Post by headlightbeams on Jun 27, 2006 4:11:19 GMT -5
www.aversion.com/bands/reviews.cfm?f_id=2659
Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?
The Replacements
Rhino Records
5 stars
(out of 5)
Although we’d like to remember the rock underground of the mid-’80s to Nevermind as one big, happy unheard-music family, it was just as fractured and full of faction as today’s world of indie-rock infighting. The remnants of the first great punk scenes were busy dying, college radio was popularizing everything from R.E.M. to Mudhoney and the precursor to alt-rock radio was eeking out a meager existence juggling new wave’s death rattle, the pop underground’s best efforts and the cream of the punk and college-radio scenes.
Through it all, The Replacements were a rare band that cut across the underground’s borders. With their roots in punk and their ability to juggle everything from pop to roots to straightforward rock, the Minneapolis four-piece piled up critical acclaim and a dedicated, if criminally tiny, fan base from across the underground (and eventually mainstream) spectrum before its split in 1991.
Rhino sifts through the band’s back catalog to cull some of the most notable tracks from the act’s eight-album catalog – and dangles a pair of freshly recorded songs out there for longtime fans – to wrap up The Replacements’ career in an easy-to-swallow introduction. While a 20-track retrospective isn’t the deluxe, boxed set edition that fanatics are hoping for, Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was is an essential addition to any underground music fan’s permanent collection.
Stacking up songs in a roughly chronological order, Don’t You Know showcases some of the band’s most memorable tracks while showing singer/guitarist Paul Westerberg’s development from a punk-rock hell-raiser to one of the leading songwriters of his generation. His career arc pulled the band from simply nipping at Husker Du’s heels to charging forward as a rock/pop outfit with a vision of its own. No matter if Don’t You Know settles into early-year punk noise (“Takin a Ride” and “Shiftless When Idle”), rootsy pop (“Kiss Me on the Bus”), rockabilly-inflected tunes (“I Will Dare”) or slick balladry (“I’ll Be You”), Westerberg’s clever wordplay and the band’s smart chops keep the ’Mats at the head of their class.
The two freshly recorded tracks tacked onto the end of this collection aren’t going to become enshrined in Replacements legend, but they won’t tarnish the band’s legacy, either. More of Replacements by numbers, the act kicks up a racket and garage dust on “Pool and Dive” and “Message to the Boys,” cuts that just as easily could have surfaced on the last Grandpaboy album.
It’s impossible to wrap up The Replacements’ career in a mere 65 minutes, but Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was? does a heck of a job at paying tribute – or serving as a springboard to the band’s now classic catalog for new fans – to remind us just why the punks, college kids and wavers could all agree upon the band so long ago.
- Matt Schild
Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?
The Replacements
Rhino Records
5 stars
(out of 5)
Although we’d like to remember the rock underground of the mid-’80s to Nevermind as one big, happy unheard-music family, it was just as fractured and full of faction as today’s world of indie-rock infighting. The remnants of the first great punk scenes were busy dying, college radio was popularizing everything from R.E.M. to Mudhoney and the precursor to alt-rock radio was eeking out a meager existence juggling new wave’s death rattle, the pop underground’s best efforts and the cream of the punk and college-radio scenes.
Through it all, The Replacements were a rare band that cut across the underground’s borders. With their roots in punk and their ability to juggle everything from pop to roots to straightforward rock, the Minneapolis four-piece piled up critical acclaim and a dedicated, if criminally tiny, fan base from across the underground (and eventually mainstream) spectrum before its split in 1991.
Rhino sifts through the band’s back catalog to cull some of the most notable tracks from the act’s eight-album catalog – and dangles a pair of freshly recorded songs out there for longtime fans – to wrap up The Replacements’ career in an easy-to-swallow introduction. While a 20-track retrospective isn’t the deluxe, boxed set edition that fanatics are hoping for, Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was is an essential addition to any underground music fan’s permanent collection.
Stacking up songs in a roughly chronological order, Don’t You Know showcases some of the band’s most memorable tracks while showing singer/guitarist Paul Westerberg’s development from a punk-rock hell-raiser to one of the leading songwriters of his generation. His career arc pulled the band from simply nipping at Husker Du’s heels to charging forward as a rock/pop outfit with a vision of its own. No matter if Don’t You Know settles into early-year punk noise (“Takin a Ride” and “Shiftless When Idle”), rootsy pop (“Kiss Me on the Bus”), rockabilly-inflected tunes (“I Will Dare”) or slick balladry (“I’ll Be You”), Westerberg’s clever wordplay and the band’s smart chops keep the ’Mats at the head of their class.
The two freshly recorded tracks tacked onto the end of this collection aren’t going to become enshrined in Replacements legend, but they won’t tarnish the band’s legacy, either. More of Replacements by numbers, the act kicks up a racket and garage dust on “Pool and Dive” and “Message to the Boys,” cuts that just as easily could have surfaced on the last Grandpaboy album.
It’s impossible to wrap up The Replacements’ career in a mere 65 minutes, but Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was? does a heck of a job at paying tribute – or serving as a springboard to the band’s now classic catalog for new fans – to remind us just why the punks, college kids and wavers could all agree upon the band so long ago.
- Matt Schild