came of age in the Twin Cities (got to shout out to our own Minn/St. Paul) along side other music forbears Husker Du/Bob Mould, Soul Asylum, and the original dolphin, Prince. Modern hipsters like The Hold Steady, neo-punks like Green Day, and even once good/now pretty much awful bands like The Goo Goo Dolls pledge allegiance to The Replacements.
I came to The Replacements somewhat late in the game (at least on their timeline). High school buddy, Matt Michaels (he later of The Mayflies USA), a Replacements diehard, indoctrinated me. My first album (Don’t Tell a Soul) was their second to last. “I’ll be You” became the defining song of my senior year of high school and I then worked backwards from there. I immediately became hooked on their punk energy and pop hooks.
If you make it through their Wiki page you’ll see their first albums (Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take out the Trash and Stink) came out in ’81 and ’82. These early albums were the formative years of The Replacements (basically the punk rock of a bunch of early 20-somethings….though bassist Tommy Stinson was only 15 when they recorded Sorry Ma), but they (IMO) didn’t become THE REPLACEMENTS until Hootenanny when they started combining their punk drive with Paul Westerberg’s pop sensibilities. The band hit their stride with their seminal album, Let it Be (still considered by most critics to be one of the top 250 albums of all time…Rolling Stone named it the 15th best album of the ’80s. And trust me, HateHates, the ’80s were strong).
From there they were off the races, signing with a major label (Sire), and releasing Tim and Pleased to Meet Me. Longtime fans thought they sold out with Don’t Tell a Soul. Their last album, All Shook Down, was basically a Paul Westerberg solo album and pretty much snuffed out the punk energy in place of stellar, melodic pop songwriting. The Mats (as they were called in their “legendary” drunken live shows) had grown up….
…and then they broke up.
Just read the Wiki. Make sure to dig into the personalities: Teenage Tommy Stinson and his older brother, Bob (who most consider to the soul of the band….until his antics full of a band of drunks got him kicked out after Tim. Sadly, Bob died in ’95 after going very, very hard for most of his life). You know what Tommy’s job is now? He’s the bassist in a band called Guns n Roses. Yes. he’s in freaking GnR. Drummer Chris Mars is an acclaimed surrealist artist (you can see his pretty freaky stuff here).
But let’s get to the music. While they weren’t the first to meld punk energy with great melodies, they at times caught lightening in a bottle and seemed to perfect it. So here is my Replaements Sweepertee in an “iTunes Essentials” form. The best of their catalogue in the best order (again, IMO) to hear it. So close your office door, put on some headphones, and head down this rabbit hole with me.
1. “I Will Dare” (Let it Be)…the opening track with special guest Peter Buck (of REM – whom The Replacements would always seem to be paired with) on guitar.
“How young are you? How old am I? Let’s count the rings around my eyes.”
2. “I’ll Be You” (Don’t Tell a Soul)….my first and always Top 3 favorite song. This was actually their first “real” video (you can tell how seriously they took it).
“Lonely. I guess that’s where I’m from.”
3. “Alex Chilton” (Pleased to Meet Me)…The Replacements LOVED the band Big Star and the legendary Alex Chilton. I mean they really, really loved him. Wrote a song about him loved him.
“Children by the million scream for Alex Chilton and he comes round.”
4. “Within Your Reach” (Hootenanny)….Their first “ballad” and basically Westerberg’s first solo song (he played pretty much everything on top of a drum track). Got a slot on the “Say Anything” soundtrack back in the day.
“I can live without your touch…”
5. “Left of the Dial” (Tim)….my favorite song off (arguably…by me) their best album. Westerberg sings about life on the road and how he can sometimes catch glimpses of a buddy’s band fading in and out on the radio from the middle of nowhere.
“If I don’t see you again for a long, long while, I’ll try and find you left of the dial.”
6. “Nobody” (All Shook Down)…this is the late era Replacements when Westerberg basically went solo and started to focus on his alt-country, clever songwriting side.
“Take a look on your wedding night. In your wedding book see what name I signed.”
7. “Color Me Impressed” (Hootenanny)…might be 2:30 mins of punk/pop perfection. Now covered by many a band (including recently Wilco).
“Everybody at your party they all look depressed…”
8. “Can’t Hardly Wait” (Please to Meet Meet)….went to Memphis to record this and the soul of the city rubbed off. Alex Chilton added guitar bits and The Memphis Horns played the brass.
“Hurry up – aint you had enough of this stuff? Ashtray floors, dirty clothes and filthy jokes…”
9. “Skyway” (Please to Meet Me)…Westerberg’s first real ballad all about the skyways that connect all the buildings in Minneapolis.
“It don’t move like a subway. It’s got bums when it’s cold like any other place. It’s warm up inside. Sitting down and waiting for a ride. Beneath the skyway…”
10. “Bastards of Young” (Tim)….could be The Replacements at their “Eff U” finest. It also produced their very first music video (see below) which was a giant, brilliantly conceived indie-soaked middle finger to MTV as well.
“The ones who love us best are the ones we’ll lay to rest and visit their graves on holidays at best. The ones who love us least are the ones we’re dying to please. If it’s any consolation, I don’t begin to understand them.”
11. “Achin to Be” (All Shook Down)…again, Westerberg heading down a new path. There are many a alt-country band (Wilco, Old 97s, you name it) who would kill to write a song like this.
“Thought about, not understood, she’s achin to be.’
12. “Tommy Get’s His Tonsils Out” (Let it Be)…just wanted to make sure you were still ready to rock. Let it Be marked the transition from sloppy punk to honed indie-rock. The album somehow covers all of it, including an awesome KISS cover (Black Diamond) and a slow love song (Sixteen Blue).
“Let’s get this over with – I tee off in an hour. Didn’t wash up – yesterday I took a shower.”
14. “Answering Machine” (Let it Be)….Westerberg at his finest. You can feeling the wailing underneath the wailing. Note for the HateHates: an answering machine is what voice mail was before their was voice mail (and cell phones).
“How do you you’re lonely to an answering machine?”
15. “Answering Machine” (live version from InConcerated)…this is my all-time favorite Replacements song. This version of this song. Listen to the original above and see how The Mats (when sober enough) could take it to another place live. The ache is still there, but not with a full-bore/full band edge.
“Try and free a slave of ignorance. Try and teach this whore about romance….no chance.”
Now this is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s more if you want to go get it. Here’ a quick list:
Kiss Me on the Bus
Buck Hill
One Wink at a Time
Talent Show
Valentine
Gary’s Got a Boner
Here Comes a Regular
Androgynous
Little Mascara
The Last
and many, many more….
And Westerberg has a slew of great solo albums starting with his Singles Soundtrack work.
If you made it this far, there is one last thing – this:
To quote Elwood Blues: “We’re getting the band back together…”
Yes, The Replacements are reuniting for a a few shows (now) with (hopefully) a tour to follow.
My head just exploded. If they come within 500 miles of F3Metro, who’s in with a HC?
Rawk on,
Sweeper Boy