Replacements' fans sound off!

In honour of the new book Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 and its chapter on the Replacments…a few opinion questions:

  1. Fave 'Mats album and why?

  2. Fave Bob Stinson guitar solo?

  3. Fave Westerberg lyric?

  4. (If you know enough to answer) Best post-Replacements solo album?

  5. Is it okay that Tommy’s in Guns ‘n’ Roses?

  6. The eternal: Bob or Slim?

and my answers…

  1. It’s hard. Tim has “Left of the Dial,” arguably the 'Mats best song, but I have a soft spot for Pleased to Meet Me and Let It Be. Gosh, this is tough. No answer. :stuck_out_tongue:

  2. Unquestionably (with only “Left of the Dial” running close) it’s the solo from “Gimme Noise” on the Stink EP. When Paul screams out, “Hey, brotha get a fuckin’ load of this…” and then Bob tears into it…oh, sweet heaven.

  3. “They’ll all give you their word, 'cause that’s all that they won’t keep…” (“Color Me Impressed”) runner up: “I wanna be a dancer, but now I’m on my last leg…” (“Bent out of Shape”)

  4. So tough. Both of Tommy’s post-'Mats bands were solid. Paul’s albums (of which his latest, Suicaine Gratification is my fave) are a bit spotty. Overall, I think Slim did the best. Both of his solo albums are winning, endearing and fun.

  5. I want to say know…but it’s Tommy and at least he’s rockin’ somewhere. He deserves better though.

  6. Tough. Slim was almost like Keith Richards in that foppish way. Bob had better sloppy chops of course. They both rule in their own distinct ways.

i’m obviously a geek.

You ain’t nothin’ but a waitress in the sky

I get this in my head whenever the flight attendants start actin’ up.

I’m not a huge fan, but Pleased To Meet Me is one of my fave albums. One of those albums where all of the songs are excellent. Skyway’s a great song. And the Ledge and Can’t Hardly Wait.

I’m a fairly new fan, as I’ve just started looking into them after always hearing about how they are an influence of so much that I listen to. I can’t answer most of the questions, all I have so far is Suicane Gratification and some mp3’s. But one of these days I get around to picking up the albums. Never sure which one to get first.

But since I can’t do albums, my favorite song is probably I’ll Be You.

Favorite Lyric - hmmmm…first that comes to mind is “Jesus rides beside me, he never buys any smokes”

Fave album would be a three way tie between Hootenany, Let It Be, and Tim.

Fave song would be a four way tie between Left Of The Dial, Answering Machine, Here Comes A Regular, and Will Power.

Guess I should answer the rest of the questions…

Fave lyric - “If bein’ afraid is a crime, we hang side by side, at the swingin’ party down the line.” or “A person can work up, a mean, mean thirst, after a hard day of nothin’ much at all.”

Fave Bob moment - his Dragnet/freakout on Run It, off of Hootenanny.

No idea on post 'Mats LP’s.

Bob or Slim? Bob. I always identify with the worlds great wrecks.

Good for Tommy on getting the gig.

  1. Pleased to Meet Me, for all the reasons already stated. Plus, the album was released my freshman year of college, and I have great memories of groovin’ on it at some rocking parties in the dry (snicker) freshman dorms. And I had it on vinyl, too.

  2. The little Beatles bits on “Mr. Whirly,” off Hootenanny.

  3. “I never travel far, without a little Big Star!”

  4. Slim’s first album, The Old New Me, was good, and I love Paul’s work on the Singles soundtrack, but I’m partial to Friday Night is Killing Me, mostly because it has better Rolling Stones songs than the Stones have written in 25 years.

  5. Hell, yes.

  6. Bob forever. That guy was a rock star.

  1. Fave album - “Pleased to Meet Me”. Why? Dunno. I do know it was the first CD I bought of an album I already owned on vinyl. This was about 5 years after my turntable died.

2)Fave Bob solo - (tie)“Gary’s Got A Boner”. So sloppy, but cool. or “Black Diamond” - Vast improvement over the KISS version.

  1. Fave Westerberg lyric - (tie) “I hate music, It’s got too many notes”(I Hate Music) and “You’ve got the face that you chose/
    Honey, can you spare a nose?
    ”(Mannequin Shop). I second “you ain’t nothin’ but a waitress in the sky” as something that always pops into my head when I fly.

4)I’ve only heard the Perfect stuff and Westerberg’s solo disks. Out of those I’d pick 14 Songs. A friend swears by Chris’ “75% Less Fat”, but I still haven’t heard it.

