Moving to a major label was inevitable for the Replacements: they garnered too much acclaim and attention after Let It Be to stay on Twin/Tone, especially as the label faced the same distribution problems that plagued many indies in the mid-'80s -- plus, the 'Mats' crosstown rivals, Hüsker Dü, made the leap to the big leagues, paving the way for their own hop over to Sire. The Replacements may have left Twin/Tone behind but they weren't quite ready to leave Minneapolis in the dust, choosing to record in their hometown with Tommy Erdelyi -- aka Tommy Ramone -- who gives the 'Mats a big, roomy sound without quite giving them gloss; compared to Let It Be, Tim is polished, but compared to many American underground rock records of the mid-'80s (including those by the Ramones), it's loose and kinetic. The production -- guitars that gained muscle, drums and vocals that gained reverb -- is the biggest surface difference, but there aren't just changes in how the Replacements sound; what they're playing is different too, as Paul Westerberg begins to turn into a self-aware songwriter. A large part of the charm of Let It Be was how it split almost evenly between ragged vulgarity and open-hearted rockers, with Westerberg's best songs betraying a startling, beguiling lack of affect. That's not quite the case with Tim, as Westerberg consciously writes alienation anthems: the rallying cry of "Bastards of Young" and the college radio love letter "Left of the Dial," songs written with a larger audience in mind -- not a popular audience, but a collection of misfits across the nation, who huddled around Westerberg's raw, twitchy loneliness on "Swingin Party" and "Here Comes a Regular," or the urgent and directionless "Hold My Life."
These songs are Westerberg at his confessional peak, but instead of undercutting this ragged emotion or hiding it away, as he did on the Twin/Tone albums, he pairs it with the exuberance of "Kiss Me on the Bus" -- an adolescent cousin to "I Will Dare" -- and channels his smart-ass comments into the terrifically cynical rockabilly shuffle "Waitress in the Sky." All this eats up so much oxygen that there's not much air left for any of the recklessness of the Twin/Tone LPs: there's no stumbling, no throwaway jokes, with even the twin rave-ups of "Dose of Thunder" and "Lay It Down Clown" straightened out, no matter how much Bob Stinson might try to pull them apart, which is perhaps the greatest indication that the Replacements were no longer the band they were just a couple years ago. Some 'Mats fans never got over this change, but something was gained in this loss: the Replacements turned into a deeper band on Tim, one that spoke, sometimes mumbled, to the hearts of losers and outcasts who lived their lives on the fringe. If Let It Be captured the spirit of the Replacements, then Tim captured their soul.
I know. I'm nearly 25 years late. I missed the bus but I'm unsatisfied. Yesterday I said to myself, "I'll buy a remastered copy of The Replacements Let It Be - one of the most critically acclaimed independent albums of all time." I literally said that to myself and everyone at Newbury Comics kind of tweaked their heads like I was a little left of the dial. I've had the Warner Brothers rel...
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To continue my posting about the The Replacements 1st - present, I now come to the album Tim.For Christmas, my lovely girlfriend gave me this book,Now every waking minute I am reading this book and dealing with the flood of memories that arise.As I read the book and get into my favorite Mats discs I realize picking a favorite song is liking picking your favorite kid. I know I only have two kids...
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I was just flipping through stations on my tele, and saw that Not Another Teen Movie was on. It brought back a nagging question that has bothered me for years. There is a quote in the film that goes, "You can't look back, you can never look back". I know I have heard this before, and feel its from a song. It kills me that its right on the tip of my brain, and I still cant figure it out. So, if ...
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i encountered this quote a few years ago:When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had- and never will have.- Edgar Watson Howei've experienced this feeling with many songs-most recently, while revisiting the songs ofTHE REPLACEMENTS.---LET IT BE made the Replacements into college radio and critical favorites, leading the group to a major-label contract with S...
More >
It's kind of a sin to refer to The Replacements as an "80's band", although that's the decade when they did their best work. They were legendary f**k ups, drunks, smokers, and all around hell raisers, which was great fun to watch, espeiclaly live, but it also torpedoed their career (and caused the alcohol related death of a founding member.)Anyway, the less said about The Replacements, the bett...
