241 - The Replacements - Let It Be

I was introduced to The Replacements via Paul's solo work in the 90's. That music and the few Replacement tracks I heard here and there gave me an idea of their sound. It was a sound I found pleasant, but I never felt compelled to dig any deeper. Knowing the popularity of the band and Let It Be in particular, this has been on my "need to listen to it" list for a couple of decades now.

The wait is over and I'm really annoyed that it took me this long to listen to the album. What I didn't previously really appreciate about Let It Be and how it differs from Paul's solo work is how loose the band was and how much of a connection they still had to hardcore punk during this album. "We're Coming Out" sounds like every other hardcore song from the 80's until the halfway point when the guitars stop and the piano and fingersnaps come in. This jazzy interlude is one of many moments on the album that completely grabbed my attention.

Let It Be captures a band journeying away from hardcore standards and trying out several different alterations to that sound. While some songs are part-hardcore/part-some other genre, there are songs like the iconic "I Will Dare" or "Unsatisfied" (come on, could you imagine Soul Asylum if you erased all of their songs that sound like "Unsatisfied?") that are the foundation of what would be called "college rock" in the 80's. I'm convinced that Kurt Cobain listened to "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out" numerous times and practiced to get his vocals to have the same high-scratchiness that Paul exhibits in that song. "Androgynous" is a particularly folky, singer-songwriter piece that may slip by if you ignore the subject matter.

The key to this album to me is The Replacements' exploration of music with a casual, loose approach. Would the album be just as good without the cover of KISS's "Black Diamond" (although they deserve praise for condensing the song down to less than 3 minutes)? Sure, but that cover further illustrates the fun bar band that The Replacements could be as they drunkenly played through songs at their frequently raukus performances.

I have to mention before I close this review that the album closer, "Answering Machine," is a FANTASTIC song with great lyrics.

Songs I Knew I liked: None

Songs I Now Like: "I Will Dare," "Androgynous," "Black Diamond," "Unsatisfied," I love the prolonged intro to "Seen Your Video," and "Answering Machine"

Songs I Can Go the Rest of My Life Never Hearing Again: While I never skipped it, I could see how I would skip the Chicago blues-influenced "Gary's Got a Boner" when I get the album for keeps.