the // skyway \\ issue #81 (october 1, 2003) web page at www.theskyway.com send your submissions to skyway@novia.net list guy (say hi to) matt@novia.net subscription info: send in the body of a message to majordomo@novia.net to subscribe: 'subscribe skyway' to unsubscribe: 'unsubscribe skyway' always thanks to bob fulkerson __________________________________________________________________________ 0. Seen Your Video (M@) I. New Replacements links II. News * Come Feel Me Tremble movie/DVD * New Grandpaboy and Westerberg albums III. People * J.R. Holm * Ed Hamell * Alejandro Maestas * Mike * Dave * Chris Abbott IV. In Print * Pitchfork * Rolling Stone (Summerland311) * Uncut (Patrick) V. Replacements * Nowhere Is My Home (Barrett Barnard) * Lookin' For You (Bryan Duncan) * PW Guitar Tunings (Drew Howard) * Tooter Turtle & Hold My Life (Johnathan Hoyt) * 'Mats 7/7/87 in Reseda CA (Matt Devine) * Dope Smoking Moron chords? (Tim Schroering) VI. Tommy Stinson shows * July 1, NYC (Blitzkrieg Bob) __________________________________________________________________________ 0. SEEN YOUR VIDEO From the Replacements in the 80's to Soul Asylum and Mercy Rule in the 90's to Saddle Creek in the most recent decade, I think I've discovered one reason why so many of my favorite bands have come from the Midwest: a distinct lack of distraction. I don't understand how anybody on the eastern seaboard has any time to write songs. Between traffic and the high cost of living and all the cultural distractions, so much of your energy is taken just getting through the day. Necessity is the mother of invention, but have you ever wondered if boredom might be the mother of ingenuity? Case in point: I started the Skyway because the rural Middle American college town I was going to school in was devoid of any diversions. And in your parents' basement on a snow day from school, what else to do but play rock? Having been in touring bands the last seven years, the last two years have seen more change to independent music than the previous five. The limiting factor for so many bands is their label and their promotional reach. Even in independent music, it's money to get a band a review in Rolling Stone or even CMJ, it's money to get their CD in a listening station at Best Buy, it's money to have guys call up music directors at college radio stations across the country and harass them about charting your record. It's a big machine whose every gear needs to be greased with duckets. But with the ubiquity of the internet, your songs are instantaneously distributable by word of mouth and a computer connection alone. It's not often that the bands I'm in make it to the West Coast to play and spread all the publicity that goes with merely showing up in town and playing at a club, but it doesn't matter, because to any kid with Kazaa we're now just as accessible as Blink 182 or Alkaline Trio. Gone are the days where you were lucky to hear of this amazing new album called Zen Arcade, and even luckier if you could find it anywhere in town. On the other hand, show attendance in general has been dwindling for the last two years. Rock clubs are struggling. The only place that I knew of to play in Montana just closed their doors, and even the 150 person capacity place in Chapel Hill that I love is having benefit shows. I don't think it's that there's fewer good rock bands out there than there ever been before: Guided By Voices, the Polyphonic Spree, the Postal Service, Cursive, Desaparecidos are all active and just as good or better as any other band that has existed in their sub-genre. A lot of places have blame the economy, but I think Instant Messenger and the Playstation 2 add to the desertion. Why leave the house when I'm broke and I can just play GTA3? The record label of the band I'm on tour with as I write this survives not on record but magazine sales. We sell five t-shirts for every record; I don't know if it's because the shirts are cool or because they can just download the songs or the identity of being seen as listening to a band is more important than actually doing so. But rock is hardly dead. Twelve years ago, Spin magazine harassed Paul Westerberg with that question and he said, no, it's just underground and it comes up occasionally and comes into vogue. Nothing has changed much. The first night of this tour, we played in Columbia, SC with a band called Don Bravado, a band of 30-somethings that were the perfect mix between The Replacements and Rick Springfield and Hot Water Music. And in case you had any doubt about whose mantra they were humming, they threw in perfect and incinendary covers of both Left of the Dial and New Year's Day. In a bar in a college town in South Carolina to forty people, it could've been 1985 or 1994 or 2003. Yes, it's taken forever since the last issue. There's fewer and fewer hours free between work and rock and the only time I feel like I get to compile issues (or maybe just focus on one thing for more than five minutes) is when I'm on long, cross-country tours with double digit hour drives, like this (en route from Atlanta to Kansas City.) In the meantime, I ended my term with one band, Sorry About Dresden, after six years. It wasn't so much that there were any major difficulties, and prior to this, I hadn't understood why bands ever breakup, short of drug abuse or romantic trysts. I wondered, why don't