The Final Four

Here's the press release we received from Rhino/1888 Media:

(1888 Media) Rhino Remasters the Band's Sire Releases With Rare and Previously Unreleased Tracks for Deluxe Reissues of Tim, Pleased To Meet Me, Don't Tell A Soul and All Shook Down

Available September 23 From Rhino

LOS ANGELES --Rhino launched its upgrade of The Replacements' catalog to much acclaim this spring, remastering the band's legendary Twin/Tone canon and expanding it with rare and unreleased songs. The sonic overhaul continues as Rhino reissues all four of the band's Sire albums, including its 1990 swan song. On September 23, Rhino will release deluxe editions of TIM, PLEASED TO MEET ME, DON'T TELL A SOUL and ALL SHOOK DOWN. Each will be available at physical retail outlets and www.rhino.com for a suggested list price of $18.98. On the same day, all eight of this year's remastered Replacements deluxe editions, including bonus tracks, will be available digitally for the first time at all digital retail outlets.

Paul Westerberg, Chris Mars and brothers Tommy and Bob Stinson were heroes of the budding alternative music scene thanks to a trio of riotous albums they recorded in the early '80s for their hometown indie Twin/Tone. The Replacements signed with Sire in 1985, where the band
recorded these four powerful albums before playing its last show in Chicago on July 4, 1991. Peter Jesperson, the band's longtime manager, served as producer for the deluxe editions. As with the Twin/Tone reissues, the band provided invaluable assistance by selecting the bonus tracks for these reissues -- many of which have never been heard, even by hardcore fans.

Expectations were high for TIM (1985), The Replacements' major label debut and follow-up to its most acclaimed album, Let It Be. The band did not disappoint, returning with another batch of classics like "Kiss Me On The Bus," "Left Of The Dial" and the anthemic "Bastards Of Young."
Recorded in Minneapolis, the album's 11 songs were produced by the Ramones' founding drummer and producer, Tommy "Ramone" Erdelyi. Westerberg says: "I can go back and listen and know that those are good songs. Yeah, the [recordings] are a little quirky and a little off...but, you know, a lot of the stuff that I've loved throughout my life didn't sound perfect. And I kinda like that about Tim." Of the six bonus songs on the deluxe version of TIM, half are outtakes from a brief session with Alex Chilton of Big Star, a band that had a huge influence on The Replacements. Featured here from that session for the first time ever on CD are "Nowhere Is My Home" and electric and acoustic versions of "Can't Hardly Wait."

PLEASED TO MEET ME (1987) was The Replacements' first album without founding guitarist Bob Stinson, who exited the band after the final tour dates in support of Tim. The band, now a trio, went into a Memphis studio with producer Jim Dickinson, a veteran session player and producer who helmed Big Star's dark masterpiece (and 'Mats' fave), Third. The album won rave reviews for memorable songs like "Alex Chilton," "Skyway" and "Can't Hardly Wait," which surprised some with Dickinson's propulsive horn and string arrangement, a truly bold musical move at the time.

Among the 11 bonus tracks on PLEASED TO MEET ME are unreleased demos ("Birthday Gal," "Valentine," "Bundle Up") and alternate versions of album tracks ("Can't Hardly Wait," "Alex Chilton"). A mix of covers ("Route 66," "Tossin' 'N' Turnin'") and rarities ("Election Day") rounds out the collection.

Guitarist Slim Dunlap, who toured with The Replacements for Pleased To Meet Me, joined the band in the studio for the first time to record DON'T TELL A SOUL (1989). Produced by Matt Wallace and the band, the original album featured 11 tracks, including "I'll Be You," the band's highest charting single; and the country-rocker "Achin' To Be," a song some critics have credited as one of the founding/defining moments of the Americana roots music movement. The eight bonus tracks on DON'T TELL A SOUL open with "Portland" and "Wake Up" -- both recorded in 1988 but not released until1997 on the compilation All For Nothing/Nothing For
All. Also included is the track "Date To Church," which features Tom Waits and was originally released as the b-side to "I'll Be You." Half of the bonus tracks on this deluxe edition are previously unreleased, including a cover of Slade's "Gudbuy T' Jane."

The following year, The Replacements released their final album, ALL SHOOK DOWN (1990). The most consistently strong collection of songs in the band's entire career, the album stands as one of the most poetic and enduring epilogues in rock history. Produced by Scott Litt and the band, the original album features 13 tracks, including "Someone Take the Wheel," the eerie title track and "Sadly Beautiful," a ballad originally written for Marianne Faithfull that became revered in The Replacements' canon. Of the11 bonus tracks on ALL SHOOK DOWN, eight are unreleased demos for album tracks ("Sadly Beautiful," "Nobody," "Attitude") and the non-album track "Tiny Paper Plane." The remaining three tracks were previously issued in 1991 on the promotional EP Don't Sell Or Buy, It's Crap.

TIM Bonus Material
12. "Can't Hardly Wait" (Acoustic - Alex Chilton Sessions Outtake) *
13. "Nowhere Is My Home" (Alex Chilton Sessions Outtake)
14. "Can't Hardly Wait" (Electric - Alex Chilton Sessions Outtake) *
15. "Kiss Me On The Bus" (Tom Erdelyi Demo) *
16. "Waitress In The Sky" (Outtake - Alternate Version) *
17. "Here Comes A Regular" (Outtake - Alternate Version) *

PLEASE TO MEET ME Bonus Material
12. "Birthday Gal" (Demo)*
13. "Valentine" (Demo) *
14. "Bundle Up" (Demo) *
15. "Photo" (Demo)*
16. "Election Day"
17. "Alex Chilton" (Alternate Version) *
18. "Kick It In" (Demo) *
19. "Route 66"
20. "Tossin' 'N' Turnin'"
21. "Can't Hardly Wait" (Alternate Version) *
22. "Cool Water"

DON'T TELL A SOUL Bonus Material
12. "Portland"
13. "Wake Up"
14. "Cruella DeVille"
15. "Talent Show" (Demo) *
16. "We'll Inherit The Earth" (Mix 1) *
17. "Date To Church"
18. "We Know The Night" (Outtake) *
19. "Gudbuy T' Jane" (Outtake) *

ALL SHOOK DOWN Bonus Material
14. "When It Began" (Demo) *
15. "Nobody" (Demo) *
16. "One Wink At A Time" (Demo) *
17. "Torture" (Demo) *
18. "Attitude" (Demo) *
19. "Happy Town" (Demo) *
20. "Tiny Paper Plane" (Demo) *
21. "Sadly Beautiful" (Demo) *
22. "Kissin' In Action"
23. "Ought To Get Love"
24. "Satellite"

* previously unissued recordings

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