Post by Kathy on Jun 10, 2006 17:29:38 GMT -5
www.startribune.com/457/story/481701.html
Replacements' 'Message' heard loud and clear
Two new songs aren't the only reason to get excited about the Replacements' first proper best-of CD.
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune
It's not exactly burning up the charts across the country, but there's a new Replacements song getting played a lot on Twin Cities radio. Halle-frickin'-lujah, I say.
The song, "Message to the Boys," is pretty average in Replacements terms. Up-tempo rocker. Gritty guitar riff. Sharply hooked chorus. A classic Paul Westerberg Bittersweet Twist in the refrain, "God, I miss her and her voice."
Were it not for Tommy Stinson's Ronnie Lane-like background vocals, "Message to the Boys" could pass for a Westerberg solo track. But almost anyone who cares knows that it's not. It's one of two new cuts that the surviving 'Mats recorded for their first proper career retrospective, "Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? The Best of the Replacements," which hits stores Tuesday.
Aside from the new tracks -- also including the short and quirky rocker "Pool & Dive" -- "Don't You Know" is a Cliffs Notes version or maybe even an Idiot's Guide to the legendary Minneapolis band's legendarily troublesome career.
Any Replacements lover will tell you that this is one act that's simply not well-suited for a greatest-hits package, like the Eagles, Poison or even the Ramones or Pixies are. It's not because they had no hits ("I'll Be You" came closest at No. 51 in Billboard in 1989). Nor is it because their albums were all masterpieces ("Stink" clearly lives up to its name, and "All Shook Down" sounds all mixed up).
At the very least, though, their records all had their own rough identity. They stand out from one another like members of the Partridge Family ("Let It Be" being their David).
That gets lost on "Don't You Know," and even makes the CD something of a clumsy listen. It's not easy going from the raw and guttural openers "Takin' a Ride" and "Shiftless When Idle" -- both from the band's 1980 debut -- to the polished radio rock of "I'll Be You" and "Merry Go Round" over the course of a single disc. Never mind that "I'm in Trouble" actually should have been picked from the first album.
That said, this new best-of might be the best thing that's ever happened to the Replacements in a commercial sense. Putting the two new tracks on there was a smart move because it gets old fans excited (or a lot of them, anyway). Meanwhile, the disc caters to a ripe new audience waiting to get exposed to the Replacements. They're definitely out there, too, what with all the trumpeting the band still gets from rock critics and younger rock heroes (Billie Joe Armstrong, Chris Carrabba and those Death Cab for Cutie studs, to name a few).
Correcting wrongs of 1997 CD
If "Don't You Know" doesn't cement a new fan base, it at least makes up for the wrongs of the 1997 compilation "All for Nothing/Nothing for All," which highlighted only the latter half of the band's career because of record-company politics. Thanks to the fact that most labels are now owned by one of three conglomerates, "Within Your Reach,"I Will Dare,"Can't Hardly Wait" and "Bastards of Young" are all on the same best-of album, as they should be.
It's also fitting to have a couple of new tracks alongside those classics. The Replacements didn't die in 1991 when the band officially split up, nor in 1995 when original guitarist Bob Stinson passed away.
Part of the band's mystique is what has happened since the breakup: Westerberg's varied and often underrated solo career; Tommy Stinson's own decent solo outings and current run as a member of Guns N' Roses and Soul Asylum, and drummer Chris Mars' quiet transformation into a respected visual artist.
Yes, even if they've recorded only two songs in 15 years, the Replacements are alive and well. This little toe-in-the-water gesture will hopefully ripple into a full-blown reunion tour, maybe even an all-new album. And no matter what, that dang boxed set had better come out by the time Westerberg is a grandpa. (A live album is long overdue, too, although there'd have to be two to capture the group before and after Bob Stinson's firing in 1986.)
The Replacements were a great band, but they weren't so great that their legacy can't be messed with. A decent new Replacements song recorded last December is a lot more fulfilling than yet another spin of "I Will Dare," no matter its magic.