bands tour incessantly? What could possibly be more fun than hanging out in a new town every night with your best friends? We had done so much, everything from playing sold out shows at the Middle East and Knitting Factory to opening for Frank Black and meeting Mike Mills. But eventually you decide that you've done everything you set out to do, and you're getting off what may be your favorite roller coaster and just getting back in line to do it all over again, day after day after day. Eventually you remember there were some other things that you wanted to do than hang out in "the same bar in a different town." And yet, the other band just took up the time that was free, and I'm here in the van the next day driving through Oklahoma while editing this issue. Rock, like love and running a business, will take up all your time, because in the end, it's both of those things. - Matt (If you're not too busy with Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4, tour dates for The Scaries are at http://www.thescaries.com) __________________________________________________________________________ I. NEW LINKS Interview by Bill Holdship - Creem September 1986: http://www.creemmedia.com/BeatGoesOn/Replacements/DrinkingWithReplacements.html The Replacements in Creem Profile - 1987 http://creemmagazine.com/ProfilesPages/Replacements_1987_10.html A Japanese Replacements fan: http://www.h5.dion.ne.jp/~mats/mats-main%20page.html Static Taxi, Bob Stinson's last band: http://norshor.com/taxi/ Jason Sikes' Bob Stinson shirt http://www.cafeshops.com/m85stuff.6208401 A quiz to determine which Replacements song you are. http://www.quizilla.com/users/scuber/quizzes/What%20Replacements%20Song%20Are%20You%3F __________________________________________________________________________ II. NEWS (Most of this news comes from Kathy's "Man Without Ties" Paul Westerberg page at http://members.aol.com/paulspage) Paul Westerberg's COME FEEL ME TREMBLE is a DIY document of the idiosyncratic musician's 2002 solo tour. Comprised largely of video footage shot by fans, the film captures Westerberg both on stage and off. In between the sound checks, song snippets and audience sing-along, hediscusses his former band, The Replacements, his personal history,the art of songwriting and his reputation as one of rock's finest lyricists. But best of all, COME FEEL ME TREMBLE conveys the special bond that Westerberg shares with his fans. Directed in part by Westerberg himself (*under the Zithromax pseudonym), COME FEEL ME TREMBLE is his way of sharing a bit of his life with the fans who have made him such an important part of theirs. "All these years we thought Paul Westerberg's mid-song slip-ups were because he was drunk, when really he just has ADD. The way he explains this in "Come Feel Me Tremble," the documentary on the Replacements' legend that has its world premiere at the Noise Pop Film Festival next week, it almost sounds convincing. An adoring fan's film through and through, much of "Tremble"'s DIY-style backstage footage was indeed shot by Westerberg fans on his 2002 solo tour, and, in fact, it turns out the film was directed in part by the musician under the moniker Otto Zithromax. No wonder he comes off as just about the coolest man on the planet, full of hilarious quips and a charming world-weariness that springs eternal. Thankfully, and largely due to the fact that Westerberg possesses more soul in his left eyebrow than many performers have in their entire gym-trained bods, the film doesn't come off as a whitewash. It's not supposed to be a career retrospective anyway, and the exclusive live footage, private acoustic performances, backstage cigar chomping and nipple icing are a must-see for any Paulophile. That middle-aged man can wear scrappy thrift-store clothes like nobody's business, and the tale he tells of what happened when he found himself alone on an elevator with Kurt Cobain is one of the most revealing moments in modern-rock history. "Come Feel Me Tremble" plays Fri., July 25 at the Delancey Screening Room, 600 Embarcadero, SF, at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm." [It will be playing in Chicago at the Gene Siskel Film Center on September 28 @ 5:15 pm and October 2 @ 6:30 pm.] - Beth Lisick The DVD of 'Come Feel Me Tremble' will be released October 21st at Best Buy, along with the soundtrack; the DVD will be released November 11th everywhere else. The track listing for the soundtrack is: 1. Dirty Diesel 2. Making Me Go 3. Hillbilly Junk 4. Soldier of Misfortune 5. My Daydream 6. What a Day (For a Night) 7. Wild & Lethal 8. Crackle & Drag (original take) 9. Crackle & Drag (alt. version) 10. Never Felt Like This Before 11. Knockin' Em Back 12. Pine Box 13. Meet Me Down The Alley 14. These Days (Jackson Browne cover)) On top of this, there's a new Grandpaboy album entitled "Dead Man Shake", also due out October 21st on Fat Possum Records. Here's the track listing: 1. MPLS 2. Do Right In Your Eyes 3. Vampires & Failures 4. No Matter What You Say 5. Take Out Some Insurance 6. Cleaning House 7. Natural Mean Lover 8. Get A Move On 9. Bad Boy Blues 10. Souvenir (sic) - this is actually a cover of John Prine's "Souvenirs" 11. I'm So Lonesome 12. O.D. Blues 13. Dead Man Shake 14. What Kind Of Fool Am I? (Anthony Newley song, from the 1962 musical "Stop The World, I Want To Get Off") So if you go to Best