It’s been a long few months since I’ve posted here – I really intended to use this blog more this year, but real life stuff keeps getting in the way! But I’m here with another edition of my new Chronicles series, where I burn through a band or artist’s studio catalog, specifically an artist that I should have a deeper knowledge on. You can check out my previous posts, Zola Jesus, and David Bowie. Truthfully, I finished this one months ago and just haven’t gotten around to uploading it. Whoops! My bad. But with the new release of the remixed Let It Be, it felt like the perfect time to upload. I haven’t included that here, but I’m excited to find some time to dive into it.

Unlike Zola & Bowie, I really do not know much of anything about this group. I remember checking them out many years ago and being turned off for some reason. Now I am older, wiser, and ready to explore something I’ve been putting off. I’ll be listening to all seven of their studio albums and chronicling my thoughts along the way. This will be a one-time entry, so all seven albums are below. Join me!

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SORRY MA, FORGOT TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH (1981)

Okay so off the bat, I’m noticing the track lengths here. I think the reason I was initially turned off from the group was that they were heralded to me as a “punk” band so I was expecting the punk I was into at the time – Rancid, the Damned, the Stooges. It wasn’t that.

Well, this is actually along those lines and clearly where I should’ve started. This album does an expert job at melding pop and punk in the exact definition of power-pop. It’s got the punk energy and the punk snarl, but without sacrificing melody and licks. My immediate comparison was the Buzzcocks, though they leaned a bit more heavily into the “-pop” side of it. This album is full of bruisers, and a lot of them are excellent. The 1-2-3 opening punch of “Takin’ A Ride,” “Careless” and “Customer” really sets the tone for the band, with the latter song the best of the three. You’ve also got the two odes – “Somethin to Du,” the obvious ode to fellow punk group Husker Du, and “Johnny’s Gonna Die,” a more somber and serious song about the heroin-riddled Johnny Thunders. The best track is the comical “I Hate Music,” which satirizes the inherent paradox of the punk scene from the inside.

There is probably a little too much going on in this debut, even for one that isn’t particularly long. Some songs simply aren’t as melodic and memorable as the others, and the great ones are scattered throughout so it’s a real cherry-pick situation. The album feels a little maximalist, which is ironic given the short song lengths and barebones music. But, some songs could’ve definitely been cut.

It’s a fantastic album. It feels so definitive of the 80’s punk scene and the pop-driven bands who were rebelling against the hardcore factions. Power-pop like this simply doesn’t exist anymore, so all of these records feel like relics. Loved it, I’m hooked immediately. Can’t wait to check out the next six.

Grade: 7.5/10

Fav track: “I Hate Music”

HOOTENANNY (1983)

What a wild ride this one is. Almost immediately, the Replacements break the shackles of defined genre with this diverse, loose record. There’s a lot to love on this one, and the playful experimentation and gritty bitterness of the band is already coming out.

Some of the better tracks are punk bruisers that feel like a hangover off their debut. “Run It” is the shortest and loudest of them, a rambunctious track that feels like it’s about to go off the rails. Late-album bangers “You Lose” and “Hayday” are proper fight-starters, too, with only the latter stretching over two minutes. But there’s a lot of more midtempo stuff, too. One highlight is “Within Your Reach,” a more maturely written song that sounds closer to the Talking Heads side of new wave than anything. There’s also “Take Me Down to the Hospital” and closer “Treatment Plan,” two low-key songs that are closer to ditties than anything else.

Not everything worked for me. “Willpower” was straight up boring, and “Buck Hill” was another ditty that just felt like a filler retread of “Hospital.” In an album this short, there was still some unnecessary downtime. “Color Me Impressed” and “Lovelines” are both tracks that left no impression on me – literally, as my notes for both read just “?”.

There’s two absolutely bewildering tracks that were more confusing and exciting than anything else. The opening title track sees all of the band members switch instruments – poorly. It’s the kind of a thing a more restrained band would put at the end of the album. But the Replacements aren’t that band, and they both opened the album up with it, and named it after the song. Also there’s “Mr. Whirly,” a song credited to “mostly stolen,” which it is. It’s under two minutes, and is built on interpretations of other songs like “The Twist” and “Strawberry Fields Forever,” among others. I’m not sure it works as a taunt, but it’s fun. It got me more excited for the upcoming album “Let It Be.”

