Post by sacrilegend on May 30, 2007 11:32:15 GMT -5
The Replacements (also known as The 'Mats or The Mats, from the insult of a detractor who joked the band's name was 'The Placemats', which the band then adopted) was an alternative rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They began as a punk rock outfit, along with fellow Minneapolis band Hüsker Dü, but they gradually shifted to a more mainstream, pop-rock style. The band featured guitarist and vocalist Paul Westerberg, guitarist Bob Stinson, bassist Tommy Stinson, and drummer Chris Mars. Tommy Stinson was just 12 years old when the group first formed.
The band drew most of their limited popularity from teenagers and people in their early twenties, as a huge bulk of their songs pertained to teenaged angst and desired independence, especially in their earlier days. Songs such as "Kids Don't Follow" and "Bastards of Young" showed the band's desire to almost remain as free-spirited children. The band showed up drunk to many of their live performances in which they just did drunken covers of songs.
The Replacements would release seven albums and one EP in the nine years from 1981 to 1990 before they broke up in 1991 and would tour with such people and bands as R.E.M. and Tom Petty. All the members of The Replacements would go on to various levels of success as solo artists after the dissolution of the band.
History
Formation and Twin Tone years (1979-1984):
The band first formed in Southwest Minneapolis as Dogbreath in 1979 as a punk rock group. Bob Stinson, his brother Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars had been jamming together in the Stinsons' house when they were approached by Paul Westerberg and his guitar, bringing the four together for the first time. Westerberg had been performing in a Rush cover band and heard Dogbreath as he walked home each day. He vowed that he would join the group, but they already had a singer. Westerberg, through series of well-placed lies and manipulations, put the band at odds with their singer and tensions soon forced the singer to depart; Westerberg joined the band soon after. The band then took the name The Impediments for its first show, which was at a halfway house, but they were kicked out for being drunk. The person who booked them vowed to have them blacklisted in Minneapolis-St. Paul, so they quickly changed their name to The Replacements.
Their first album, 1981's Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, features fast, aggressive songs, with lyric subjects ranging from drinking and driving to a love song about the cashier at a convenience store. Their punky songs dominated the band's setlists for years. However, singer/songwriter Paul Westerberg gave a hint of things to come on the B-side to the "I'm in Trouble" single. "If Only You Were Lonely" featured Westerberg alone on acoustic guitar, pouring out a soulful ballad that sounded more like a Merle Haggard song than it did the Replacements. Their first and only EP, 1982's Stink, was recorded in one day at Blackberry Way studio. It followed in the same style as their first album. After this the band started to turn to other styles of rock, apparent on their second album, 1983's Hootenanny. One listener at the time commented that it sounded like a compilation album.
The band was infamous for their rowdy, drunken shows. Sometimes the band would show up too drunk to play their own songs, and instead play covers, which they were also too drunk to play. It was not uncommon for them to play entire sets of covers, ranging anywhere from Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" to Dusty Springfield's "The Look of Love". When they played CBGB, the New York City club, they performed a sloppy rendition of The Beatles's "Let It Be," but with Westerberg singing the lyrics to his very own "Fuck School". The band decided that they couldn't be the best band that ever played at the legendary venue, but they could be the worst.
While driving around in the van listening to tapes of their new work and arguing about what to name the album, they decided that the next song to come on the radio would be the name of their next album. That song was "Let It Be" by The Beatles. Let It Be, released in 1984, is considered a high-water mark of the 1980s alternative scene. The band began to garner attention, especially when R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck began name-dropping the band in interviews (and playing the guitar solo on "I Will Dare"). A major-label bidding war broke out, eventually won by Sire Records. The band celebrated by releasing The Shit Hits the Fans, a cassette-only release from a booze-soaked gig in the Midwest that was allegedly confiscated from a fan once it was discovered that he had bootlegged the show.
Major label (1984-1991):
The Replacements' first major-label release, Tim on Sire, was produced by Tommy Erdelyi (a.k.a. Tommy Ramone of the Ramones). It contains songs like "Kiss Me on the Bus" and "Bastards of Young".