Buy on October 21st, you can pick up the Dead Man Shake DVD, soundtrack album, and new Grandpaboy record. Unreal. But wait, there's more: http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1979706 Westerberg Looks Forward To 'Folker' "While an onslaught of new Paul Westerberg material is still a month away from release, the Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter is already looking ahead to his next "official" studio album, "Folker," due sometime in the first half of 2004. "It's done," the artist reveals to Billboard.com. "It's mastered and ready to go." And the former Replacements frontman says he plans to tour behind the forthcoming, folk-based record." __________________________________________________________________________ III. PEOPLE From: "J. R. Holm" Subject: Remembering Replacements Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2003 16:04:23 -0500 I'm from St. Paul, the town next door to Minneapolis. The first time I ever heard of the Replacements, it was the spring of my senior year, 1983. I was listening to a Sunday night rock talk show on KQRS. One of the moderators commented that the Replacements were as good as any nationally known punk band. I didn't know much about any punk band, but I was impressed that local guys were that good. So that summer I bought the STINK EP. Imagine the shock. It was an aural assault. It was angry and funny, and most of all, it was so full of life. I began checking the Reader and the City Pages to see if they'd be playing. No listings. It had seemed that I always used to see their name, back when I really didn't know who they were. Now they were nowhere. By October I turned 19, and at the time that meant I was legal in bars. Still no Replacements. Then suddenly they appeared on a multi bill with The Wallets, and I can't recall who else, at my school, St. Cloud State University. It was a Wednesday night, at the end of the quarter (Dec. 21st), so lots of kids had finished their finals and had headed home for Christmas. Of the ones who stayed and went to the show, most seemed satisfied with the opening acts and fled before the Replacements hit the stage after 10:00 p.m. Honestly, there may have been 25 kids standing, waiting. I didn't know what to expect. I'd never seen their pictures. They came slinking out from the hallway, Bobby was wearing coveralls, and Paul had bright red lipstick smeared over his lips, onto his face. They were loud. It was so loud that a girl from my dorm who was curious as to why I was hanging out waiting for this band she'd never heard of, just turned and left. I could see the pain in her face. I wonder if she could see the glee and wonder in mine. I can't remember anything that they played, I don't know if I recognized anything at the time, it was just too long ago. But I do remember being awestruck. Each guy had his own thing going; Chris was mesmerized by the beat. He'd actually get a slack jawed "retarded" look on his face. Tommy was image conscious. He'd jump and kick and strike poses. Bobby was more along the lines of Chris, he'd be concentrating on his leads so heavily that his face would often look vacant, but he'd come out of his trance easily anytime Paul or Tommy would mess with him. And he'd burst into a big smile, or even begin laughing. Paul, on the other hand, was something else. He seemed so small. I wasn't prepared for him to not be as big as his voice claimed. It was almost as if he wanted to accentuate that fact: his mic stand was up to at least eye level, so that the mic itself needed to be pointed down toward his mouth (it was always like this). He would crane his neck, reaching his mouth up trying to get at this dangling carrot of a mic that was somehow just out of reach. He spit angry saliva all over. I was genuinely afraid of him. I couldn't understand many of the lyrics, but if I had to guess, I would have thought that they had to do with his displeasure of the audience. I was cautiously star struck. When the show ended, and they walked back out in the hallway to their makeshift dressing room, I followed them out, I wanted to find out about them. I saw Bobby, and stopped him. I had waited months for this show, I couldn't bear another protracted wait. I needed inside information, as the local rags weren't giving me anything. "Where are you playing next?!" I pleaded. Just then, Tommy and Chris came flying past us giving each other rides on a flatbed cart used to move amps and equipment. "Uhh, right back here, I guess," he deadpanned. It turned out that they were back in town for a few months after the first of the year, playing local bars for $3 and $4 cover charges. While I certainly didn't get in at the beginning, I feel very lucky to have witnessed some of the earlier years. One night in the summer of either '84 or '85, at the Cabooze, Bob was, rather than wearing a dress, wearing farmer overalls with no shirt. It was a hot night, and he took the straps off of his shoulders. Later on during a solo, Paul got behind him and pulled his pants down. Bob continued to play. So Tommy came over and pulled them down further, this time with the underwear. Bob finished the song naked, his guitar usually covering his package. Another night at the 7th Street Entry, there was a fan standing in front of Bobby who wouldn't shut up. I couldn't hear what was said. But it was getting on his