Great album, it kept me guessing top-to-bottom, even if it wasn’t 100% successful. I’m really wondering how I was put off from this group for so long. I’m excited to keep on going.

Grade: 8/10

Fav track: “Within Your Reach”

LET IT BE (1984)

I like to read reviews of albums when I do listen-throughs like this. I knew this was a renowned album, but I didn’t realize just how renowned it is. This represents a more mature Replacements, swapping out garage jams for longer and more toned-down songs and, in doing so, producing a certified indie classic.

I’ll be honest here and say I wasn’t hooked at first. The classic opener “I Will Dare” and the follow-up “Favorite Thing” didn’t really grab me in any way. I’m not really sure why, maybe because I didn’t quite know what to expect. Regardless, I was hooked after that. “We’re Comin Out” may have been more of a throwback punk jam, but it roped me in and the rest of the album held me tight. The disdainful ennui of “Unsatisfied,” the straight-forward rock of “Sixteen Blue” and the powerful ballad “Androgynous” all signal a genuine turning point for the group. “Androgynous” is easily the best and most important song they’ve done so far, with serious and prescient lyrics and real shades of Bowie rhythms on the vocal front (though maybe I’ve got Bowie on the mind from both his own flirtations with androgyny and, well, all of my Bowie posts).

The album isn’t devoid of energy and wit, though. I mean, there’s a song called “Gary’s Got A Boner.” The album is also titled Let It Be, with no songs by that name – an obvious bait. There’s also the aforementioned punk track “We’re Comin Out,” and a experimental garage tune called “Seen Your Video” that gives some vital energy to the album’s back half.

Still, the most impressive things about this album are the patient songwriting and the ballads. It’s a total 180 from the first two records, where energy and snark were the driving factors. The band wanted to sound more mature, and it’s a complete success. This may well be one of the best albums of the 80’s. I find myself struggling to criticize even a single song. Perfect.

Grade: 9.5/10

Fav track: “Androgynous”

TIM (1985)

Another Replacements album, another heralded piece of art from the 80’s. Critics seem to be just as hot on this one as they were with Let It Be, but I wasn’t feeling Tim as much. Pardon my phrasing.

This album was certainly interesting on paper, because it was as diverse as the previous outing while also managing to make everything feel cohesive, instead of a manic collection. My two personal favorite songs on the album – “Bastards of Young” and “Here Comes A Regular” – could not have been further apart. The former is the most raucous song on the album, a ripper that doesn’t align with their garage rock past, but falls somewhere near it. Closer “Regular” is a somber and metrical ballad, which sounds all the more striking when most of the preceding album was loose and rough. It’s got a catchy, repetitive hook that didn’t necessarily grab me at first but wore me down until I was super into it.

The rest of the album is fine to great, but the individual songs didn’t leave much of an impression on me. Like Let It Be, this one took some time to get going for me. The two songs I loved are on the back half, though “I’ll Buy” and “Swingin Party” were great as well. Even now, shortly after I finished listening to it, I couldn’t tell you much about most of the album’s songs. I think I owe this one an immediate revisit, because clearly something didn’t quite click for me.

Still, this is a great album, and it’s another logical step forward for the Replacements. They’re still maturing their sound, deepening their lyrics and cutting away some of the roughness. It’s rare to see such a hot streak to open a career, and I’m wondering if that gets maintained across the whole run (which I’m now over halfway into). I know very little about the upcoming albums, so let’s see!

Grade: 7.5/10

Fav track: “Here Comes A Regular”

PLEASED TO MEET ME (1987)

Okay so, if you’re reading this, then you’re doing it all in one chunk. But I should mention that there’s actually been a multi-week break in between Tim and now, which is antithetical to the project itself. Life got in the way! A lot of things are suddenly in shambles right now! But that is also fitting, given the general concept of this album. The Replacements are down to a three-piece, and shifting even further away from their punk origins. The album’s cover and title reflect this, in a one-two meta joke that also feels less snarky than their older jokes.

