A Replacements Revival

Thanks, Dave, for asking me to participate. Dave wanted us to pick a band we would like to see reunited based on reality and not bringing people back to life. A lot of bands that I would love to get back together, but most have deceased members, and under his rules, we cannot raise them again. Allman Brothers, The Band, Big Star, and many others where one or a few are alive. I considered The Kinks because Ray and Dave Davies are still alive, along with Mick Avory, the drummer. I also considered REM, CCR, J Geils, and The James Gang. Even if Dave had said we could resurrect people, I still would not pick The Beatles. I’m forever grateful they didn’t try it before Lennon passed. There is no way they would have lived up to people’s expectations. 

The Replacements, Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars are still doing well. Their lead guitar player, Bob Stinson, passed away in 1995. He was replaced by Slim Dunlap in the ’80s when Bob quit. Slim passed away in 2024. He didn’t tour with them in the teens when they DID reunite because of a stroke he had in 2012.

They reunited in 2012 and started to tour, which lasted until 2015. They sold out huge arenas, made more money, and played in front of more fans than they did in their prime. Although their last show in Chicago drew over 50,000 people in 1991.

They had a penchant for shooting themselves in the foot in the ’80s over and over. Grabbing their new producer and tearing his clothes off and throwing him in the hall, saying the F word on Saturday Night Live and then getting banned, guest hosting a radio show and picking old blues records they knew had cuss words, and getting kicked out of there, and opening up for Tom Petty and breaking in Petty’s dressing room and stealing and wearing his wife’s clothes on stage (they finished the tour though…Petty had a sense of humor), refusing to make videos, knowing that record executives from big labels were coming to watch them and getting drunk playing TV theme songs plus KISS covers all night long. No need to add more things…you get the point.

I’ve heard from people who saw them in their prime. They usually have two things to say about them if they have seen them at least twice. “The best rock and roll band I’ve ever seen or heard” OR “The most drunken display I’ve ever seen” but even when they said that…they said they liked them and they still beat most bands. It does make sense, though. They started off as a punk band and slowly developed into a rock band when Westerberg developed as a songwriter. They had a rebellious spirit to the end. 

Personally, I think if they had played the music company game like REM, they could have been popular in the mainstream. They had some of the strongest songs of the 1980s because of Paul Westerberg, and I put his songwriting on the level of Springsteen. Now let’s get into the songs of the band. I think many of their songs rival The Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Stones, or anyone you could throw out there. Bastards of Young, Here Comes A Regular, Alex Chilton, Androgynous, Can’t Hardly Wait, I Will Dare, Left Of The Dial, Unsatisfied, Kiss Me on the Bus, Skyway, Color Me Impressed, The Ledge, and so many more. If they had gotten proper airplay, I have no doubt they would have been hits. 

Most indie bands were out of touch with the mainstream at the time, and that is the reason they all had such a large fan base. It started to cross over, though in the late eighties or early nineties at last, but by that time…The Replacements were winding down. This is a band I would want to see again, clicking on all cylinders. From the reviews of all of their reunion shows…they were on. 

So Paul and Tommy…how about one more go around? Please include some TV Themes and KISS cover songs…just because you can. If you guys are happy…we will be. 

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

42 thoughts on “A Replacements Revival”

  2. OK, I suppose I have to be the first to say this and it’s not going to be popular. Based on my observations of your countless posts on ‘The Replacements’ and listening to their music over and over, what I always thought and continue to do is the lead singer has a ‘weak’ voice. I’m not doubting their contributions instrumentally or influence on the industry, but the lead singer’s voice is ‘weak’ and I can’t get past it.

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    1. It’s ok Matt…no one is going to make everyone happy. Songs like Bastards of Young and the harder songs he has a Roger Daltrey kinda growl. So it also depends…Kinda like Dylan, Young, Wait and other voices that are different…it just hooked me.

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      1. His voice is a lesser sound and doesn’t equate with the total and its frustrating to me. I’m sure he’s putting everything into it, like on ‘Here Comes a Regular’ or ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ but it just doesn’t sell me because it sounds like he’s reaching and of course he’s doing his bestest.

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      2. I just connected to it. In fact it took me a while to like REM’s Stipe’s singing. He was barely heard in the first but it grew on me…much like Westerbergs. As far as songwriting…he is probably my top one in the 80s personally. Funny thing is….they are probably more famous now then they were in the 80s as far as the masses.

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      3. Yes, that’s how it is. It’s what connects to you and I’m sure glad you got that from it. I tried. I suppose it’s how the ‘The Smiths’ resonates with me from that epoch, but not the same with other folk. It’s just how it is. Sorry to be a downer, but I just wanted to express something I’d thought and you kindly threw back your thoughts without getting angry and upholding the group. Respect!

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      4. Oh I won’t get angry…I mean it’s up to the listener. Oh yes…you brought up a band that I like everything but his voice Morrissey… So The Smiths are kinda like the Replacments are to you lol…I just told Dave the other day that I wish that Marr would have sang more. On some songs I like his voice but I didn’t like when he went to that 80s mono type voice…..but songs like How Soon Is Now I love.

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      6. He has two voices….the one in the song I mentioned that I liked and the other monotoned one… many singers in the 80s picked that up.

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  3. I never paid a lot of attention to The replacements and I know they are one of your favorite bands, Max. The Skyway is a missed connection that takes place amid the pedestrian walkways that connect the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.

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    1. I think that is pretty cool that someone wrote a song about one of those. We have a few in Nashville connecting some hospitals….but not many.

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    1. They are more popular now than they were a in their prime. They were selling out 20 thousand seat arenas when they reunited. People know their music now.

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    1. Something deeper. They all came from disfunctional famlies in Minnesota but if I had to guess…and this is just me…a biographer agreed as well…they were not afraid of failure per say…but afraid not succeeding with their best…if that makes sense…after you fail with your best…you have nowhere to go. For me…they were the best band out of that Alternate scene.

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      2. They were selling out 20,000 seat arenas on their reunion tour so it worked! They are more popular now than back then

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  9. Pingback: A Replacements Revival – MobsterTiger

  10. The video’s already vanished and I don’t have a spotify account so I went to youtube to listen to some of their songs.

    I love both ‘Here comes a regular’ – really nice song, and “I will dare” – the latter is very beatle-y in some ways, kinda reminds me of their early songs. I’d not listened to The Replacements before (must’ve somehow missed your other posts about them, don’t know how.) I’ll listen to more later.

    I’d be hard pressed to think of any bands that I’d like to reform, that still have living people, but most of my fave period was the sixties to early seventies, and they’re all dying out. I’ve been trying to catch up with later decades, but it’s a long trek!!

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    1. I know…and he was only what 12-14 when they started? Just incredible. After their reunion in the teens…I doubt if they will but I sure hope they do.

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    1. Paul is in a basement releasing music to Soundcloud! Sign up for soundcloud for free and hear his latest stuff.
      I sure wish they would Mike. I would love to see them.

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      2. I’ll check again Mike. I was listening to his stuff on there a year or so ago because I have my stuff up there…maybe it was old! I never checked the date and I read an article or two….if not I guess he is keeping low.

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  13. I’m sure if the right amount of cash is floated there way a reunion of some sorts would go down. I think. lol. Great that you’re such a fan boy and a real follower of this band Max. Its wild that they walked that thin of live performance like you wrote “best live band” or “to drunk” haha..
    I guess when you paid your ticket you wouldn’t know which version of Jeckyl and Hyde would show up.

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    1. Yep…kinda like Dylan now….you don’t know what you will get….but it’s a big pay off if so…and when they reunited they had stopped the booze lol.

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