nerves. Finally, Bob took off his guitar and dove in at the guy. The stage was only a foot higher than the floor where we were standing. Within a moment, Paul dove in. Then Tommy. Suddenly all that was left was Chris playing drums. He continued to play. After a while the three emerged from the fracas, and picked up each other's instruments (I don't remember who took what), and finished the song. I miss those guys. Ed Hamell's Letter From New York A buzzing star-spangled Hamell heads out on yesterday's highway and revisits the Replacements....but where's Jakey? I saw flames in my rear view mirror. "Do you know think we killed him?" All Bostonians are doomed to hell anyway. We just hastened his ride. I've got a good painkiller buzz going, I'm on the F Train headed to the Star Spangles' record release party and I'm thinking back to the time in '85 my wife and I went to see the Replacements in Boston. She wasn't my wife then, hence the homicidal driving. My showing off must have worked. We ran out of gas, but any good rock'n'roller knows how to use a siphon hose. It's all about the timing. At the last second the gas comes pouring out and if you ain't quick enough, you get a mouthful. And if you're a smoker and absent minded - BOOM! - no more date. The Replacements were playing at this big joint called The Channel. We got there early and caught the soundcheck. They were doing songs from their new album, Tim. They looked beat up, unfashionable by ANY standards, but as astonishing as the records are, they don't do the band justice. They were as powerful as a jet engine. The melodies and lyrics were certainly top shelf, but it wasn't just a 'We don't give a fuck' attitude they possessed. Certainly, that was all the rage, both then and now. It was a 'We are the best rock'n'roll band on the planet, and to prove we really don't give a fuck about your phony success bullshit, we'll shoot ourselves in the fucking foot right in front of your eyes to prove it'. It was stunning and refreshing. You knew your team didn't stand a chance of winning, but it was going to be the best fucking game you ever saw. I spent the day with Bob. Chris lent me his last 5 dollars for gas. I sat next to Westerberg at some dumb party they threw for him, but he didn't talk. The show was incredible. Paul threw Bob's amp in the audience because he was pissed at him. Paul and Tommy got in a fight in the pit, so the roadie sang. Half of the Boston audience loved it, the other half didn't know how they could be 'good' if they DIDN'T FINISH ANY OF THEIR SONGS. And they were the greatest songs of the 80's. Fuck you. For the encore, Westerberg, the working class kid from Minneapolis, told these Boston college kids 'You're all a bunch of spoilt brats'. Sometimes a band comes along and splits it wide open. And guitars don't seem as outdated as accordions, and the possibilities are endless and it's, by God, rock'n'roll again. It's a beautiful night, I'm buzzed and I'm really looking forward to the Star Spangles' record release party. From: alejandro.maestas@clorox.com Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 15:39:31 -0800 This is the first time I've come across your site but have been a Replacements fan since I was in high school (grad. 1987). Saw them two times right after All Shook Down came out (at the Warfield Theater and then at the Shoreline Amphitheater opening up for Tom Petty (?)...weird. That was the beginning of the end. Unfortunately, I was never able to see them in their drunken heyday with Bobby. It's great to read about everyone else's experiences and to know that there are tons of people out there who still appreciate old Replacements. I've made many great friendships (cool people who I consider my best friends) over the years that were catalyzed by some common musical denominator (hey, that dude has a Meat Puppets t-shirt on...he must be cool). Fact is, the day Bobby OD'ed me and my bro Eric played Replacements CD's all day long at the Burger joint we worked at in Arcata, CA (where we went to college). Nobody knew who was playing over the burger-joint sound system and probably wouldn't have given a shit anyway, but we didn't give a shit because we knew the Replacements (with Bobby) kicked ass and that was all that mattered. Anyway, I'm 33, have been out of college for 7 years and am a working corporate-stooge chemical analyst in the East Bay Area, California. Pretty ironic if ya think about it. So as part of my technical corporate-stooge training I was sent out to Minneapolis last October '02, smack dab right in the middle of the Twins/A's series. So, naturally I would listen to the radio any chance I got to find out what the score of the baseball game was. The kicker though was that when the station went to pause for a commercial break they faded out with "I Will Dare"! I couldn't fuckin' believe it but thought it was the greatest fucking thing in the world. I was like a giddy frickin' schoolgirl and my much older co-worker looked at me like I was a freak (which isn't far from the truth). But only in Minneapolis would this ever happen I suppose, much to my delight. I remember that more than the training I received. As soon as I got back to California I told all my buddies about it and they were just as stoked to hear that the Mats still live on. Just wanted to share, later, Dro From: PunkRwk78@aol.com Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 