I hate ILoveMusic, it's got too many POLLS - Artist Poll #104 - THE REPLACEMENTS - RESULTS

lol "Gary's Got a Boner" at #69

replacements are one of those bands where i think i automatically love everyone's ballot, no matter what you put down

Spending the week with all their albums brought out their strengths and weaknesses all over again, which are both abundant but the bottom line is that they really were pretty great for a while there. I think the best way to hear them is as a punk band that didn't really play punk rock.

I think the best way to hear them is as a punk band that didn't really play punk rock.

i agree with this from the other side - i knew of them first as an alternative/pop band, but have gained a new appreciation of how they could have been an incredible straight-up punk band, had they chosen to stay there. they were really good at it and could have been the american buzzcocks (i'm drunk). but they couldn't be contained in that world - i love the buzzcocks, but they wouldn't have have written something like "treatment bound".

so in the end, i'm gonna give the buzzcocks an A-, the Replacements 6 bags of popcorn and 5 sodas

This was a fun discussion thanks nag

That seems to leave only these album tracks failing to attract a vote:
Shut up                SMFTTTOTT (August 1981)
Stuck in the Middle    Stink (June 1982)
White and Lazy         Stink (June 1982)
Hootenanny             Hootenanny (April 1983)
The Last               All Shook Down (September 1990)

"Hootenanny" deserved at least one vote.

I think the placement that makes me happiest is "Favorite Thing," I'm glad that's a consensus top 10 song. It captures something or several things essential about them, including how much fun they could be.

LOL@ Mr Whirly being Mr Irrelevant

I meant to vote for ‘The Last’ but forgot. I also forgot ‘IOU’ and ‘Color Me Impressed’, so clearly my ballot was wildly inaccurate.

I actually had this image uploaded for a potential mock placement where "Colour My Impressed" was to be. But I had to concede that you need somewhat greater than 0.00% believability for that to be worthwhile.

My lifeboat-battered ballot

Tracks

1. here comes a regular
2. hold my life
3. answering machine
4. cant hardly wait
5. on the bus
6. alex chilton
7. i will dare
8. within your reach
9. skyway
10. i’m in trouble
11. favorite thing
12. color me impressed
13. shiftless when idle
14. sixteen blue
15. black diamond
16. sadly beautiful
17. i’ll buy
18. little mascara
19. the ledge
20. careless
21. hayday
22. bent out of shape
23. somethin to do
24. swingin party
25. left of the dial
26. lay it down clown
27. red red wine
28. bastards of young
29. johnny’s gonna die
30. my little problem

solo/sideprojects (ranked)

1. Good Day - Tommy Stinson
2. Let’s Do It - Paul Westerberg + Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (Tank Girl soundtrack)
3. Born For Me - The I Don’t Cares
4. Better Days - Perfect
5. Making Me Sick - Bash & Pop

Albums (ranked)

1. Tim
2. Pleased to Meet Me
3. Let It Be
4. Hootenanny
5. All Shook Down

TRAX

favorite thing
left of the dial
sixteen blue
careless
i will dare
can't hardly wait
skyway
androgynous
unsatisfied
swingin party
bastards of young
alex chilton
achin' to be
johnny's gonna die
treatment bound
you're getting married
kiss me on the bus
portland
little mascara
i'll be you
we're comin' out
when it began
hold my life
i hate music
p.o. box (photo)
shiftless when idle
answering machine
never mind
if only you were lonely
mr. whirly

ALBUMS

let it be
sorry ma, forgot to take out the trash
tim
pleased to meet me
dead man's pop

Lol yes, I'm the Mr. Whirly voter. If I could do it again, I'd push Hootenanny to the #3 or #4 album slot. That album really hit me after submitting my ballot, after all these years. Also, I'd find a way to include "Lovelines" and "Nightclub Jitters".

And thanks to Nag! for the swell rollout

I eventually got Stink purely for the song titles alone. The only song I knew was "Kids Don't Follow," but "Dope Smokin' Moron," "White and Lazy"...just hilarious.