This album basically goes chronological – the opening three tracks, “I.O.U.,” “Alex Chilton” and “I Don’t Know,” are all fast-paced punkish bangers. But it calms down after that, and the forward-looking lyrics of “I Don’t Know” reflect that. The few songs that follow are all (a little too) similar, in their midtempo post-punk nature. There’s a lot of tracks that could get mistaken for indie these days. The songs are generally more serious than before, mostly drained of their humor and energy. Side A is all great, but it does fade out a bit as it goes on.

Side B sees the band diving further into unexplored genres and ideas. The classic closer “Can’t Hardly Wait” is a smooth, jazzy tune with early ska undertones and smoother production than any other track they’ve ever put out. “Shooting Dirty Pool” is a song that both sounds and takes place in a dark, carpeted lounge. And “Red Red Wine” comes close to pop ballad, ironically sounding similar to Peter Gabriel’s “Red Rain” (and this time, I don’t think it’s a joke).

The concept of this one really worked for me a lot. I greatly enjoyed this one, a true meeting of the punk and alt minds, and a stepping stone that feels like it was meant to happen behind the scenes. This is, also, the exact album I expected to hear at some point in this project, when I jumped in knowing very little about this group. Excellent.

Grade: 8/10

Fav song: “I Don’t Know”

DON’T TELL A SOUL (1989)

Again, there’s a logical progression we took to get to this album. This album continues down a path of self-serious reinvention. It is the most mature, serious and introspective album from them yet – by far. This album is a collection of jangly, adult songs.

As I often do with albums of midtempo alternative like this one, I’m struggling to really come up with much to say about it. Everything on this album works, but it’s not really a “for me” record. Naturally, my two favorites were the two most energetic songs – “They’re Blind” and “I Won’t,” although I will concede that the latter is really kind of a filler song.

It’s an immensely pleasurable listen, and it really doesn’t have any down moments, but it’s also definitely my least favorite so far. For me, the enjoyment in this record is more the path we took to get to the record rather than the record itself. What started out as a bratty, snarky punk group quickly found their cement in maturity and patience. And the fact that a more mature version of the group can put out a record this consistently solid without sacrificing any morals or soul is remarkable. It’s a trajectory that many have tried and few have passed.

This record is a must-listen for any 80’s alternative fans. I suspect it’ll grow on me with more listens, but that’s not the point here – immediate reactions only. So basically, I don’t know: it’s good!

Grade: 7/10

Fav song: “They’re Blind”

ALL SHOOK DOWN (1990)

Alas, this almost entirely fulfilling project ends not with a triumph but with a whimper. This last Replacements album is barely such, devised originally as a Paul Westerberg solo project. It’s messy and clunky, devoid of all charm and humor. Worst of all, it’s the only Replacements album that doesn’t have any sort of flow to it. It is, in my opinion, just bad.

But not entirely! The album did produce two modest hits in “Merry Go Round” and “Attitude,” and they’re both fine songs. There were also two late-album tracks, “Happy Town” and “My Little Problem,” that clung to me in the way that the older Replacements tracks did. So it’s not like this album is a wash or anything – but four out of thirteen tracks is a low batting average.

The Replacements coming to a halt in the 90’s feels similar to classic rock bands struggling to adjust to the 80’s. The album’s atrocious cover is a gray photo of two dogs while the album title is upside down and the band name is written twice – once forwards and once backwards. It’s an aggressively 90’s album cover, similar to Yourself Or Someone Like You, Cracked Rear View, and Stunt. Like the album, it feels unfocused and obligatory. There was a changing of the guards sonically, and this signaled the end of the Replacements.

There’s nothing wrong with this album, it’s just pretty boring. Everyone that plays on it feels lost and there’s little for a listener to really grab onto. It should’ve stayed a solo album rather than the label forcing their hand at a cash grab, because it does diminish the band’s legacy. Not a terrible album, but not a fitting end.

Still, this project has been far more fruitful than I could’ve possible imagined. I really wasn’t sure if I was going to like anything I heard – and I loved so much of it. Consider me hooked. I did a full 180. Their style didn’t really click with me until I just sat down and consumed what they had to offer. I will definitely be revisiting most of these albums on a regular basis now. Hooray!

Grade: 4.5/10

Fav song: “My Little Problem”

Thanks for reading, if anyone did! Up next is another long venture, and a band I’ll finally be seeing come Halloween night: DEPECHE MODE.