22:35:18 EDT Hey, my name's Mike and I've loved The Replacements ever since I heard Alex Chilton as a kid. I'm the only person I know who listens to Paul or "The Mats" if that's what you call The Replacements for short. I keep seeing people using that name, but I'm not really up on the inside lingo. I live about 30 to 40 miles south of Chicago and can't wait to see Paul play here. Other artists I love are Jeff Buckley, Otis Redding, MxPx, Jesus And Mary Chain, Saves The Day, Wilco, Aaliyah, and Snoop Dogg to name a small few. I'm always searching for rare recordings, but am having trouble choosing between some Mats imports and I was wondering if you could help me. Here's What I found: Beat Girl, Boink, Goodbye Bozo's, How Did The Vomit Get On The Ceiling, Putting On The Ritz, Shit Shower And Shave, The Shit Hits The Fan, Uptown Bar Part 1, Part 2, and Somewhere Ol' Bob Stinson Is Throwing Up. I can't find any info on these. Since you seem to know your stuff can you please help me out on what selections are good. If I buy one and the sound sucks I'll be stuck with it, cuz there's no refunds. Later, Mike [Mike - Favorites are subjective and you should hear them all if you can. Check out trading circles on alt.music.replacements.] From: Heyseusmarimba@aol.com Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 22:01:55 EDT My name is Dave. I've been listening to the Replacements since I was about 14 years old. I bought a used copy of "Let It Be" from my local record store, and then I took it home and popped it in the stereo. I freaked out pretty mightily over how great the music was. I sat there for about 15 minutes or so being entranced by the first 6 tracks of the album, thinking to myself, "Every song on this album is fucking amazing. Even the cover of the shitty Kiss song is fucking rocking. This can't get better." But, of course it did. Unsatisfied starting playing, and before it was over, I was crying like a baby over how beautiful the song was. I'm 18 now, and I still get a little misty over Unsatisfied. I have no 'Mats stories to share because I have never gotten to see them live, not even in their solo projects. Though, the man who sold me that copy of "Let It Be" was at the infamous show that Bob played naked, the one at the college. I'm being vague on details, I know. But, yeah, I love the Mats. From: CANDMABBOTT@aol.com Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2003 11:43:40 EDT Subject: Nebraska Replacements Fan Chris here in Lincoln. Replacements fan since 1987. Favorite album(s): basically all, but really like Let It Be, Pleased To Meet Me, and All Shook Down. Am a huge solo Paul fan as well. Grandpaboy is my hero. Can't wait for the new releases. Wish he would have come west of the Mississippi last year. Thanks for listening and wish you well. Skyway is the best. Sincerely, Chris Abbott Lincoln NE __________________________________________________________________________ IV. IN PRINT The Replacements Reissues Monday, January 6th, 2003 http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/watw/03-01/replacements.shtml It's an old story, but I'll tell it again: Rock 'n' roll is dead. We know this; the only thing we can't agree on is the time of death. Many side with Creation Records mogul Alan McGee, who once proclaimed Guns n' Roses the last true rock 'n' roll band. VH1 consultants posit that, beneath their bloated open chords and nth-generation Dylan-isms, Tom Petty and Bruce still have it. And it's been said before that 1950s post-rhythm and blues rebellion died with The Replacements, perhaps the last purebred rock 'n' roll band the world would ever know. Any water held by that argument was bottled from the Replacements' wellspring of business naiveté and depraved self-indulgence. When their hair metal counterparts trashed hotel rooms, it was window-dressing, a play at building the "bad boy" image meant to excuse their fatuous three-chord wallpaper. The Replacements trashed hotel rooms because they were bored and under appreciated, because they had to tour to survive, and were disgusted with all the extraneous bullshit that came with playing music. Ultimately, it was bullshit that brought them down, and it wasn't pretty. In hindsight, the band has acknowledged that they barely knew each other, and that in a sense, The Replacements played for beer tabs their entire career. Their exuberant swinging party gave way to stubborn ignorance when drugs, egos and hairspray derailed their major label bid, leaving Paul Westerberg to play janitor on their last two albums. These reissues represent the band's glorious first wave of unrestrained, impassioned rock 'n' roll, where furious guitar solos and a fuck-all attitude to end fuck-all attitudes gave way to ballads as retiring, poignant and nakedly honest as The Replacements' heroes ever recorded. Music journalist Greil Marcus constantly recycles the famous Deep Blues question, "How much history can be communicated by pressure on a guitar string," but he already answered it correctly during his audio commentary for Alex Cox's Sid & Nancy: "An infinite amount, or none at all." The Replacements' early songs are among the most pedestrian, ridiculous jokes you could imagine a rock band attempting; an infinite number of teenagers have written songs called "Fuck School", but only The Replacements did it well. The