(a) TOP REPLACEMENTS TRACKS

1. Unsatisfied
2. Bastards of Young
3. Androgynous
4. Can't Hardly Wait
5. I Will Dare
6. Within Your Reach
7. Alex Chilton
8. Nowhere Is My Home
9. Left of the Dial
10. Color Me Impressed
11. Little Mascara
12. You're Getting Married
13. Sixteen Blue
14. Here Comes a Regular
15. Valentine
16. Nobody
17. Answering Machine
18. Birthday Gal
19. Sadly Beautiful
20. If Only You Were Lonely
21. Kiss Me on the Bus
22. Kids Don't Follow
23. Johnny's Gonna Die
24. Portland
25. Treatment Bound
26. Swingin' Party
27. I'll Be You
28. Beer for Breakfast
29. Another Girl, Another Planet (live)
30. Never Mind

(b) TOP SOLO / SIDE-PROJECT TRACKS

Let the Bad Times Roll
We May Be the Ones
High Time
Eyes Like Sparks
Baby Learns to Crawl
Got You Down
Only Lie Worth Telling
2 Days 'Til Tomorrow
Silent Film Stars
Knock It Right Out

(c) TOP ALBUMS

1. Let It Be
2. Tim
3. Pleased To Meet Me
4. Hootenanny
5. Dead Man's Pop

I voted for a goodly volume of no-hopers myself. :)

61  Perfectly Lethal        Let It Be era miscellany          54       3      0
63  Willpower               Hootenanny (April 1983)           48       5      0
67  Photo AKA. PO Box       PTMM era miscellany               43       3      0
72  Darlin' One             Don't Tell a Soul (January 1989)  34       6      0
78  You Lose                Hootenanny (April 1983)           25       2      0
08= Gimme Noise             Stink (June 1982)                  2       1      0

I also voted for You Lose! (and perfectly lethal)

You Lose is fucking intense

Yes! We should have campaigned strenuously for that one.

*tracks*
i will dare
can't hardly wait
if only you were lonely
answering machine
god damn job
iou
alex chilton
customer
androgynous
skyway
hold my life
within your reach
color me impressed
kids don’t follow
shiftless when idle
waitress in the sky
treatment bound
bastards of young
i'm in trouble
black diamond
lovelines
here comes a regular
left of the dial
tommy gets his tonsils out
favorite thing
kiss me on the bus
i hate music
careless
little mascara
darlin' one

*albums*
let it be
hootenanny
pleased to meet me
tim
shit hits the fans

my last couple slots were open to influence. would've considered campaigns for you lose, run it, hootenanny, my little problem, assorted others.

i mean, personally, i thought "i lose" speaks for itself. it's watching tv, seeing through the game show: you're all fucking losers, because to play the game means you already lost

*continues to drink heavily*

i am proud to be the sole flag-waver for My Little Problem

I enjoyed hearing about the lifeboat. When I vote, I'm still pretty much living in iTunes, so I throw my favorite 40 or so favorite tracks in a playlist and try to decide what the top 10 is, the next ten etc. and basically create a bubble at the end where the final cuts are made.

1. Pleased To Meet Me
2. Hootenanny
3. Let It Be
4. Tim
5. Stereo/Mono

Bold didn't place if I did this right.
Can't Hardly Wait
I Will Dare
Left Of The Dial
Valentine
Talent Show
Sixteen Blue
Within Your Reach
Kiss Me On The Bus
Color Me Impressed
Answering Machine
Unsatisfied
I'll Be You
I.O.U.
Asking Me Lies
Nightclub Jitters
Hayday
Here Comes A Regular
Skyway
Otto
Never Mind
Take Me Down To The Hospital
Favorite Thing
Alex Chilton
Androgynous
Hold My Life
One Wink at a Time
Little Mascara
Go
Nobody
Another Girl, Another Planet

glad to see that unsatisfied got the consolation prize of most number one voted

campreverb i like that process!

i will try that next time maybe

Well the upside is then I have my own curated playlist to throw on my iPod. Partying like it’s 2010 over here let me tell you.

oh and PSA to everyone on this thread who hasn’t read Trouble Boys yet

GO READ THE BOOK YA CLOWNS

it’s very good and sad and all the things

that is all

another thing about "left of the dial": that wasn't a phrase that people used before that song, as far as i know. they invented that. possibly one of their most lasting influences!

― fact checking cuz, Wednesday, October 14, 2020 1:01 AM

I once saw a YouTube comment I can't find anymore that claimed this phrase has a double meaning; that it also refers to the position of a receiver in a phone booth when Westerberg and his girlfriend would call each other on the road. Don't know if that tracks entirely but it's an incredible layer to that song.

