HUSKER DU V. Replacements

'Mats by far. But I'm a sicko who likes All Shook Down (but not Don't Tell a Soul). i bought New Day rising when it came out and liked four songs. The Mats bootlegs I've heard are better than their albums. The Husker boots sound like putting your head in an incinerator...too loud, maybe? recorders didn't capture it...

Just great—a death match between my two fave rock bands of the mid '80s. I think I’ll just cop-out totally and go with Nirvana—who seemed to split the difference between ‘em, after all—thanks.

<i>Don't Tell a Soul</i> is Replacements most underrated album by far -- bad production (man, they had three shit-sounding records in a row there, Pleased is OK but drums are way too loud), and the Goo Goo Dolls kinda developed their later sound out of it, but I look at the track list now and remember how in love I was with it when it first came out and if my copy were still around I bet it would hold up.

Don't Tell A Soul is great, and worth tracking down again (probably available for 1 cent online, it was bargain bin shortly after it came out). "Talent Show" is one of my favorite album openers, esp. when the drums come in. "Achin' To Be" holds up; I even love "We'll Inherit The Earth" which I reckon drew battlelines for longtime Mats fans. And "I'll Be You" is a great single.

^^^ OTM, all four of those tracks are fantastic!

i like that record. wrote an embarrassingly enthusiastic review of it for my college paper (i think i was mostly excited to be writing about the replacements), but it holds up ok. lyrics get kinda shaky -- i think paul read too many articles calling him a poet -- but the songs are pretty nice.

I liked DTAS at the time too. That bit on 'Rock'n'Roll Ghost' where Westerberg's voice breaks down a little, dunno if that was planned or spontaneous or what, but that always moved me. 'Talent Show' is a great song too, but I don't remember all that much about the rest of the record now.

Gotta go with Husker Du, whose music at its best sounded like it was busting through the atmosphere.

I wonder why no one in the '80s though HD records "sounded terrible"

(I'm sure someone did, but no one read them)

I have never understood the appeal of Husker Du at all. They're a hardcore band but they're not that intense or crazy. They've got pop hooks but they aren't memorable. They experiment in the studio but everything sounds thin and shitty. And Bob Mould's lyrics and voice are awful.

So Repleacements.

The Mats. More. Better. Holds up longer.

I wonder why no one in the '80s though HD records "sounded terrible"

(I'm sure someone did, but no one read them)

xgau:

Zen Arcade [SST, 1984]
I'll swear on a stack of singles that "Turn on the News" could rouse as much rabble as "London Calling" or "Anarchy in the U.K." I play side three for pleasure and side two for catharsis. And I get a kick out of the whole fucking thing, right down to the fourteen-minute guitar showcase/mantra that finishes it off. But though I hate to sound priggish, I do think it could have used a producer. I mean, it was certainly groovy (not to mention manly) to record first takes and then mix down for forty hours straight, but sometimes the imperfections this economical method so proudly incorporates could actually be improved upon. It wouldn't be too much of a compromise to make sure everyone sings into the mike, for instance, and it's downright depressing to hear Bob Mould's axe gather dust on its way from vinyl to speakers. Who knows, put them in the studio with some hands-off technician--Richard Gottehrer, Tony Bongiovi, like that--and side two might even qualify as cathartic music rather than cathartic noise. A-

Very funny, from Mark Prindle's website a review of a Replacements bootleg:

Any fan of The Replacements should own this. The rarities are key - KEY - to understanding why Paul Westerberg's solo work is a little sketchier than his band material. It's bacuz he ALWAYS wrote songs like this, but used to have the inimitable creativity to back it up with incredible melodies time and time again. He STILL pulls it off quite a bit - he's just not as invincible as he used to be. He's too old for this shit. A buddy film with him in it would be opportune. He could star with Bob Mould as a couple of former Minneapolis rock stars who get paired together as rookie policemen. No! Paul could be the rookie policeman who's paired with an older GAY partner. Bob is close to retirement and gay but he's agreed to do one more case for the Chief. And Paul Westerberg keeps messing up because he's so excited and nervous about his new job. And Dave Pirner could be the bad guy who steals thousands of dollars worth of jewels from the nightclub, which is generally where jewels are kept. And Prince could play a hilarious Martin Short-esque character who runs around screaming and flapping his arms up and down effiminately. Maybe an anvil could fall on his head and little birdies could start flying around in a circle as he passes out. And then The Cows could come in and the action could stop for several hours while, at my insistence (I play the hardboiled but good-hearted bartender), they play every single song in their catalog, including "Danny Is A Faggot."