Replacements made us sing along to lyrics like, "I hate music/ Sometimes I don't/ I hate music/ It's got too many notes," without ever questioning or laughing at their inanity. Selling cool and getting away with obnoxiousness are at once the most difficult and essential tasks in rock -- it's the reason there are so few great rock 'n' roll bands to speak of -- but Paul Westerberg's voice did all that and more, effortlessly enticing a generation of lost, apolitical teenagers while sidelining snobs and critics afraid to join in the fray. Recorded throughout 1980 as finances allowed, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash is a thousand times more Rock'n'Roll High School than The Ramones could ever be. The Ramones grifted their way through the big shitty, subsisting on handouts and convincing ever-present backers they were "it." The Replacements were true teenage fuck-ups, suburban burnouts that felt the pressure of hopeless dead-ends, and perhaps most importantly, the fear of getting their asses kicked wherever they played. As is constantly relayed, bassist Tommy Stinson was only eleven when his nineteen year-old brother Bob sold him his amplifier and bass to keep him away from hard drugs and crime. Though they'd heard some of the UK's punk rock, and had big brothers Husker Du blasting the roots of American hardcore all around their hometown of Minneapolis, The Replacements were young enough to love scene taboos like Bad Company and Yes in earnest. In short, they were entirely without pretension, a band any kid could instantly recognize as the real thing. Passing all bullshit detectors with flying colors, they pull off love songs to counter clerks and any number of by-the-numbers punk anthems to aimlessness: "Takin a Ride", "Careless" and "Hangin Downtown" are basically the same song, but they're made individual and inspiring by Westerberg's wry delivery. The Stink "mini-LP" finds the band veering toward the hardcore punk sound that was taking over the underground by 1982, but Westerberg's universal truths ensure the songs don't lose that phony-wise glimmer of a youngster too old for his years. The cover reads "'Kids Don't Follow' Plus Seven," but it's the far too brief "Go" -- the first in a long line of freezing cold, desperate teen anthems (and in places a precursor to late-80s alterna-darlings the Pixies) -- that's arguably the spotlight-stealer on this strikingly better sophomore release. Which is not to say the leadoff track should be ignored: aside from the introductory house party recording of Dave Pirner screaming "Fuck you, man!" to the cops shutting things down, "Kids Don't Follow" is probably the finest of The Replacements' filthier first batch of rock songs, before melody and bigger choruses crept in. The playing on Stink is airtight, and Bob Stinson's guitar solos would never approach the simultaneous speed-induced accuracy and drunken fury heard on "Fuck School" and "Gimme Noise". The "Are you waiting?" bridge from the latter hints at the direction Westerberg would take the band over the next five years, and while he would cement their signature sound, he would also alienate the brash, increasingly alcoholic guitarist who let him join the band in the first place: Bob Stinson. The Westerberg ascendancy begins on Hootenanny: where in-jokes and irreverence once worked themselves into raucous, beer-swilling tirades, by the second proper Replacements album they become castoff, standalone standup routines. "Hootenanny", "Take Me Down to the Hospital", "Mr. Whirly", and the legendary "Lovelines" are often hilarious, but offer no conviction, drive, or sense of purpose. Then there's the odd instrumental "Buck Hill", which, though it sounds much like R.E.M., is not about their guitarist, but a real hill, whose name, when screamed, sounds like "fuck you." If not for the timeless teenage empathy of "Color Me Impressed" and "Within Your Reach", the record would be utterly forgettable. The latter marks the beginning of the infamous division between Westerberg and the rest of the 'Mats: recorded without the band's knowledge, "Within Your Reach" would eventually become a huge hit on the Say Anything soundtrack. Stinson didn't want it on Hootenanny, and didn't consider it a Replacements song. After years of enduring manager Peter Jesperson's attempts to broaden their taste in music, the band titled their fourth album Let It Be as a joke. Though it's laughable to suggest they dislodged or even dented the legacy of those words, The Replacements' fourth album is a standard purchase for every fan of independent rock 'n' roll, the darker foil to the Violent Femmes' cutesy debut. A funny coincidence, then, that The Pretenders, who got the Violent Femmes their record deal, would be taken to task by the Replacements on Let It Be. "I Will Dare" was recorded long before the album and released as a 12-inch with a pair of covers; a lighthearted romp featuring Peter Buck on guitar, it became their first college radio hit and still shines brightly in the shadow of the Pretenders' "A Message of Love". The rest of Let It Be has none of the airwave sheen of its lead track: "Favorite Thing", "We're Coming Out" and "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out" showcase the 'Mats as they started, a trio of two-minute thrash epics any self-disrespecting teenager should have burned in their