Bob Stinson left the band following Tim ostensibly due to substance abuse, though some suggest the split was due more to creative tension; Stinson preferred the louder, faster Mats, while Westerberg was exploring new territory in ballads like "Here Comes a Regular" and "Swingin' Party." The remaining Replacements carried on as a trio for Pleased to Meet Me (1987,) recorded in Memphis with Big Star producer Jim Dickinson. Minneapolis guitarist Slim Dunlap took over lead guitar duties for the subsequent tour, and soon became a full member of the band.
During this time, they acquired an "anti-video" reputation. The video for "Bastards of Young" featured nothing more than a single shot of a speaker, while "The Ledge" (which MTV would not play on account of the lyrical themes) featured the band sitting around in a room with chairs and a sofa doing nothing in particular. This video was recycled for "Alex Chilton".
The band's next album, Don't Tell a Soul, was a quieter, less punky affair, largely considered a stab for mainstream success. While the move cost the Replacements appreciation of some hardcore fans, the album had a number of notable songs, such as "Achin' to Be" and "I'll Be You", which topped Billboard's Modern Rock chart. But there was trouble within the band following a disastrous tour opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Westerberg recorded a new album largely with session musicians, but was persuaded to release it as a Replacements album. All Shook Down won critical praise and more mainstream attention, though the many guest players and Mars' quick departure from the band following the album's release led many to wonder about the future of the band.
Breakup (1991-Present):
Steve Foley was recruited as Mars' replacement in 1990, and the band embarked on a long farewell tour which lasted into the summer of 1991. On July 4th, 1991, the band officially broke up following a Taste of Chicago performance in Grant Park, referred to by fans as "It Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Roadie Plays" because each member disappeared during the set, their respective roadies taking their places. This show was broadcast by Chicago radio station WXRT. There are several bootlegs floating around the internet.
Tommy Stinson has been the bassist with Guns N Roses since 1998, replacing charter member Duff McKagan. He also played with the bands Bash & Pop and Perfect. In 2004 he released a solo CD titled Village Gorilla Head. Bob Stinson died in 1995. He started several other bands after leaving the Replacements.
Westerberg is a successful singer-songwriter who is currently signed to Vagrant Records, and under his alias, Grandpaboy, to Fat Possum Records. Folker, his latest album was released in September 2004: it marks his return to the melodic low-fi of the Replacements.
Dunlap keeps a low national profile, but is still very active in the local Twin Cities music scene. Mars primarily works as a visual artist.
On March 28th, 2006, Rhino records announced the release of a best-of The Replacements compilation, entitled Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?. It was released on June 13th, 2006. The compilation consists of songs from both Twin/Tone and Sire/Reprise records years and includes two new songs entitled "Pool & Dive" and "Message To The Boys". Both songs were written by Westerberg and recorded by the band at Flowers Studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Session musician Josh Freese (The Vandals, A Perfect Circle, ex-Guns N' Roses) played drums on the two tracks, while Mars contributed backing vocals. Slim Dunlap did not participate in the sessions.
Legacy:
The Replacements' career is chronicled in the book Our Band Could Be Your Life, a study of several important American underground rock groups. They were also paid homage (or were parodied) by They Might Be Giants with the 1986 song "We're The Replacements", which spurred rumors on MTV that John and John of TMBG had been former roadies for the band. I'm In Love With That Song: A Tribute to The Replacements was released on Tomboy Records in 1999 and included Mick Thomas and Nick Barker performing "Skyway". Tommy Womack has a tribute song on his album Circus Town titled simply "The Replacements." Jesse Malin covers "Bastards of Young" on his latest record released in 2007.
