evansec's Full Review: Let It Be [Remaster] by The Replacements
In the days of my angst-ridden youth, I listened to many a band. Unfortunately, The Replacements were pretty much left on the cutting room floor.
By the time I was a teenager, The Replacements were a thing of the past. I had grown fond of Paul Westerberg and his solo efforts, as well as the music of bands like Nirvana, R.E.M., The Lemonheads and hordes upon hordes of bands that graced MTV in the early 90's.
I knew The Replacements had been around and appreciated in the world of underground music, somehow managing to seep in the brains of college students and aspiring rock stars.
So it wasn't until earlier in this year when I decided to purchase Let It Be, which has been proclaimed as The Replacements' best album ever. I gave it a listen and understood why so many found such goodness in The Replacements.
This 1984 album is filled with sometimes punky, sometimes angsty, sometimes soulful (or rather, as soulful as a punk can be) laments the child of punk can relate to. And now, the songs.
I Will Dare (Track 1): This song makes me want to skip rope. Which says a lot, since I'm the klutziest person on the planet. a danceable, happy guitar is the hook of this song, but lead singer Paul Westerberg's vocal combination of raspiness and melody-driven sounds turns this song into a rugged indie favorite.
We're Comin' Out (Track 3): OI! This one reminds me of the masses of punk shows I attended in high school. Not one of my favorites; then again, raging punk isn't one of my favorite forms of music. I prefer the happier, more melodic sounds of pop-punk. Still, there are elements in this song that are very much worth appreciating, especially considering the sounds in contemporary American punk. A nice beat-style interlude with snapping and shouted poetry/singing from Paul make this song impossible to hate.
Androgynous (Track 5): The lyrics to Replacements songs are difficult to decipher. Also, the band refuses to print and release any of their lyrics. So, I have no idea what this song is about. It's a ballad, backed only by piano and a soft percussion-type instrument. I think it's a love song about unisexed individuals. Perhaps trying to figure out the song's meaning on my own is the most interesting thing about the song. The melody kinda helps as well.
Unsatisfied (Track 7): Okay, this is it! Eleanor's favorite song on the album. It's actually hard to write about this song without removing my hands from the keys, singing along and swaying. The opening acoustic guitar part reminds me of the intro to some Monster Ballad(tm). I now can see where Lita Ford got the idea for the intro to "If I Close My Eyes Forever." The Replacements, baybee. This is a beautiful ballad that combines hard rock, punk, a beautiful steel guitar and instruments taht seem to just mesh together to make this beautiful accompaniment to Paul's vocals. Just a beautiful song. Could easily make it in a John Hughes film.
Sixteen Blue (Track 10): I think you have to be in the mood to listen to this song. Yes, it's another ballad, and it's beautiful. I think I have an attraction to rugged ballads from indie bands. Paul belts it out with his raspy I-smoke-Lucky-Strike voice in this slow, somewhat dreamy song that combines punk with early-60's surf ballads. Not as good as "Unsatisfied," but pretty danged close.
This isn't an album I could easily listen to every day and never get sick of. However, it has sounds that make me appreciate what American music has become and where many of its current styles originated. The Replacements should be remembered as a band that, although never as successful as those they inspired, introduced sounds many of us have grown to love and know as a part of rock and roll.
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