They're a hardcore band but they're not that intense or crazy.

Shhh! Don't tell him about their cover of "Eight Miles High"!

I went ahead and voted for Dü Hüskers since they at least acted like they gave a shit.

I wonder why no one in the '80s though HD records "sounded terrible"

I dig the aesthetic of a lot of Spot's productions for SST. Listen with headphones and they're a whole lot better -- enveloping, or 'gelatinous' as he termed it himself. Zen Arcade sounds fantastic through headphones to me.

But remastering could help bring out their better qualities, for sure. (According to Jack Brewer, at least some of SST's CD output was transferred from the vinyl, not the master tapes. Eek.)

Voted for HD, but it was close. I wish this had been a HD vs. Mats vs. Minutemen poll.

That would have been the start of a 'Our Band Could Be Your Life' poll. Which band could be your life?

Black Flag
The Minutemen
Mission of Burma
Minor Threat
Hüsker Dü
The Replacements
Sonic Youth
Butthole Surfers
Big Black
Dinosaur Jr
Fugazi
Mudhoney
Beat Happening

Has this been done yet?

That would be impossible for me I think.

"They're a hardcore band but they're not that intense or crazy."

"Shhh! Don't tell him about their cover of "Eight Miles High"!"

or land speed record for that matter. sheesh, data control is one of my all time fave intense crazy punk moments ever.

i never had a problem with the sound of zen arcade. i thought it sounded cool then and now. new day rising was harsher when it came to the intheredness of the guitars. i dunno. it's how they sounded. they sounded kinda fucked. it never bothered me much.

The 'mats were one of my half-dozen favourite bands at one point, but that point was 20 years ago, and I lost interest after I quit working at the college radio station. Their shambolic lovable-loser persona seemed to become more self-consciously forced, and the post-Bob Stinson LPs were dismal. If Twin/Tone ever reissued their entire catalog on a coupla shiny remastered twofers, I'd probably buy them. But rarely would I play 'em.

The Huskers (also among my favourites) I never stopped loving. Twice as many great songs/songwriters and one of the alltime-great noise-guitarists. And I don't think their records sounded THAT bad. (At least, not all of 'em.)

Pleasant Plains and MVB otm.

I've never really noticed good or bad production, anyway. No muso.

also, if xgau liked them so much regardless, how important is it?

With a lot of musicians, like, for instance, Elvis or the Beatles, the legend, which may draw you in at first, eventually goes bad and starts to interfere with your ability to enjoy the music. This is one reason reason why somebody (like edd s hurt for example) can prefer the cooler, more abstract, more detached sound of the Byrds to that of the more eager to please Beatles (cf nabisco on this subject)- for one thing you don't have as much to feel guilty about when the thrill is a little bit gone. If you stay away for a while, or listen in smaller doses you can usual rehabilitate and relearn to enjoy the music. The ratio of The Replacements looming legend versus their actual recorded output presents a real problem in this regard.

On another tack youtube fite!

Don't forget to click on fite!

H & R Block Reason Number 195 to vote for Hüsker Dü- their bass player is a dead ringer for a certain beloved ILX muso.

Oh, wait.

I would have posted a link to "Johnny's Gonna Die," but teh Genius's guitar was so out of tune that I couldn't take it.

Then again, Irving Berlin could barely play piano, and even then only in one key!

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

ohhhhhhhhhh whatever you people

well, the Replacements WANTED to lose. It fits the profile.

poll otm

This should have been more of a blowout.

This should have been more of a blowout.

Funny, I was thinking it should have been a 45-45 tie.

this is wrong

well, the Replacements WANTED to lose. It fits the profile.

this weirdly makes sense to me

this is wrong

You oppose the results?

ignore him

the cool thing about both bands is that the replacements sound more like mpls and husker du sounds more like st paul to me

also based on seeing grant hart recently i REALLY hope he finally puts out that record he's been working on for years, great songs

http://www.myspace.com/granthart2541

^^"schoolbuses are for children" is off the new one supposedly and on grant's myspace

well, the Replacements WANTED to lose. It fits the profile.

this weirdly makes sense to me

― iatee, Tuesday, August 25, 2009

I am bummed about the endless delay in the release of Grant Hart's record. It was supposed to be out in 2008, then 2009, now . . .?