  1. Tommy in GnR. - If it pays the bills, it’s cool. Certainly a better fate than his brother’s.

  2. Bob or Slim - A draw. I think Slim was the better guitarist, but Bob had better material to work with.

Let It Be is my favorite. Perfect blend of meloncholy and irreverence. (But aren’t they all?)

Favorite solo? I dunno. I always dug the guitar work on Tommy Gets his Tonsils Out.

Lyric? I always liked “How do you teach a slave of ignorance? How do you teach a whore about romance?” From “Answering Machine”.

I too, loved his Singles work. But 14 Songs is great as well. “Waiting For Somebody” has to be my favorite Westerberg solo song, though.

More power to Tommy and G N’ R.

And here’s a stupid question: Where did the nick name “'Mats” originate? I can see “'Ments”, but 'Mats?

I

It is a shortening of “Placemats,” which is obviously a loving mangling of the band’s name.

“Pleased To Meet Me” is just so solid.

**

Here’s a curveball: How about the probing solo from “Johnny’s Gonna Die” off “Sorry, Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash”?

**

How can I pick just one? I guess I’ll go with this one, from the excellent B-side, “If Only You Were Lonely”:

Well, I ain’t very good
But I get practice by myself
Forgot my one line
So I just said what I felt

If only you were lonely,
If only you was lonely too,
If only you was lonely
I’d go home with you

**

“Friday Night Is Killing Me” really impressed me, particularly given Tommy’s scant songwriting contibutions to the 'Mats. “Eventually” is probably the best of Westerberg’s surprisingly spotty solo output.

**

Absolutely. Increases the chance that the Replacements’ name will be mentioned in the mainstream press a hundredfold.

**

Gonna have to go with Slim, for the sole reason that I got to meet him before a show during their last tour. He signed my T-shirt, which I adored for many years before misplacing it.

Thanks Snooooopy.
I had made that assumption, but wasn’t sure

And of course I fucked up my favorite quote.
Make that “How do you free a slave of ignorance? How do you teach a whore about romance?”

But to make it up I’ll post another great one:

From “Bastards Of Young”:

“The ones who love us best
Are the ones we’ll lay to rest
And visit their graves on holidays at best
The ones who love us least
Are the ones we’ll die to please
If it’s any consolation
I don’t begin to understand them”

Hopefully, that one’s correct…

Tommy is awesome in GNR… i saw them in Vegas and they put on a great, great show!!

I think one of the coolest things you can do for yourself, is find the 1986 Tim tour bootleg from Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ. It’s one of the most amazing shows I’ve ever heard. They’re not drunk, so they’re incredibly tight and fast as hell.

Highlights include:

The opening song is a blistering version of “Heyday”
a pre-PTMM, with Bob performance of “Can’t Hardly Wait”
“Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out”
“Takin’ a Ride”
“Otto”(!)
“I’m In Trouble” (this version gave me a whole new appreciation for the original)
“Left of the Dial” (just brilliant)
“Take Me to the Hospital” (undoubtedly the best version of this existing…Tommy’s screaming choruses of ‘HOSPITAL!’ are fantastic)
“If Only You Were Lonely” (a full band version)
covers of T. Rex’s “Baby Strange” and someone else’s “Hitchin’ a Ride”
And the closer? Oh, yeah. “Fuck School.”

And many other great songs. Anyone heard this one before?

Snooooopy said:

Great song. One of Westerberg’s wittiest, by far. It’s so clever and shining. I think I love “There was liquor on my breath/you were on my mind” even more though. :slight_smile:

pldennison added earlier:

I went back and listened to Friday Night Is Killing Me today and I’d forgotten what a killer album it is. The title track is right up there with a lot of Replacements’ songs in my book. So’s “Tiny Pieces.”

And to ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness who had never heard Chris Mars’ stuff, it’s all good. The four albums are pretty consistent, but if I were going to pick one, I’d say the first one, Horseshoes and Handgrenades, is your best bet, although I kind of lean towards Tenterhooks as well.