minds. "Seen Your Video" pointed the way toward the huge riffs that would dominate their major label debut, Tim, but again, the tracks that best stand the test of time are the Westerberg ballads "Androgynous", "Sixteen Blue" and the song that became an unspoken personal soundtrack for everyone that heard it, "Unsatisfied". Bob Stinson dismissed this undeniable classic in a 1993 Goldmine interview as "a half-assed attempt to make a good song", but ... well, you have to respect the dead. You'll notice obnoxious, art-obscuring graphics proclaiming these records have been "digitally remastered." Ignore them. Aside from an overall volume boost, barely noticeable improvements to the guitar mix, and markedly worse cover art (check the film clarity on both Hootenanny and Let It Be), these are the same compact discs once available from Twin/Tone Records. Sorry Ma is marginally worse off for the tweaking: it was originally so quiet, you had to crank it up, producing tons of hiss that -- back in those days -- actually worked to make a record sound more "live". This edition is sterilized by compression, and loses that positive bleeding. In point of fact, these albums weren't remastered: they were re-equalized and compressed from digital sources, not the analog master reels. The polishing is, of course, better than nothing -- Restless (now a Ryko subsidiary) and Twin/Tone could've just repressed these discs, since they were never out of print in the first place -- but the classic first quartet of Replacements records deserves better: there isn't a single bonus track or alternate mix on these discs. What happened here? For one, none of the surviving Replacements had anything to do with these reissues. Heavyweight engineer Greg Calbi (R.E.M., Paul McCartney) handled digital processing for all four discs at Paul Westerberg's request, though he was only in touch with Twin/Tone patriarch and former 'Mats manager Peter Jesperson who was fired by the band in 1985 after Seymour Stein signed them to Sire Records. Stein's parent corporation later salvaged rarities from the Replacements' major label era, releasing the All for Nothing/Nothing for All retrospective at a time when the band's stock couldn't have been lower. Though hardly a complete record of these widely bootlegged, gregarious legends' outtakes and non-album tracks -- and notwithstanding most of the band's indignation at having their one-offs made widely available -- All for Nothing/Nothing for All was a class move by any standard, certainly as far as major labels are concerned. One would hope the band's staunchly independent former manager would show an even greater passion and respect for the band's catalog. Jesperson claims to have over seventy hours of Twin/Tone-era Replacements rarities, and has been promising a comprehensive box set once the band members sign on. Unless you're new to the Replacements, you'll want to wait them out: these shabby reissues are without merit for anyone who already owns The Replacements' first four records. -Chris Ott From: SuMMeRLaND311@aol.com Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 18:05:05 EST Subject: Rolling Stone This is from an interview with Avril Lavigne in Rolling Stone magazine. It about killed me. She even got a lesson in recent music history from one of her heroes: the Goo Goo Dolls' Johnny Rzeznik. "What's that CD that Johnny Rzeznik bought me?" Lavigne asks her tour manager, Dan Garnett. "It starts with an R." She squinches her forehead and tries to remember. Finally she asks me, "Do you know who Johnny Rzeznik's idol was?" The Replacements, I suggest. "Yeah, the Replacements! I never have time to listen to it, but I like it." From: mymurkyworld@yahoo.com (so anyway) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Mats story in June Uncut Date: 21 Jun 2003 13:42:56 -0700 Don't know if anybody posted this already, but just noticed this in the always pro Mats/PW Uncut (June issue Pink Floyd cover). Made me smile anyhow! Patrick __________________________________________________________________________ V. THE REPLACEMENTS Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2003 20:48:22 -0700 (PDT) From: barrett barnard Subject: about nowhere is my home it's not really anything groundbreaking, but i e-mailed peter jesperson about the song nowhere is my home, which is one of my favorites, as to why it wasn't on tim. he said he thought it could've replaced a few songs on the album but ultimately he didn't know why. but he also let a little insight into the lyrics: he says the line "take a shovel and a wrench to this jail" was about the tour bus which paul called the lemon jail. i just thought it was interesting enough to share. From: Bryan Duncan Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 12:40:39 -0700 i was reading the article on collecting replacements and noticed a couple of references to the "lookin' for you" track. about ten years ago a found a copy of this song on a compilation series by zoom. zoom i guess was some sort of radio program out of new york. anyways the cassette copy i found (in a record store on haight street no less) included a zoom poster with the replacements and several other bands on the comp (r.e.m., gun club, tc). the copy on it reads 1981 which i thought was interesting since the tracking up north came out in 1982. perhaps this was the original release? anyway, i'm