Members:
Paul Westerberg (1979−1991) - vocals, guitar
Bob Stinson (1979−1986) - guitar
Tommy Stinson (1979−1991) - bass guitar
Chris Mars (1979−1990) - drums, background vocals
Slim Dunlap (1987−1991) - guitar
Steve Foley (1990−1991) - drums
Discography
Albums:
Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (TwinTone, 1981)
Stink (EP, TwinTone, 1982)
Hootenanny (TwinTone, 1983)
Let It Be (TwinTone, 1984)
The Shit Hits the Fans (Cassette only, TwinTone, 1985)
Tim (Sire, 1985)
Pleased to Meet Me (Sire, 1987)
Don't Tell a Soul (Sire/Reprise, 1989)
All Shook Down (Sire, 1990)
All For Nothing/Nothing For All (Reprise, 1997)
Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?: The Best of the Replacements (Rhino, 2006)
The band drew most of their limited popularity from teenagers and people in their early twenties, as a huge bulk of their songs pertained to teenaged angst and desired independence, especially in their earlier days. Songs such as "Kids Don't Follow" and "Bastards of Young" showed the band's desire to almost remain as free-spirited children. The band showed up drunk to many of their live performances in which they just did drunken covers of songs.
The Replacements would release seven albums and one EP in the nine years from 1981 to 1990 before they broke up in 1991 and would tour with such people and bands as R.E.M. and Tom Petty. All the members of The Replacements would go on to various levels of success as solo artists after the dissolution of the band.
History
Formation and Twin Tone years (1979-1984):
The band first formed in Southwest Minneapolis as Dogbreath in 1979 as a punk rock group. Bob Stinson, his brother Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars had been jamming together in the Stinsons' house when they were approached by Paul Westerberg and his guitar, bringing the four together for the first time. Westerberg had been performing in a Rush cover band and heard Dogbreath as he walked home each day. He vowed that he would join the group, but they already had a singer. Westerberg, through series of well-placed lies and manipulations, put the band at odds with their singer and tensions soon forced the singer to depart; Westerberg joined the band soon after. The band then took the name The Impediments for its first show, which was at a halfway house, but they were kicked out for being drunk. The person who booked them vowed to have them blacklisted in Minneapolis-St. Paul, so they quickly changed their name to The Replacements.
Their first album, 1981's Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, features fast, aggressive songs, with lyric subjects ranging from drinking and driving to a love song about the cashier at a convenience store. Their punky songs dominated the band's setlists for years. However, singer/songwriter Paul Westerberg gave a hint of things to come on the B-side to the "I'm in Trouble" single. "If Only You Were Lonely" featured Westerberg alone on acoustic guitar, pouring out a soulful ballad that sounded more like a Merle Haggard song than it did the Replacements. Their first and only EP, 1982's Stink, was recorded in one day at Blackberry Way studio. It followed in the same style as their first album. After this the band started to turn to other styles of rock, apparent on their second album, 1983's Hootenanny. One listener at the time commented that it sounded like a compilation album.
The band was infamous for their rowdy, drunken shows. Sometimes the band would show up too drunk to play their own songs, and instead play covers, which they were also too drunk to play. It was not uncommon for them to play entire sets of covers, ranging anywhere from Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" to Dusty Springfield's "The Look of Love". When they played CBGB, the New York City club, they performed a sloppy rendition of The Beatles's "Let It Be," but with Westerberg singing the lyrics to his very own "Fuck School". The band decided that they couldn't be the best band that ever played at the legendary venue, but they could be the worst.
While driving around in the van listening to tapes of their new work and arguing about what to name the album, they decided that the next song to come on the radio would be the name of their next album. That song was "Let It Be" by The Beatles. Let It Be, released in 1984, is considered a high-water mark of the 1980s alternative scene. The band began to garner attention, especially when R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck began name-dropping the band in interviews (and playing the guitar solo on "I Will Dare"). A major-label bidding war broke out, eventually won by Sire Records. The band celebrated by releasing The Shit Hits the Fans, a cassette-only release from a booze-soaked gig in the Midwest that was allegedly confiscated from a fan once it was discovered that he had bootlegged the show.
Major label (1984-1991):
The Replacements' first major-label release, Tim on Sire, was produced by Tommy Erdelyi (a.k.a. Tommy Ramone of the Ramones). It contains songs like "Kiss Me on the Bus" and "Bastards of Young".
Bob Stinson left the band following Tim ostensibly due to substance abuse, though some suggest the split was due more to creative tension; Stinson preferred the louder, faster Mats, while Westerberg was exploring new territory in ballads like "Here Comes a Regular" and "Swingin' Party." The remaining Replacements carried on as a trio for Pleased to Meet Me (1987,) recorded in Memphis with Big Star producer Jim Dickinson. Minneapolis guitarist Slim Dunlap took over lead guitar duties for the subsequent tour, and soon became a full member of the band.
