YouTube patrol

[mrblasty]

More Hem41 fun:


I'll Be You

[scoOter]

am i alone in getting just absolutely giddy over a new installment from hem? he is gone, but these periodic reminders are beautiful.

[Kathy]

scooterboy said:

am i alone in getting just absolutely giddy over a new installment from hem? he is gone, but these periodic reminders are beautiful.

In a perfect world, this would have been the cover of the Mats Best of:




I was thinking of the Hem last week when I read this in the EW Quotes of the Week section:

''No, I don't have a gambling problem. I'm winning, and winning is not a problem. That's like saying Michael Jordan has a basketball problem, or Def Leppard has an awesomeness problem.''
--- Earl on "My Name is Earl"

[jerome99RIP]

Ha. That "I'll Be You" piece was great.

[nowwesayitoutloud]

A thousand critics have hailed the Mats' "suburban" angst. Here's one who hears what I hear -- city music -- in this review of Sorry Ma and the Twin Tone videos:

THE REPLACEMENTS - LIVE IN 1981 - TWIN TONE RECORDS

This album, "Sorry Ma Forgot TO Take OUT THE TRASH !!!" is a classic. HEAR ME? A BONIFIDE CLASSIC !!! Its on Twin Tone Records and it captures 20+ odd songs all revved up at a feverish pitch. It encapsulates the outrageous momentum of The Replacements.

This Minneapolis quartet is a noise machine. Its rough, edgy, urban sound really is what is missing in a lot of our polished do-nothing bands of the current moment. Its authentic. That is Paul Westerberg up there working up a real rage. That is Bob Stinson on the far right before he sadly drank himself to an early grave. This is real raunchy in your face rock music.

These guys were a critics favorite and were passed up many times in more popular rock magazines. Once in a while you would hear about them in a small write up but not too often. They did do a brief appearance on Saturday Night Live once their inner fire slowed down. "Sorry Ma" is an instant classic. I got the whole thing memorized and have lived each song to the hilt in many cases.

Westerberg would later create music on his own and produce some prolific sounds. Still, for my money, I really adore these early clips. They contain the raw elements of what a good rock band should be. Its noisy but you don't get lost in it. And... AND... These guys are ANYTHING BUT BORING. They entertain.

[steveinlouisville]

wecantget said:

A thousand critics have hailed the Mats' "suburban" angst. Here's one who hears what I hear -- city music -- in this review of Sorry Ma and the Twin Tone videos:

THE REPLACEMENTS - LIVE IN 1981 - TWIN TONE RECORDS

This album, "Sorry Ma Forgot TO Take OUT THE TRASH !!!" is a classic. HEAR ME? A BONIFIDE CLASSIC !!! Its on Twin Tone Records and it captures 20+ odd songs all revved up at a feverish pitch. It encapsulates the outrageous momentum of The Replacements.

This Minneapolis quartet is a noise machine. Its rough, edgy, urban sound really is what is missing in a lot of our polished do-nothing bands of the current moment. Its authentic. That is Paul Westerberg up there working up a real rage. That is Bob Stinson on the far right before he sadly drank himself to an early grave. This is real raunchy in your face rock music.

These guys were a critics favorite and were passed up many times in more popular rock magazines. Once in a while you would hear about them in a small write up but not too often. They did do a brief appearance on Saturday Night Live once their inner fire slowed down. "Sorry Ma" is an instant classic. I got the whole thing memorized and have lived each song to the hilt in many cases.

Westerberg would later create music on his own and produce some prolific sounds. Still, for my money, I really adore these early clips. They contain the raw elements of what a good rock band should be. Its noisy but you don't get lost in it. And... AND... These guys are ANYTHING BUT BORING. They entertain.

For those folks without a monitor, please send a self addressed stamped envelope to me in Louisville, KY for a transcript of the above.

[nazareth]

sfischer said:

wecantget said:

A thousand critics have hailed the Mats' "suburban" angst. Here's one who hears what I hear -- city music -- in this review of Sorry Ma and the Twin Tone videos:

THE REPLACEMENTS - LIVE IN 1981 - TWIN TONE RECORDS

This album, "Sorry Ma Forgot TO Take OUT THE TRASH !!!" is a classic. HEAR ME? A BONIFIDE CLASSIC !!! Its on Twin Tone Records and it captures 20+ odd songs all revved up at a feverish pitch. It encapsulates the outrageous momentum of The Replacements.