a big replacements fan and thought i would pass that along. if you're interested i could scan the poster, cassette and forward it. i've never checked to ensure it was the same version as trackin up north but assumed it was since it is an early version of lovelines (with different lyrics). bryan Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 21:21:10 -0500 From: Drew Howard Subject: PW Guitar Tunings It's been years since I've checked this list. Dug up some vids of '91 Euro shows and got heavily wistful. PW guitar tunings are many, "Someone Take The Wheel", "Merry Go Round" and "All Shook Down", etc. I've looked around the 'net but haven't found any info other than tabs. What tunings does PW use? I recall that his guitar tech had his work cut out for him, i.e., don't pass PW the wrong guitar. EBEABE? Didn't the Goo Goo Dolls rip this tuning? Please e-mail me off-list - drewhoward@cablespeed.com Thanks and Happy Holidays. From: "Jonathan Hoyt" Subject: "Tooter Turtle" and his 'Mats connection Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 21:47:48 -0600 First of all, thanks (and congratulations) for creating and maintaining "The Skyway" for all these years. It's one of the few sites that I've kept returning to since discovering the internet back in the early '90s. As a native of Chillicothe, MO (not far from Kirksville), I'm well acquainted with the dreary winters. I think the Replacements' music has always been perfectly suited to the mid-western backdrop. Regarding the subject of this e-mail, "Tooter Turtle" was a recurring segment of NBC-TV's early-'60s kiddie show "King Leonardo and His Short Subjects" (A.K.A. "The King and Odie"). During his adventures, Tooter would invariably get into trouble and rely on his pal, Mr. Wizard (no connection to Don Herbert, unfortunately), to bail him out. Mr. Wizard would then utter these immortal words: "Drizzle, Drazzle, Druzzle, Drome...Time for this one to come home." Needless to say, Tooter would then be safely transported back home again. More on this topic can be found here (there's even a neat still of Tooter and Mr. Wizard!): http://www.toontracker.com/totaltv/kingodie.htm The similarity between the "Hold My Life" lyric and Mr. Wizard's incantation is obviously beyond the realm of mere coincidence. Actually, Paul does seem to be singing "Razzle Dazzle" instead of "Drizzle Drazzle," but that's nit-picking, isn't it? Also, I, too, remember seeing the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" Wild, Wild World Of Batwoman episode. I seem to recall that one of the robots sort of affected a "Boris Karloff" sounding voice, and recited the "Drizzle Drazzle" version of the line. I remember George Wendt making a guest appearance on NBC-TV's late-'80s sitcom "Day By Day" portraying a frat brother of one of the principal cast members. During the episode, Wendt (as "Stan") impresses the son of his college chum (and this stunned viewer) by saying he is a big Replacements fan, and commenting on their latest album. Just thought you'd like to know... http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-542/epid-21631 Your pal, Jonathan Hoyt Springfield, MO Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 17:37:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Organ Moods In Hi-Fi Subject: Replacements live at the Country Club, Reseda, CA, 07/07/87 I was at the Replacements gig at the Country Club in Reseda, CA on 07/07/87. If you own this recording, can I obtain a copy of this show on CDr? I also saw them twice at the Hollywood Palladium, but it was that summer afternoon gig promoted by KROQ that was truly mind-blowing. Thanks. Matt Devine From: "Schroering, Tim" Subject: Dope Smoking Moron Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 14:59:13 -0400 I am a life long Replacements nut. I've been trying to get the chords for Dope Smoking Moron forever but can't seem to find them anywhere on the web. Got any suggestions? Tim Schroering __________________________________________________________________________ VI. TOMMY From: trickments@hotmail.com (BlitzkriegBob) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Tommy at The Mercury Lounge Date: 2 Jul 2003 11:14:09 -0700 Caught Tommy's show last night. First time I've seen him solo and it was a good time. He came out in full make-up, dressed in a black suit with a fedora - very "Cabaret". He said he "wanted to get his fag on". Played a lot of his new material, 7 Days a Week, Friday Night, that Loudon Wainwright tune, a Big Star song. He forgot the words to a Bash and Pop tune (I think the title is First Steps, with the line "Chicago round the corner") and his cell phone went off while he was trying to figure it out - pretty funny, he told the person it was a bad time. People in the crowd asked if it was Axl. He asked for a Jack Daniels from the bar and two people brought him drinks - I asked if he was going to drink both of them and he gave me the extra - nice. He did admonish one person who made a request - I didn't hear what she yelled, but Tommy snapped back with something like "that just makes no sense, why would you yell something like that?" He said he'll back in September with a band and that he's had enough of this pussy acoustic stuff. fin. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. - Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President (1858-1919)