With that in mind, here's hoping "Message to the Boys" becomes the rock anthem of the summer.
Replacements' 'Message' heard loud and clear
Two new songs aren't the only reason to get excited about the Replacements' first proper best-of CD.
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune
It's not exactly burning up the charts across the country, but there's a new Replacements song getting played a lot on Twin Cities radio. Halle-frickin'-lujah, I say.
The song, "Message to the Boys," is pretty average in Replacements terms. Up-tempo rocker. Gritty guitar riff. Sharply hooked chorus. A classic Paul Westerberg Bittersweet Twist in the refrain, "God, I miss her and her voice."
Were it not for Tommy Stinson's Ronnie Lane-like background vocals, "Message to the Boys" could pass for a Westerberg solo track. But almost anyone who cares knows that it's not. It's one of two new cuts that the surviving 'Mats recorded for their first proper career retrospective, "Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? The Best of the Replacements," which hits stores Tuesday.
Aside from the new tracks -- also including the short and quirky rocker "Pool & Dive" -- "Don't You Know" is a Cliffs Notes version or maybe even an Idiot's Guide to the legendary Minneapolis band's legendarily troublesome career.
Any Replacements lover will tell you that this is one act that's simply not well-suited for a greatest-hits package, like the Eagles, Poison or even the Ramones or Pixies are. It's not because they had no hits ("I'll Be You" came closest at No. 51 in Billboard in 1989). Nor is it because their albums were all masterpieces ("Stink" clearly lives up to its name, and "All Shook Down" sounds all mixed up).
At the very least, though, their records all had their own rough identity. They stand out from one another like members of the Partridge Family ("Let It Be" being their David).
That gets lost on "Don't You Know," and even makes the CD something of a clumsy listen. It's not easy going from the raw and guttural openers "Takin' a Ride" and "Shiftless When Idle" -- both from the band's 1980 debut -- to the polished radio rock of "I'll Be You" and "Merry Go Round" over the course of a single disc. Never mind that "I'm in Trouble" actually should have been picked from the first album.
That said, this new best-of might be the best thing that's ever happened to the Replacements in a commercial sense. Putting the two new tracks on there was a smart move because it gets old fans excited (or a lot of them, anyway). Meanwhile, the disc caters to a ripe new audience waiting to get exposed to the Replacements. They're definitely out there, too, what with all the trumpeting the band still gets from rock critics and younger rock heroes (Billie Joe Armstrong, Chris Carrabba and those Death Cab for Cutie studs, to name a few).
Correcting wrongs of 1997 CD
If "Don't You Know" doesn't cement a new fan base, it at least makes up for the wrongs of the 1997 compilation "All for Nothing/Nothing for All," which highlighted only the latter half of the band's career because of record-company politics. Thanks to the fact that most labels are now owned by one of three conglomerates, "Within Your Reach,"I Will Dare,"Can't Hardly Wait" and "Bastards of Young" are all on the same best-of album, as they should be.
It's also fitting to have a couple of new tracks alongside those classics. The Replacements didn't die in 1991 when the band officially split up, nor in 1995 when original guitarist Bob Stinson passed away.
Part of the band's mystique is what has happened since the breakup: Westerberg's varied and often underrated solo career; Tommy Stinson's own decent solo outings and current run as a member of Guns N' Roses and Soul Asylum, and drummer Chris Mars' quiet transformation into a respected visual artist.
Yes, even if they've recorded only two songs in 15 years, the Replacements are alive and well. This little toe-in-the-water gesture will hopefully ripple into a full-blown reunion tour, maybe even an all-new album. And no matter what, that dang boxed set had better come out by the time Westerberg is a grandpa. (A live album is long overdue, too, although there'd have to be two to capture the group before and after Bob Stinson's firing in 1986.)
The Replacements were a great band, but they weren't so great that their legacy can't be messed with. A decent new Replacements song recorded last December is a lot more fulfilling than yet another spin of "I Will Dare," no matter its magic.
With that in mind, here's hoping "Message to the Boys" becomes the rock anthem of the summer.