My ballot.

Tracks

1. Left of the Dial
2. Alex Chilton
3. Unsatisfied
4. Answering Machine
5. I.O.U.
6. Hold My Life
7. Sixteen Blue
8. Androgynous
9. We’re Comin’ Out
10. Kiss Me On the Bus
11. Kids Don’t Follow
12. Bastards of Young
13. I Will Dare
14. Black Diamond
15. Color Me Impressed
16. Here Comes a Regular
17. Treatment Bound
18. Portland
19. Within Your Reach
20. Run It
21. Achin’ to Be
22. Favorite Thing
23. Go
24. I Don’t Know
25. Take Me Down to the Hospital
26. Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
27. Buck Hill
28. Talent Show
29. Can’t Hardly Wait
30. Swingin Party

Albums

1. Let It Be
2. Tim
3. Stink
4. Hootenanny
5. Pleased to Meet Me

Ugh at those comments on your blog, Alfred.

Guys suck.

Pretty much.

Re-listened to “Tim” yesterday and realized “Lay It Down Clown” would have been an excellent DLR-era Van Halen track.

My ballot!

Tracks:
Unsatisfied
Sixteen Blue
I Will Dare
Color Me Impressed
Alex Chilton
Swingin Party
Valentine
Kids Don't Follow
Left of the Dial
Favorite Thing
Little Mascara
Bastards of Young
Another Girl, Another Planet
Androgynous
Can't Hardly Wait
You're Getting Married - Solo Home Demo
Raised In The City
The Ledge
Answering Machine
Takin A Ride
Here Comes A Regular
Kick Your Door Down
Seen Your Video
I.O.U.
Skyway
Darlin' One
Shiftless When Idle
Bad Worker (Demo)
Love You Till Friday
Anywhere's Better Than Here

Albums:
Let It Be
Tim
Pleased To Meet Me
Sorry Ma, I Forgot to Take Out The Trash
Hootenanny

My houseboat ballot:
Left of the Dial
Sixteen Blue
Go
Favorite Thing
Johnny's Gonna Die
Unsatisfied
If Only You Were Lonely
Black Diamond
Color Me Impressed
Seen Your Video
I'm in Trouble
God Damn Job
Kids Don't Follow
Androgynous
Customer
Can't Hardly Wait
Bastards of Young
Within Your Reach
Skyway
Little Mascara
Run It
Take Me Down to the Hospital
Buck Hill
Alex Chilton
The Ledge
Never Mind
Achin' to Be
Talent Show
Merry-Go-Round
Here Comes A Regular
Albums:
Sorry Ma
Stink
Hootenanny
Let It Be
Tim

Thanks for the poll.

1. "Alex Chilton" (40)
2. "Answering Machine" (36)
3. "I Will Dare" (33)
4. "Johnny's Gonna Die" (30)
5. "Color Me Impressed" (28)

6. "Kids Don't Follow" (24)
7. "Left of the Dial" (24)
8. "Unsatisfied" (24)
9. "Can't Hardly Wait" (24)
10. "Favorite Thing" (24)

11. "Within Your Reach" (19)
12. "Go" (19)
13. "Rock 'N' Roll Ghost" (19)
14. "Pool & Dive" (19)
15. "Hayday" (19)

16. "I'll Be You" (14)
17. "Skyway" (14)
18. "Little Mascara" (14)
19. "Bastards of Young" (14)
20. "Seen Your Video" (14)

I think "Pool & Dive" was my only idiosyncratic choice (who else voted for it?). I counted down a Top 100 on college radio in the late '80s and had "I Will Dare" on there; on another one, a different college station, sometime in the 2000s, I went with "Answering Machine"; and then switched to "Alex Chilton" for a Facebook Top 100 in 2015. So I made those my top three.

I'm chuckling at Alfred calling out Westerberg's sentimentalism by making his #2 song a Rodgers/Hammerstein classic.