This Minneapolis quartet is a noise machine. Its rough, edgy, urban sound really is what is missing in a lot of our polished do-nothing bands of the current moment. Its authentic. That is Paul Westerberg up there working up a real rage. That is Bob Stinson on the far right before he sadly drank himself to an early grave. This is real raunchy in your face rock music.

These guys were a critics favorite and were passed up many times in more popular rock magazines. Once in a while you would hear about them in a small write up but not too often. They did do a brief appearance on Saturday Night Live once their inner fire slowed down. "Sorry Ma" is an instant classic. I got the whole thing memorized and have lived each song to the hilt in many cases.

Westerberg would later create music on his own and produce some prolific sounds. Still, for my money, I really adore these early clips. They contain the raw elements of what a good rock band should be. Its noisy but you don't get lost in it. And... AND... These guys are ANYTHING BUT BORING. They entertain.

For those folks without a monitor, please send a self addressed stamped envelope to me in Louisville, KY for a transcript of the above.

hahahaha

[scoOter]

wecantget said:

A thousand critics have hailed the Mats' "suburban" angst. Here's one who hears what I hear -- city music

now that you mention it, i do recall hearing/reading "critics" talk about the mats suburban angst/ennui/etc. this just gives further credence the zappa school of thought on "rock journalism".

Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read.

the mats are anything but suburban. now, the bands and/or rock subgenres they may or may not have spawned might be classified as suburban, but when i hear the mats, i hear car horns, feel the gravel & broken glass of the ally behind the house, and smell the exhaust of city buses.

[nowwesayitoutloud]

scooterboy said:

wecantget said:

A thousand critics have hailed the Mats' "suburban" angst. Here's one who hears what I hear -- city music

now that you mention it, i do recall hearing/reading "critics" talk about the mats suburban angst/ennui/etc. this just gives further credence the zappa school of thought on "rock journalism".

Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read.

the mats are anything but suburban. now, the bands and/or rock subgenres they may or may not have spawned might be classified as suburban, but when i hear the mats, i hear car horns, feel the gravel & broken glass of the ally behind the house, and smell the exhaust of city buses.

hey thanks for the amen. to give the other side of the argument its due, when I've brought this up before, here or elsewhere, it's been pointed out that mpls at least in the past was less racially diverse than many other cities. So people hear suburban partly just because they hear white.

[scoOter]

wecantget said:

hey thanks for the amen. to give the other side of the argument its due, when I've brought this up before, here or elsewhere, it's been pointed out that mpls at least in the past was less racially diverse than many other cities. So people hear suburban partly just because they hear white.

not directed at you, dude, but that argument is at best bullshit, and at worst flat out racist. again, this isn't an attack on you.

[nowwesayitoutloud]

scooterboy said:

wecantget said:

hey thanks for the amen. to give the other side of the argument its due, when I've brought this up before, here or elsewhere, it's been pointed out that mpls at least in the past was less racially diverse than many other cities. So people hear suburban partly just because they hear white.

not directed at you, dude, but that argument is at best bullshit, and at worst flat out racist. again, this isn't an attack on you.

I agree, but that's the urban/suburban split for you. Anyway, the positive thing is, the Mats made great music you can hear the city in, like you say.

[adamannapolis]

I don't think anyone posted this yet...Here's an interview with Paul about All Shook Down~~

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxtP89c0_p8

youtube.com/watch?v=QHeLmJS8Cbc

AAR

[Tarzan]

Dec 26, 2006, 7:52pm, nowwesayitoutloud wrote:

"hey thanks for the amen. to give the other side of the argument its due, when I've brought this up before, here or elsewhere, it's been pointed out that mpls at least in the past was less racially diverse than many other cities. So people hear suburban partly just because they hear white."

ScooteR then called this "bullshit" and "flat out racist."

Why is this racist? I live in a predominantly "black" town and go to African-American churches to hear gospel because it's much better than white folks' gospel to me. Way much better, in my opinion. Same with most older R&B acts. White guys, with a couple of exceptions (Wayne Cochran, Eddie Hinton), usually sound lousy trying to sing soul music (That Hall and Oates are called "soul," even if it's prefaced by "blue-eyed," is appalling. Boz Scaggs sings better "blue-eyed" soul than H&O, but he still ain't Otis Redding or Pickett). Is that really racist, to draw musical distinctions based on race?