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It seems magazines love to put out lists like they are going out of style. Best of, worst of, cutest hair, e.t.c. Rolling Stone just put out a list of the 25 Most Underappreciated Artists ever. While most of this lists I see are ones that I would soon forget, this one actually is one I can agree with. It seems that the magazine got the insite of the fans, and came through with 25 solid choices....
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I was just flipping through stations on my tele, and saw that Not Another Teen Movie was on. It brought back a nagging question that has bothered me for years. There is a quote in the film that goes, "You can't look back, you can never look back". I know I have heard this before, and feel its from a song. It kills me that its right on the tip of my brain, and I still cant figure it out. So, if ...
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At first glance I thought today's posting was kind of sweet. Then I paused, and reflected on where I was...craigslist....the line between sweet and stalker can blur quite easily<><><><>are u attached????? - m4wyour name is kristen and you are the prettiest waitress at the chef o nette restaurant in UA. even if you are attached i dont care. i eat there at least once a week and whenever you are w...
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I know. I'm nearly 25 years late. I missed the bus but I'm unsatisfied. Yesterday I said to myself, "I'll buy a remastered copy of The Replacements Let It Be - one of the most critically acclaimed independent albums of all time." I literally said that to myself and everyone at Newbury Comics kind of tweaked their heads like I was a little left of the dial. I've had the Warner Brothers rel...
More >
I am closing in on 12 months of doing this…. But here is my tunes of note for May 2007.I know that there are a lot of newbies out there, so here is the quick and dirty version, each month I make a play list just for that month in my iTunes and drop in what ever catches my ear , I should also say that a lot of this stuff I did write about in this past month.…… Left of the Dial by The Replacem
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The Replacements perform "Bastards of Young" and "Kiss Me on the Bus," from their album Tim, on the January 18, 1986 Saturday Night Live. In true punk fashion, they appear for the first time before a national audience (I think) totally drunk, out of control, stupid and beautiful. Some people think this is the greatest SNL performance in history.
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It's kind of a sin to refer to The Replacements as an "80's band", although that's the decade when they did their best work. They were legendary f**k ups, drunks, smokers, and all around hell raisers, which was great fun to watch, espeiclaly live, but it also torpedoed their career (and caused the alcohol related death of a founding member.)Anyway, the less said about The Replacements, the bett...
More >
To continue my posting about the The Replacements 1st - present, I now come to the album Tim.For Christmas, my lovely girlfriend gave me this book,Now every waking minute I am reading this book and dealing with the flood of memories that arise.As I read the book and get into my favorite Mats discs I realize picking a favorite song is liking picking your favorite kid. I know I only have two kids...
More >
I've been on a huge Replacements kick the last few months. I recently finished the communally-written biography It's All Over But The Shouting and then, shortly after, saw Deer Tick perform "Can't Hardly Wait" in concert. The Mats never made it big, but their influence still abounds. After getting a hold of all the bootlegs and EPs this past weekend (Shit, Shower & Shave, Inconcerated, Shit Hit...
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i encountered this quote a few years ago:When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had- and never will have.- Edgar Watson Howei've experienced this feeling with many songs-most recently, while revisiting the songs ofTHE REPLACEMENTS.---LET IT BE made the Replacements into college radio and critical favorites, leading the group to a major-label contract with S...
More >
People have always thought I'd appreciate The Replacements, but I never listened to them for some reason. I just recently discovered this song and I love it. I immediately bought the album and I'm currently lovin it. If anyone else is a fan, I'm open to suggestions for other Replacements songs/albums or other bands that are similar.I love that yell at the beginning of the song.
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Hold My Life |
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| 2 I'll Buy |
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| 3 Kiss Me on the Bus |
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| 4 Dose of Thunder |
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| 5 Waitress in the Sky |
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| 6 Swingin Party |
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| 7 Bastards of Young |
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| 8 Lay It Down Clown |
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| 9 Left of the Dial |
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| 10 Little Mascara |
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| 11 Here Comes a Regular |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Tim")