  1. Varies from time to time, but more often than not “Pleased to meet me”. Just one of the greatest albums of all time.

  2. Yikes… too many to pick just one.
    “Are you making a fortune (I don’t know…)?”
    “playing makeup, wearing guitar,”
    “…and I used to be nobody.”
    “something to du”

  3. Just know Paul’s stuff, so of those I’d say “14 songs”.

  4. He’s WHAT?! OK, whatever pays the bills i guess.

  5. With all due respect to Slim, who’s damn good, this is no contest - Bob indeed.

1)Fave album - Tim or Pleased To Meet Me. Both have a nice variety of material and almost no duds. Plus, they remind me of high school - the nostalgia factor.
2)Fave Bob guitar solo - Not much of a solo, but I like the one in “Swingin’ Party”. Captures the mood perfectly, and has that old 50s feel. For the more ripping stuff, pretty much anything off “Sorry Ma…”, and the entire riffs of “Nowhere Is My Home” and “Kids Don’t Follow”. Paul did a decent job with the solos himself on “Pleased To Meet Me”; my favorite is “IOU”. I’m a sucker for those Chuck Berry licks.
3)Man, too many.
“Used to live at home, now I stay at the house.”
“Ain’t lost yet so I gotta be a winner
Bacon and cigarettes
A Lousy dinner.”
“Well you wish upon a star
That turns into a plane.”
“Label wants a hit
And we don’t give a shit.”
“Jesus rides beside me
He never buys any smokes.”
“Hold my life
Until I’m ready to use it
Hold my life
Because I just might lose it.”
“How young are you?
How old am I?
Let’s count the rings
Around my eyes.”
“You be me for awhile
I’ll be you.”
I could go on and on.
4)14 Songs was decent, but I’ll second pldennison’s Friday Night Is Killing Me.
5)Actually, it really disappointed me. Corporate rock bullshit and all that. But good for him for finally making some money off his talent.
6)Bob. Not even debatable, IMO.

*Originally posted by socialxray *

1) Fave 'Mats album and why?
Let It Be Why? Unsatisfied, Answering Machine, every song on it. It’s more solid than their earlier albums, but they lost something when they signed on to a major label, as trite as that may sound nowadays.

2) Fave Bob Stinson guitar solo?
The one where he didn’t walk offstage to get a beer.

Ok seriously, the one in Run It–white nose, with notes.

3) Fave Westerberg lyric?
All the straight lines…

“Look me in the eye and tell me that I’m satisfied.
Are you satisfied?”

“Yours is the hardest age–everything drags and drags.
Think it’s funny, well you ain’t laughin’, are you?”

4) (If you know enough to answer) Best post-Replacements solo album?
Dunno.

5) Is it okay that Tommy’s in Guns ‘n’ Roses?
Isn’t this what the Replacements were all about? There should be a Replacement playing in Kiss, except that they aren’t exactly on top 40 radio anymore…

6) The eternal: Bob or Slim?
Slim who?

[Aging punk/hipster mode]
Man, I remember seeing them before anyone knew who they were! They played Fitzgerald’s in Houston, opening for a local blues band, and played parts of about three songs, then asked what the audience wanted to hear. A friend, pissed that they were screwing off on stage, said “How about something from the Replacements?” They broke into Unsatisfied, and we were all blown away.
[/aging punk/hipster mode]
i’m obviously a geek. **
[/QUOTE]

Cornflakes said:

Man, I hope you’re being sarcastic.

If you are…shit. I love Slim. :slight_smile: He’s just too nice of a guy to not like in any way, shape or form.

If you’re not being sarcastic…

Slim Dunlap. He was the 'Mats second lead guitarist. He took Bob’s place, starting with the PTMM tour and then his first album with them was *Don’t Tell a Soul *.

Which by the way is a damn underrated album. It takes a lot of slack…but jesus. “Anywhere’s Better Than Here.” There’s a live version of it out there somewhere where the crowd screams a long. And it’s just mesmerizing.

Of course, the 'Mats made anything good live. I used to abhor All Shook Down until I got a bootleg copy of their final show. Those songs live were a totally different animal.

Yeah, socialxray, I know who Slim is, and I shouldn’t have been that harsh. I was really disappointed with Pleased to Meet Me and didn’t listen to the Replacements very much after that. In any case, I remember the band with Bob–no offense to Slim.

  1. Pleased To Meet Me
  2. Color Me Impressed
  3. “Twenty push-ups this morning, that was half my goal
    Tonight I’ll be doin’ pull-ups on the toliet bowl”
  4. Tenterhooks by Chris Mars. Most Mats fans hate this album but I think it’s brilliant. I still listen to it at least once a week.
  5. Sure, why not?
  6. Both

Tit Whistle (who never got the see the Mats live :()