I saw The Replacements just once. It was March 22, 1989 at The Opera House here in Boston. The building has been completely refurbished since that broken down venue was hosting the likes of hard partying bands like The Replacements. Nowadays it looks gorgeous, but in the late 80's The Opera House was about to implode on itself. I don't know the history of the building at 539 Washington Street, but it was hosting vaudeville and all kinds of acts decades before I was born. It's got a nice legacy. I saw The White Stripes there a couple of years ago and was impressed. My ticket stub to that Replacements gig, which was probably one of their last 'round these parts, says I paid $17.75 (a 25 cent restoration fee was attached...well, restoration was in order). Increasing ticket prices really shock me now and then. I don't let them deter me, but sometimes it's staggering no?...Last night I saw a 40 year old band called Mountain (with Leslie West and Corky Lainge still going strong) and that show cost me a reasonable $30. Next Tuesday I'm seeing The Moody Blues for $60 and though there seems to be only three of the original members touring that seems reasonable too. Bruce Springsteen brings his army to the edifice formerly known as Great Woods this weekend and I paid $95 for that ticket. Hey, he's got to pay ten or twelve people right? I'm thinking about Peter Frampton (Showcase Live, as I've mentioned in past posts, is so intimate that it's really hard to pass up legends like Mountain and Frampton playing there) on September 1st and those ducats are going for $62.50. Man, if only he never released "I'm in You" huh? I know he's fallen way out of favor since 1977, but Frampton Comes Alive! is still in the top ten discussion of the best live albums ever recorded and I've never seen him. Hiss if you must, but the man can play guitar.
The Replacements were a Minneapolis, MN band formed in 1979. Disciples of Alex Chilton led bands like The Box Tops and Big Star, The 'Mats even wrote a song about the guy called, amazingly enough, "Alex Chilton." You may have heard it on your local Alterna-Rock station. They were a very enigmatic band in their heyday. Led by Paul Westerberg, The Replacements were known for their uneven live performances. If drinking were a spectator sport, their only rock & roll rival, at least on stage, would be Guided By Voices. God I love those guys, but that's another post for another day...promise. The Replacements were originally comprised of vocalist Paul Westerberg, guitarist Bob Stinson, bassist Tommy Stinson and drummer Chris Mars. Bob Stinson wasn't much of a fan of the Sire Records version of The Replacements (they were signed by Sire after releasing three studio albums in 1983...and in doing so became one of the first "underground" bands to graduate to a major label) that began with their fourth studio album Let It Be in 1984. They began to play softer, more commercially viable music and as Bob's drinking took on a life of its own he was let go after 1985's Tim. Their And Then There Were Three...(how about that Genesis reference right there huh?) record, Pleased To Meet Me, contained two of their most famous songs ever in "Can't Hardly Wait" and "Alex Chilton." The softer version of The Replacements was definitely a commerical hit.
Each of their final five studio records had something great on them. Let It Be had "I Will Dare" and the gorgeous "Unsatisfied" to go along with their cover of Kiss' "Black Diamond." Tim had "Kiss Me On The Bus" and "Here Comes a Regular" plus "Left of The Dial." Post Pleased To Meet Me record Don't Tell a Soul had "Talent Show" and "I'll Be You." The final CD, some say essentially a Paul Westerberg solo effort, called All Shook Down at least had "Merry Go-Round." I became a Replacements fan the very first time I heard "Can't Hardly Wait." It's still probably my favorite 'Mats tune. Minneapolis gets overlooked as a hot bed of music fairly often, but Replacements contemporaries Husker Du and Soul Asylum were from there around the same time period. And we don't even need to mention Prince do we? I'm not going to count the legendary Bob Dylan here as he made his musical bones elsewhere, but Minneapolis should be proud of their output. The Replacements had a couple of memorable disastrous tours with R.E.M. and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers that only added to their problems. Infighting, personnel changes, alcohol abuse and turmoil ultimately led to their demise around 1991, but they have a better greatest hits package than many bands and "Can't Hardly Wait" is a masterpiece in my book. Maybe they'll reunite one day, but if they don't I'll still be playing their records. There is just something about them. I hope you feel the same way...
The Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait.mp3
The Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait.mp3 YSI
The Replacements were a Minneapolis, MN band formed in 1979. Disciples of Alex Chilton led bands like The Box Tops and Big Star, The 'Mats even wrote a song about the guy called, amazingly enough, "Alex Chilton." You may have heard it on your local Alterna-Rock station. They were a very enigmatic band in their heyday. Led by Paul Westerberg, The Replacements were known for their uneven live performances. If drinking were a spectator sport, their only rock & roll rival, at least on stage, would be Guided By Voices. God I love those guys, but that's another post for another day...promise. The Replacements were originally comprised of vocalist Paul Westerberg, guitarist Bob Stinson, bassist Tommy Stinson and drummer Chris Mars. Bob Stinson wasn't much of a fan of the Sire Records version of The Replacements (they were signed by Sire after releasing three studio albums in 1983...and in doing so became one of the first "underground" bands to graduate to a major label) that began with their fourth studio album Let It Be in 1984. They began to play softer, more commercially viable music and as Bob's drinking took on a life of its own he was let go after 1985's Tim. Their And Then There Were Three...(how about that Genesis reference right there huh?) record, Pleased To Meet Me, contained two of their most famous songs ever in "Can't Hardly Wait" and "Alex Chilton." The softer version of The Replacements was definitely a commerical hit.
Each of their final five studio records had something great on them. Let It Be had "I Will Dare" and the gorgeous "Unsatisfied" to go along with their cover of Kiss' "Black Diamond." Tim had "Kiss Me On The Bus" and "Here Comes a Regular" plus "Left of The Dial." Post Pleased To Meet Me record Don't Tell a Soul had "Talent Show" and "I'll Be You." The final CD, some say essentially a Paul Westerberg solo effort, called All Shook Down at least had "Merry Go-Round." I became a Replacements fan the very first time I heard "Can't Hardly Wait." It's still probably my favorite 'Mats tune. Minneapolis gets overlooked as a hot bed of music fairly often, but Replacements contemporaries Husker Du and Soul Asylum were from there around the same time period. And we don't even need to mention Prince do we? I'm not going to count the legendary Bob Dylan here as he made his musical bones elsewhere, but Minneapolis should be proud of their output. The Replacements had a couple of memorable disastrous tours with R.E.M. and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers that only added to their problems. Infighting, personnel changes, alcohol abuse and turmoil ultimately led to their demise around 1991, but they have a better greatest hits package than many bands and "Can't Hardly Wait" is a masterpiece in my book. Maybe they'll reunite one day, but if they don't I'll still be playing their records. There is just something about them. I hope you feel the same way...
The Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait.mp3
The Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait.mp3 YSI
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