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| love that this picture came from a shoot they did at the Walker Art Center - a Mpls treasure that has become part of my Minnesota experience through my work at Mortenson (we replaced the window to their left in 2004 :)) |
Suzy let me play most of the replacements catalog on Spotify / Sonos this morning as we made breakfast, got ourselves organized, and did a bunch of planning. Paul and company set a perfect tone for any kind of day. I love the Replacements and anything Paul Westerberg has done. Many know they are the reason I chose Minneapolis over Kansas City, Chicago - the ‘Mats were from here, so I came here - not exactly the most mature or professional reason for choosing but hey, it worked out.
This morning we walked backward through All Shook Down, Don’t Tell A Soul, Pleased To Meet Me, Tim, and we are currently on Let It Be. Hootenanny, Stink, and Sorry Ma will likely require some filtering for Suzy’s enjoyment but there is plenty of content she likes there as well (at least on Hootenanny - Color Me Impressed, Within Your Reach most notably).
If you’re reading this and don’t know about them - I would say that the Replacements / Paul Westerberg, and Big Star / Alex Chilton, are my two favorite musical “things”. Legendary personalities, stories, and music with depth, diversity, and importance in the history of rock music. An underground, under-dog, under-appreciated aspect to both. Dive in, ask me - there are books, documentaries, and of course albums to guide you through the stories. Both band's stories involve angst, frustration and success, band members tragically lost along the way, and most importantly - raw, core, timeless musical and poetic talent.
The 10 best replacements songs, IMHO - not necessarily in order:
1) Unsatisfied - point me to a song with more raw emotion
2) Left of the Dial - captures the 1980s underground spirit - can hear Paul's spirit
3) Here Comes a Regular - no cooler, more tone-setting song ever made
4) Alex Chilton (named my son after this one) - bridges the two bands and geniuses
5) Achin’ To Be - classic Westerberg clever lyricism
6) I’ll Be You - should have been a bigger hit
7) Never Mind - lyrics, power, music
8) Can’t Hardly Wait - defines the band and their genre. Clever, with hooks and horns!
9) Bastards of Young - lyrics, power, music
10) I Will Dare - jangly music, lyrics, emotion. Another singular definition of the band.
OK now back to my taxes. :(