Great poll/rollout, Nag3! "Unsatisfied" was my #1. I used to play drums along to Let It Be all the time not long after it came out. My drum teacher at the time had me to do a transcription of a song's drum part, and play along to that song, for each week's lesson. He was really into drummers like Jeff Porcaro and, for reasons that remain unclear to me, Bill Gibson (from Huey Lewis & The News). When I brought in "Unsatisfied," his reaction to the song was, "This is just a simple beat; there's nothing challenging about it." My argument is, it's like being Bob Dylan's drummer: you have to help tell this story, the dynamics and phrasing have to complement and bolster the story's meaning, you can't get in the way of it, and you also have to swing. But me being 12 or 13 at the time, I wasn't articulate enough to say any of that to my drum teacher in "Unsatisfied"'s defense. For the next lesson, he made me learn, play, and transcribe a song that he considered far superior: Chicago's "Stay The Night."

My list:

TOP REPLACEMENTS TRACKS
1.Fuck School
2.Dope Smoking Moron

TOP SOLO / SIDE-PROJECT TRACKS
Chris Mars "Popular Creeps"
That time Tommy was in a P Diddy video

TOP ALBUMS
1. Stink

Songs
Taking a ride (20)
If only u were lonely (18)
Kids don’t follow (21)
F**k School (22)
Color me impressed (8)
Within your reach (27)
Buck Hill (28)
I will dare (4)
Favorite thing (10)
Tommy gets his tonsils out (17)
Androgynous (14)
Unsatisfied (11)
Gary’s got a Boner (23)
Sixteen Blue (29)
Answering machine (9)
Hold my life (7)
I’ll buy (26)
Kiss me on the bus (12)
Waitress in the sky (5)
Swinging party (15)
Bastards of young (3)
Left of the dial (16)
I.O.U. (6)
Alex Chilton (1)
Skyway (2)
Can’t hardly wait (25)
Talent Show (13)
I’ll Be You (18)
Achin’ To Be (24)
Darling one (30)

Albums
Tim
Let it be
Don’t Tell A Soul (Dead Man’s Pop version)
Pleased to meet me
Hootenanny

I’ve been thinking that why isn’t the ability to create an emotional connection with the listener considered a category in which a musician can be virtuosic or not virtuosic? I’ve always been left cold by “chops are what matters” types.

Think it comes back around at the top level: people like Lester Young saying learn the words, listen to singers and their phrasing, etc. But some journey rock guitar (or drum) teacher on the other hand...

I swear one of these days I'll take part in a poll where my votes aren't super-vanilla (part of the problem is you guys did so many polls before I was aware of 'em):

Trax only:

01 I Will Dare
02 Takin’ a Ride
03 Alex Chilton
04 Color Me Impressed
05 Bastards of Young
06 Skyway
07 Run It
08 Valentine
09 Sixteen Blue
10 Answering Machine
11 Fuck School
12 Careless
13 Within Your Reach
14 Androgynous
15 Shiftless When Idle
16 Hold My Life
17 The Ledge
18 Never Mind
19 All Shook Down
20 Little Mascara
21 Customer
22 Happy Town
23 Swingin Party
24 Take Me Down to the Hospital
25 Unsatisfied

I think Paul is a virtuoso songwriter, or was

but chops vs feeling is a false binary that overall I reject

Same. There was an article on the Big Thief singer where the writer placed the two in opposition, like as though AL’s emphasis on emotional connection was independent of virtuosity. Then that post above about the drum teacher (LOL).

yeah music teacher/guitar mag dudes are kind of have their own worldview haha

big thief is a great example though of a band that really touches people in a very intimate way and their chops are subtle enough that they maybe aren't noticed or remarked upon enough - but yeah that whole band kills and she is a very unique and cool player (as is the other guitarist)

I just listened to Let It Be for the first time in a long time & what is it with the years but I really get it now, for the first time.

I get caught by Westerberg's sentimentality, I fall for it, I've always been in love, but Bob Stinson's playing is what sticks this time. You all have taught me how to listen to music in other ways & I'll always be grateful for that.

I'd heard Sixteen Blue countless times but in relistening to it now really heard Bob's solo channel the sense of youthful confusion.

It's a shame Bob couldn't be in the band through Pleased to Meet Me (and obv it's known he wasn't super engaged during the Tim sessions) they aren't the Mats as much without him, something special went out of it

That story where he gets sober for a little while and Paul tells him "drink or get off my stage" is one of the saddest, cruelest things I've ever heard

I almost went to reread that last night but couldn't