During this time, they acquired an "anti-video" reputation. The video for "Bastards of Young" featured nothing more than a single shot of a speaker, while "The Ledge" (which MTV would not play on account of the lyrical themes) featured the band sitting around in a room with chairs and a sofa doing nothing in particular. This video was recycled for "Alex Chilton".
The band's next album, Don't Tell a Soul, was a quieter, less punky affair, largely considered a stab for mainstream success. While the move cost the Replacements appreciation of some hardcore fans, the album had a number of notable songs, such as "Achin' to Be" and "I'll Be You", which topped Billboard's Modern Rock chart. But there was trouble within the band following a disastrous tour opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Westerberg recorded a new album largely with session musicians, but was persuaded to release it as a Replacements album. All Shook Down won critical praise and more mainstream attention, though the many guest players and Mars' quick departure from the band following the album's release led many to wonder about the future of the band.
Breakup (1991-Present):
Steve Foley was recruited as Mars' replacement in 1990, and the band embarked on a long farewell tour which lasted into the summer of 1991. On July 4th, 1991, the band officially broke up following a Taste of Chicago performance in Grant Park, referred to by fans as "It Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Roadie Plays" because each member disappeared during the set, their respective roadies taking their places. This show was broadcast by Chicago radio station WXRT. There are several bootlegs floating around the internet.
Tommy Stinson has been the bassist with Guns N Roses since 1998, replacing charter member Duff McKagan. He also played with the bands Bash & Pop and Perfect. In 2004 he released a solo CD titled Village Gorilla Head. Bob Stinson died in 1995. He started several other bands after leaving the Replacements.
Westerberg is a successful singer-songwriter who is currently signed to Vagrant Records, and under his alias, Grandpaboy, to Fat Possum Records. Folker, his latest album was released in September 2004: it marks his return to the melodic low-fi of the Replacements.
Dunlap keeps a low national profile, but is still very active in the local Twin Cities music scene. Mars primarily works as a visual artist.
On March 28th, 2006, Rhino records announced the release of a best-of The Replacements compilation, entitled Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?. It was released on June 13th, 2006. The compilation consists of songs from both Twin/Tone and Sire/Reprise records years and includes two new songs entitled "Pool & Dive" and "Message To The Boys". Both songs were written by Westerberg and recorded by the band at Flowers Studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Session musician Josh Freese (The Vandals, A Perfect Circle, ex-Guns N' Roses) played drums on the two tracks, while Mars contributed backing vocals. Slim Dunlap did not participate in the sessions.
Legacy:
The Replacements' career is chronicled in the book Our Band Could Be Your Life, a study of several important American underground rock groups. They were also paid homage (or were parodied) by They Might Be Giants with the 1986 song "We're The Replacements", which spurred rumors on MTV that John and John of TMBG had been former roadies for the band. I'm In Love With That Song: A Tribute to The Replacements was released on Tomboy Records in 1999 and included Mick Thomas and Nick Barker performing "Skyway". Tommy Womack has a tribute song on his album Circus Town titled simply "The Replacements." Jesse Malin covers "Bastards of Young" on his latest record released in 2007.
Members:
Paul Westerberg (1979−1991) - vocals, guitar
Bob Stinson (1979−1986) - guitar
Tommy Stinson (1979−1991) - bass guitar
Chris Mars (1979−1990) - drums, background vocals
Slim Dunlap (1987−1991) - guitar
Steve Foley (1990−1991) - drums
Discography
Albums:
Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (TwinTone, 1981)
Stink (EP, TwinTone, 1982)
Hootenanny (TwinTone, 1983)
Let It Be (TwinTone, 1984)
The Shit Hits the Fans (Cassette only, TwinTone, 1985)
Tim (Sire, 1985)
Pleased to Meet Me (Sire, 1987)
Don't Tell a Soul (Sire/Reprise, 1989)
All Shook Down (Sire, 1990)
All For Nothing/Nothing For All (Reprise, 1997)
Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?: The Best of the Replacements (Rhino, 2006)
