Ranking the Albums: The Replacements Version

So much has been written about The Replacements over the years it hardly seems necessary to write this entry but it had to be done. There's really no way to describe how much this band has meant to so many people (including myself) but I will do my best. I'm not old enough to have seen The Replacements live so all my experiences are through the albums and legendary story's. There may not be another band ever (certainly not in the 80's) who capture the reckless spirit of rock and roll while coupling it with feelings of hopelessness and being an outsider. They also consistently offset that with a wicked sense of humor that most other bands couldn't begin to touch. Frontman Paul Westerberg was once quoted as saying (and I'm paraphrasing) that no other band could go from loud to soft as effectively as The Replacements and that is completely true. Westerberg was perhaps the best songwriter in rock and roll during the 80's (apologies to Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Shane MacGowan) and is an underrated singer and guitarist as well. Original lead guitarist Bob Stinson layed down some of the craziest guitar solos in history before he was either forced out or quit the band (depending on who you ask). His bass playing younger brother Tommy and drummer Chris Mars were not flashy but made a very capable rhythm section. The band had a well earned reputation as being difficult drunks who sabotaged their own success on more than one occasion. While those times may not represent the best financial decisions the band could have made, no one could ever say that they weren't true to themselves.

 For me this is the best band of the 80's and perhaps my favorite of all time. Click on the jump to get a detailed rundown on each of their 8 studio albums.

Side note: I'm only going into the original albums and not taking into account the bonus tracks on the remastered versions but if you're looking to buy any Replacements CD's the remasters are easily the way to go.

8. All Shook Down - 1990

Every list must have a bottom and All Shook Down is the bottom here. A Replacements album in name only, All Shook Down is much more a Westerberg Solo album that members of the "Mats happen to play on than anything else. It's easily the softest album they ever cut with acoustic guitars being the norm and only a couple nods to their wild rock past ("Bent Out Of Shape," "My Little Problem") . That's not to say there isn't some great material on here. Album opener "Merry Go Round" is a fantastic pop song that would fit on any Replacements album. "Sadly Beautiful" is a fine ballad who's title is a perfect representation of the song. "One Wink at a Time," "Someone Take the Wheel," and "Happy Town" straddle the line between rock and pop successfully and "When It Began" and "Attitude" are both enjoyable up tempo folk-pop songs. All in all there's not much in the way of bad material here but it just doesn't feel like a Replacements album.

7. Don't Tell A Soul - 1989

Don't Tell a Soul was designed to be The Replacements hit album (I suppose that technically every major label album they recorded was but this sounds the most like it) but it just never happened and was the beginning of the end instead. It's got the biggest sounding production which doesn't necessarily hurt the songs but it doesn't really help either. The bands spirit has been stifled almost throughout in favor of a more slick sound. There's some great stuff but it sits alongside some of their worst songs as well. "Talent Show" kicks off the album brilliantly with a upbeat soft-rocker with lyrics that describe the band perfectly. "I'll Be You" was the biggest hit of the bands career (first 'Mats song I ever heard) and while that's not saying much it is an excellent rock song. "Achin' to Be" is one of Westerberg's finest ballads and has a nice country vibe going for it. On the downside "They're Blind" is not offensively bad but it is pretty bland. "Anywhere's Better Than Here" and "I Won't" sound forced, and don't get me started on the attempted funk of "Askin' Me Lies." Overall the good outweighs the bad and the highlights are great but Don't Tell a Soul is uneven at best and could easily be considered an attempted "sell-out."

6. Stink - 1982

Stink is the "Mats nod to hardcore. 8 songs in 15 minutes. It's a pure blast of energy from start to finish. "Kid's Don't Follow" is the best song on the album as you can actually hear a bit of melody amidst the madness and was Westerberg's best lyrical effort up to that point. "Fuck School" and "God Damn Job" barely break the one minute mark and feature Westerberg at his most despondent. "White and Lazy" manages to incorporate a blues rhythm and harmonica before descending into the hardcore that dominates Stink. The album (technically an E.P.) flies by and is very tight throughout. I'm not sure it's required listening but it's a hell of a lot of fun.

5. Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash - 1981

The Replacements debut is a fun, fast and loose statement. It's not nearly tight enough to be considered punk but it's far to ragged to be a pure rock record either. "Takin' a Ride," "Kick Your Door Down," "Shiftless When Idle," and "I'm In Trouble" are all fantastic hard rock songs and easy standouts. "Johnnie's Gonna Die" is fantastic proof that, even early on, Westerberg possessed something special as a songwriter. It's a touching tribute to Johnny Thunders and stands out amongst the sea of quick but endearing tracks that make up the rest of the album. Bob Stinson is all over Sorry Ma, with his wild-man guitar solos giving the sense that the whole thing could fly off it's hinges at any moment. Admittedly a lot of the songs tend to bleed together but they are all enjoyable on at least the level of an adrenaline rush.

