According to this story, the three surviving members of the Replacements reconvened to record two new songs for a best-of.
What’s surprising is that Chris Mars is involved. A reunion of Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson never seemed farfetched – and probably would have happened by now if Stinson hadn’t joined Guns 'N Roses. But Mars left the band a very unhappy camper. He took shots at his old bandmates on his solo albums. Heck, when Magnet magazine did a big story a couple of years ago on the '80s Minneapolis scene, he didn’t even want to comment, having left it all behind.
What’s REALLY surprising is that Mars did not drum on the two new tracks. He only sang backup while a sessioneer did the actual drumming. I can’t imagine what kind of sales pitch was required to get him back in the studio so he could NOT do his old job. Either the hatchet has been buried or the money was GOOD.
The 'Mats cannot reunite, any more than The Sex Pistols, The Beatles or Led Zeppelin can. Paul and Tommy with a studio drummer and Chris on backup vocals is a pickup band at best.
This whole move reeks of a cynicism that was utterly absent from The Replacements during their career. Recording a couple of one-off songs so that your best-of compilation can bear a “TWO PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS!!” sticker is something I’ve seen a band do before. The band was Van Halen.
I’m not surprised that Mars wouldn’t want to put up with any more of Westerberg’s complaining about his drumming. He endured enough of that before and after he left the band.
I disagree. Clearly they were a different band without Smokin’ Bob Stinson, but they managed to make one excellent and one pretty good album without him. Chris Mars was always a weak drummer.
I don’t feel bad at all about this reunion. It seems like it may have been on Westerberg’s mind for a while. He had talked about trying to get the guys together to play at the Karl Mueller benefit show last year. I’m going to chalk this up to nostalgia, cuz that that’s the basis for my good feelings about it.