How does he sustain himself in his primary job if he isn't releasing new material? Does he tour constantly (it doesn't seem like he has enough of a back cataloge to do that forever).

the cool thing about both bands is that the replacements sound more like mpls and husker du sounds more like st paul to me

― the turdlike genius of Jeff Tweete´ (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, August 25, 2009 7:56 PM (49 minutes ago) Bookmark

Please explain to the few non-Minnesotans here, thanks.

friend's 12-year-old son is becoming big 'Mats fan

Alex Chilton is the jam. This band should have been huge.

well, the Replacements WANTED to lose. It fits the profile.

this weirdly makes sense to me

― iatee, Tuesday, August 25, 2009

― post-contrarian meta-challop 2009 (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, August 26, 2009 12:21 AM (15 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah funny ppl always say that but damn didn't Westerberg make careerist moves the whole way, gradually chasing out Bob and Chris, replacing them with pro dudes and chick from Concrete Blonde cameos....saying "fuck the system" right through his genius punk rants for the acclaimed art film Over The Hedge?

I don't know for sure, but I bet "Hootenany," "Let It Be" and "Tim" total not much more than 80 minutes.

Yeah, I'd say that would be a pretty good primer, particularly the latter two-- though Hootenany kinds of captures the spirit of the band better than the second two

Wikipedia includes running times, so here are my personal favourites:

"Johnny's Gonna Die" (3:32)
"Kids Don't Follow" (2:50)
"Go" (2.29)
"Color Me Impressed" (2:25)
"Within Your Reach" (4:24)
"Hayday" (2:06)
"I Will Dare" (3:18)
"Favorite Thing" (2:19)
"Unsatisfied" (4:01)
"Answering Machine" (3:40)
"Bastards of Young" (3:35)
"Left of the Dial" (3:41)
"Alex Chilton" (3:12)
"Can't Hardly Wait" (3:02)
"I'll Be You" (3:27)
"Rock 'n' Roll Ghost" (3:23)
"Pool & Dive" (2:07)

That'd get you to around 53 minutes. I've left out songs that most everyone else loves--never cared for either their overly jokey side, or their loungey stuff--so maybe so one else can fill out the rest.

"someone else"

Clemenza left off "Swinging Party", "Waitress in the Sky", "Skyway", "Little Mascara", "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out", "Kill Me on the Bus", "Talent Show," "Anywhere's Better than Here,"... godddammit, there's a lot of shit missing

"Kill Me on the Bus"... jesus, I've been taking public transit too long.

Honestly, that Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? best of from 2006 is a pretty solid introduction.

1. "Takin' a Ride" (from Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, 1981) 2:23
2. "Shiftless When Idle" (from Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, 1981) 2:18
3. "Kids Don't Follow" (from The Replacements Stink, 1982) 2:50
4. "Color Me Impressed" (from Hootenanny, 1983) 2:27
5. "Within Your Reach" (from Hootenanny, 1983) 2:27
6. "I Will Dare" (from Let It Be, 1984) 3:19
7. "Answering Machine" (from Let It Be, 1984) 3:40
8. "Unsatisfied" (from Let It Be, 1984) 4:02
9. "Here Comes a Regular" (from Tim, 1985) 4:49
10. "Kiss Me on the Bus" (from Tim, 1985) 2:54
11. "Bastards of Young" (from Tim, 1985) 3:37
12. "Left of the Dial" (from Tim, 1985) 3:43
13. "Alex Chilton" (Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, Chris Mars; from Pleased to Meet Me, 1987) 3:13
14. "Skyway" (from Pleased to Meet Me, 1987) 2:05
15. "Can't Hardly Wait" (from Pleased to Meet Me, 1987) 3:04
16. "Achin' to Be" (from Don't Tell a Soul, 1989) 3:41
17. "I'll Be You" (from Don't Tell a Soul, 1989) 3:29
18. "Merry Go Round" (from All Shook Down, 1990) 3:40
19. "Message to the Boys" 3:27
20. "Pool & Dive" 2:07

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NcZ5BwQukE

Mine closely mirrors that Rhino compilation--I posted about how great I thought it was on a Replacements thread.

Plus yours adds "Johnny's Gonna Die," which isn't on the Rhino comp and which I think is a must-have.

I just happened to hear the demo of "Answering Machine" and I still can't figure out how the hell he plays it. Is there a tuning chart somewhere? Sounds great as demo as well, though lyrics are still in progress...