4. Hootenanny - 1983

Hootenanny is where the Replacements showed they had much more talent than most of the punk acts they were lumped in with. There are still songs that reflect that side, such as "Run It," You Lose" and "Hayday" but much of the album finds the band branching out. "Within' Your Reach" is the first Westerberg solo song to be released on a Replacements album and while the (mostly) synthetic instrumentation hasn't age all that well the lyrics and sentiment are timeless. They prove that Westerberg and had more to offer than loud, dumb fun. "Buck Hill" is a cool instrumental ski-rock song (you can't surf in Minnesota). "Mr. Whirly" rips off the Beatles to great affect and along with the title track and "Treatment Bound" show off the bands sense of humor. The true highlight of Hootenanny is "Color Me Impressed." The songs lyrics touch on the sense of belonging that The Replacements never felt and are backed by a excellent rock track. The entire album gives off the feeling of fun and it is perhaps the album that bests captures the spirit of the band.

3. Pleased To Meet Me - 1987

"One Foot in the Door, the Other One in the Gutter." This line from Pleased to Meet Me's "I Don't Know" is  the perfect description of not only this album specifically, but The Replacements in general.  Never before or after would they straddle the line between out of control underground music and mainstream success. This is the first album that was recorded after Bob Stinson quit/got kicked out of the band and while his crazy guitar solos are missed, there is still a sense of recklessness that flows through most of the tracks. "I.O.U." kicks the album off in that style while filler tracks "Shootin' Dirty Pool" and "Red Red Wine" are better and more alive sounding than practically all major label music in 1987. The album does branch out musically from what had previously appeared on their records. Producer Jim Dickinson adds horns to "I Don't Know" and the classic closer "Can't Hardly Wait" to great affect. "Nightclub Jitters" ventures into jazz and "Skyway" is one of Westerberg's best solo ballads. "Alex Chilton" and "The Ledge" are both fantastic power-pop songs and should have been huge hits but I guess songs about fairly unknown musicians and suicide don't exactly scream for radio play.  Pleased To Meet Me is the first Replacements album I ever bought and it will always hold a special place in my heart. The fact that it's 3rd on the list shows how amazing the best music of this band was.

2. Tim - 1985

Tim is the 'Mats major label debut and for a long time I would have put it at number 1 on the list. I feel this, as a whole, has the best set of songs Westerberg ever wrote but it doesn't fully capture the spirit of the band. Being on a major tamed some the wild tendencies and they are missed. The album's production (by ex-Ramone Tommy Erdelyi) is also fairly tied to the 80's holding it back slightly (although this is pretty much cured on the remastered version). There's no denying the power of the songs as this is the deepest Westerberg would get on any Replacements album. "Hold My Life," "Kiss Me on the Bus" and "Little Mascara" all combine humor and heart with great melodies and rocking pop music. "Left of the Dial" is a terrific ode to college radio. "Waitress in the Sky" is a very funny (and tongue in cheek) put down of flight attendants and "I'll Buy" features some of their best, non-pc lyrics. The true album highlights are "Bastards of Young" and the closer "Here Comes a Regular." The latter is a solo Westerberg song that captures the feeling of alcoholism in a non judgmental way better than any other song I've ever heard. "Bastards of Young" is in my top ten songs of all time. It's a life changer with thought provoking and easily identifiable lyrics (even for people with a strong family support system like myself) alongside a fantastic backing track and classic opening riff. While Tim may not rank number 1 on this list, I easily could have cheated and ranked it 1b.

1. Let It Be - 1984

After years of personal deliberation I have decided that Let it Be has to be number on any Replacements album list. There is no better way to hear what this band was all about than to listen to this record. Punk rave ups "Favorite Thing," "Gary's Got a Boner" "Tommy Get's his Tonsils Out" and the throw away Kiss cover "Black Diamond" all let Bob Stinson do his thing and they give the album the wild reckless feel that fans were used to. Offsetting this was the continued evolution of Westerberg as a songwriter. Opener "I Will Dare" is a jangle-pop classic with great lyrics and a driving beat helping to make it one of the best Replacements song ever. "Unsatisfied" bridges the gap between between hard rock and sentimentality beautifully and Westerberg shows more emotion as a singer than he ever had before. "Androgynous" is a low key and amazing piano ballad who's lyrics ring true in today's world of gender blending. "Sixteen Blue" does a great job of capturing the confusion of adolescence. The album closing "Answering Machine" is the solo Westerberg piece here and is a beautiful goodbye at the end of a relationship and while technology may have rendered answering machines obsolete the sentiment and emotion in the song will last forever. The balance of hard rock and soft ballads, along with everything in between is what earns Let it Be the number 1 spot.