Rediscover The Replacements

(Courier Journal, KY) In the early 1980s, The Replacements were a lot of people's favorite Lost Boys, a ragged band of beer-drunk punks from Minneapolis who flirted with genius enough to warrant special attention.

They were led by a classic archetype in Paul Westerberg, an emerging rock 'n' roll poet who seemed caught between the anti-mainstream ideals of his peers and a growing need to write songs that might be remembered after the hangover faded.

But the hangover in those days was endless, and there were some who didn't want Westerberg to prove himself smarter than the scene that nurtured him.

So when Westerberg, Bob Stinson, Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars were signed to a major label in 1985, the haters lined up, ready to be disappointed.

They had to wait awhile.

The band's major label output on Sire Records was at first too good to ignore and later better than initially thought, but it was a rocky few years that ended in the band disintegrating, to no one's surprise.

Today, Rhino Entertainment releases deluxe reissues of The Replacements' four albums for Sire -- "Tim," "Pleased to Meet Me," "Don't Tell A Soul" and "All Shook Down." The bonus tracks are plentiful but don't appear to offer much genuinely surprising material, leaning mostly on alternate takes, rarities and demos.

The reissues conclude Rhino's Replacements campaign, which began in April with new versions of the band's four recordings for Minneapolis' Twin/Tone Records -- albums that ranged from awful to brilliant.

When The Replacements (or the Mats, as they were also known) were signed by Sire, a Warner Bros. subsidiary, the knee-jerk reaction by fans was typical: They were sell-outs; industry suits would destroy the music; the dream was over. But "Tim," released in October of '85, shut everyone's mouth.

The album is the best of The Mats' Sire releases and rivals the band's finest album, 1984's "Let it Be." It's a monumental record, from the exhilarating opener, "Hold My Life," to the classic 1-2-3 punch that closes it with "Left of the Dial," "Little Mascara" and "Here Comes A Regular." Any decent rock library includes this record, period.

"Pleased To Meet Me," released in 1987, isn't far behind and some actually prefer it to "Tim." But the band is too hit and miss, delivering miracles such as "Alex Chilton," "Skyway" and "Can't Hardly Wait" and B-side material in "Red Red Wine," "The Ledge" and "Shooting Dirty Pool."

Also, original guitarist Bob Stinson was gone, kicked out for drinking too much in one of history's most ironic rock 'n' roll firings. He was unreliable, unpredictable and uncontrollable -- in short, the perfect foil for Westerberg.

The haters finally had their undiluted moment of triumph in 1989 when "Don't Tell A Soul" arrived on a bed of slick production that was clearly designed to make the band stars. There are some very good songs, including "Aching to Be," "I'll Be You" and "Talent Show," but the band sounds dispirited.

The Replacements were essentially finished by the time "All Shook Down" arrived in 1990, having finally driven the last nail in their major-label coffin by delivering a disastrous, deal-breaking tour opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The album, in fact, was originally intended as Westerberg's solo debut.

Many longtime fans had bailed and there weren't a lot of new ones, so everyone missed out on the band's most underrated record. It's more downbeat and restrained than any other Mats album, but there's a wistful kind of misery that holds up well, and Westerberg was never better than on "Sadly Beautiful."

If you passed on this the first time around, do yourself a favor and pick it up; its charms are subtle but undeniable.