As demonstrated on their first few albums, the Replacements were capable of playing as hard and fast as their ’80s hardcore contemporaries and yet stylistically they preferred to try a little bit of everything including country, folk, and power pop. That’s Peter Buck from R.E.M. playing guitar on “I Will Dare” and the band even covered “Black Diamond” by KISS without a trace of irony. Nobody else at the time sounded like- or were as good as- the Replacements and yet mainstream popularity eluded them.
The band had a reputation for hard living and bad decision making. The same themes that inspired the Replacements’ music- boredom, disappointment, alienation- also exacerbated their own personal demons and eventually led to Bob Stinson’s expulsion in 1986. Without Bob’s oddball playing style and insanely great guitar solos, they weren’t really the Replacements anymore but sort of like the Rolling Stones without Keith Richards. The band broke up in 1991. Bob Stinson died in 1995.
“A rock 'n' roll band needs to be able to get under people's skin,” said Paul Westerberg. “You should be able to clear the room at the drop of a hat.” While there was always an air of self-deprecation and self-destruction in the Replacements’ songs, those things have been a part of rock music from the beginning and I think stories of the band self-sabotaging their own success- especially during their live shows- are mostly exaggerations. Anyway, I don’t listen to the Replacements because some of the members were raging, insecure alcoholics- I listen because I like the music. Here are some more of my favorites. Enjoy!
01. The Replacements – “Here Comes a Regular” (1985)
02. The Replacements – “If Only You Were Lonely” (1981)
03. The Replacements – “I Will Dare” (1984)
04. The Replacements – “Within Your Reach” (1983)
05. The Replacements – “Nowhere Is My Home” (1985)
06. The Replacements – “Red Red Wine” (1987)
07. The Replacements – “Black Diamond” (1984)
08. The Replacements – “Color Me Impressed” (1983)
09. The Replacements – “Shutup (Live - Demo)” (1980)
10. The Replacements – “Hayday” (1983)
Listen to the playlist on Spotify...
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