I recall an interview where PW said (he was agreeing with Chris Mars) that the middle class ("suburban" in my world--PW was also referring to the Mats as middle-class and better than the rest) often makes the best, most honest rock 'n roll because the lower class is too desperate and will try too hard, while the upper class is too comfortable to really express any true emotion (or something like that) and will try anything. Sorta like the middle class is the most accurate. PW also defined white kids playing blues as being pretty much comfortable, middle class (suburban) guys without a job. "White and Lazy" (is that the name of the Mats' tune?), isn't that sorta of a slap at white folks playing blues? Or is that simply PW defining blues in a "white" way? Most white folks I've heard playing the blues ought to be slapped. Is that racist?

Off the subject at hand here, but I'm heading off to James Brown's funeral on Saturday in Augusta for a story assignment for work. I'll get a report in next week. I love writing stories about funerals. Can't wait to here Rev. Al Sharpton preach amongst the tombstones as they lower JB into the ground. Oh, God do I ever love JB!

[Tarzan]

Oh yeah, I forgot.

ScooteR wrote, quoting Zappa: "Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read."

I couldn't agree more. Writing about rock 'n roll on a "professional" level is rather stupid, though I have to concede that writing about rock 'n roll funerals is kinda cool. To me, anyway. Ah, subjectivity. Does objectivity exist in a world of musical tastes?

[FreeRider]

I'm a bit confused as to what music has to do with where one lives, what color you are, or your social class. I would suspect that how anyone grows up certainly influences that person's outlook on life, preferences, tastes, etc...but to me, a genre of music is a genre of music. Doesn't quite matter to me who plays it as long as its honest and heartfelt and stays true to the genre. But yeah, if it's like Pat Boone doing a cover of a Little Richards tune or something back in the '50s, turning it into Muzak, then sure, it's a blatantly patronizing and reeks of exploitation.

I've never been to MPLS, so I don't know what the social dynamics are like out there between the city and its suburbs.

[A Regular]

freerider said:

I've never been to MPLS, so I don't know what the social dynamics are like out there between the city and its suburbs.

Road Trip!

[kgp]

I recall an interview where PW said (he was agreeing with Chris Mars) that the middle class ("suburban" in my world--PW was also referring to the Mats as middle-class and better than the rest) often makes the best, most honest rock 'n roll...

That sounds a lot like something Dave Marsh (of whom Paul is a big, big fan ) said in one of his Big Books of Rock Lists.

(I also find that odd because in later interviews I'm pretty sure Paul identified himself as working class.)

Anyway, I watched a documentary on nineties Brit-pop earlier this week, which basically pitted middle-class Blur against working-class Oasis, the latter being more "pure" and "honest," (this according to one of the Gallaghers, or at least that's the British music-buying public's perception), while Blur is nothing but a bunch of poseurs. As far as the Replacements being considered suburban, isn't that more the press or whatever aligning them with indie-punk rock which is largely the domain of suburban white kids?

[GoddamnJob290]

kgp said:

I recall an interview where PW said (he was agreeing with Chris Mars) that the middle class ("suburban" in my world--PW was also referring to the Mats as middle-class and better than the rest) often makes the best, most honest rock 'n roll...

That sounds a lot like something Dave Marsh (of whom Paul is a big, big fan ) said in one of his Big Books of Rock Lists.

(I also find that odd because in later interviews I'm pretty sure Paul identified himself as working class.)

Anyway, I watched a documentary on nineties Brit-pop earlier this week, which basically pitted middle-class Blur against working-class Oasis, the latter being more "pure" and "honest," (this according to one of the Gallaghers, or at least that's the British music-buying public's perception), while Blur is nothing but a bunch of poseurs. As far as the Replacements being considered suburban, isn't that more the press or whatever aligning them with indie-punk rock which is largely the domain of suburban white kids?

I've always figured it was because the Replacements and other indie rock bands of their ilk (Sebadoh, Superchunk, etc.) have a more free wheeling vibe to their music, lacking any major "art rock" connotations. The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth are just as much as part of indie-punk rock as the Replacements (if not much more so), but no one has ever called either "suburban music" because of each group's respective connections with the NYC "art world". "Suburban" can be just a substitute world for "simple" or "traditional".

[nowwesayitoutloud]

If the people making the music care enough about the place they call home to work it into their music, then it matters. Otherwise, probably not. The Mats and PW did record a few songs that suggest they care.
"Raised in the City"
"Stuck in the Middle"
"Nowhere Is My Home"
"Skyway"
"MPLS"
"Meet Me Down the Alley"
"I Belong"
... to name a few.

I didn't mean to highjack the thread ... here's a video of a skyway to make up for it:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei317S1ot2E

[FreeRider]

unsatisfied2 said:

freerider said:

I've never been to MPLS, so I don't know what the social dynamics are like out there between the city and its suburbs.

Road Trip!

Absolutely!