Featured Compilation
- SEP 18, 1985
- 65 Songs
- Pleased To Meet Me · 1987
- Let It Be · 1984
- Tim (Expanded Edition) · 1985
- Pleased To Meet Me · 1987
- Don't Tell a Soul · 1989
- Let It Be · 1984
- Tim (Expanded Edition) · 1985
- Tim (Expanded Edition) · 1985
- Pleased to Meet Me (Expanded Edition) · 1987
- Let It Be (Expanded Edition) · 1984
Essential Albums
- The Replacements were the ‘80s alternative rock band that almost made it. For their ardent fans, the magic is in that ‘almost.’ The band, led by songwriter Paul Westerberg, focused on life’s beautiful losers, those cursed by circumstance and the fatal flaw that never allows success through the door, no matter how loud the knock of opportunity. Southern cult rocker, Big Star’s Alex Chilton is lauded in a song bearing his name, and it’s on his wild, weary spirit that the band’s raucous Stones-esque sound is based. “I.O.U.,” “Never Mind,” “Valentine” and especially the diving suicide tale of “The Ledge” stand among the their finest songs. Guitarist Bob Stinson was out of the band by this point, leaving the guitar duties to Westerberg, who was also busy wrestling with Chilton’s old producer Jim Dickinson over what he saw as too-controlling production. The sparse acoustic gentility of “Skyway” points towards Westerberg’s eventual solo career, while “Can’t Hardly Wait” struggles to put Memphis horns on the band’s audience rousing staple with relative success. Perfection was never in the band’s vocabulary. Like the Faces who the band clearly emulated, they specialized in a warts-n-all realism.
- Tim was the album that pushed The Replacements into the mainstream with their intricate, punk-infused rock. “Bastards of Young” is backed by a searing electric guitar and propelled by sparse drums; “Left of the Dial” is anthemic and frantic, with guitars crashing and ebbing. On the other end of the band’s spectrum, the charming and gently melodic tingle of “Kiss Me on the Bus” brushes against romance in a way The Replacements never had before.
- Most punk groups eventually “mature,” once they learn to play their instruments better. But The Replacements grew into the most loved rock ’n’ roll band in the ‘80s indie scene—and this third album shows why. Their cover of Kiss’ “Black Diamond” is pure rock thunder, but “Unsatisfied,” “Androgynous,” “Sixteen Blue,” and “Answering Machine” are cries from the heart that established Paul Westerberg as a singer for misfits everywhere. His cracked, pained vocals are beyond compare. Even silly stuff like “Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out” and “Gary’s Got a Boner” rock with heart.
Albums
- 2019
- 1987
- 1984
Music Videos
- 2021
- 2021
- 2021
- 2021
- 2006
Artist Playlists
- Meet the sons of no one.
- They were raised on classic rock but corrupted by punk.
- The Mats have spawned pop-punk stars and raspy-voiced raconteurs.
- Behind the drunk-punk reputation is a sense of adventure.
Singles & EPs
Live Albums
More To Hear
- Mark chats with Tommy Stinson of The Replacements.
About The Replacements
Striking an imprecise balance of recklessness and heart, the Replacements were one of the most beloved bands to emerge from the American rock & roll underground in the 1980s. Hailing from Minneapolis, the Replacements careened through their early years on Twin/Tone Records, earning a reputation for beer-soaked concerts and sloppily recorded albums that sometimes disguised the wit and empathy of songwriter and de facto leader Paul Westerberg. They next took their stab at the big time, signing with Sire Records and shedding founding guitarist Bob Stinson -- they became critics' darlings without becoming a mainstream success. They made a spirited debut with 1981's Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, scored a major breakthrough with 1984's Let It Be, and achieved their greatest commercial success with 1989's relatively polished Don't Tell a Soul.
- ORIGIN
- Minneapolis, MN, United States
- FORMED
- 1979
- GENRE
- Rock