THE REPLACEMENTS

Tim

(Sire)

by Richard C. Walls

Here�s the deal: a cult band, a critic�s band called the Replacements, operating out of Minneapolis, makes three records for the tiny but brave Twin Tone label. The first, Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash, sounds like hardcore with some likeable pretentions, fast, loud, sloppy with cleverer than average lyrics and a penchant for succinct melodies (face it, they sounded like a buncha drunken slobs, which, by all reports...). The second (after an EP, The Replacements Stink), called Hootenanny, was more of a mixed bag, by a group still finding value in the crash �n� burn aesthetic but apparently bored enough by the genre�s limitations to do a little eclectic dipping into the blues �n� folk bag. The third, Let It Be, was the triumph, post-punk eclecticism harnessed to a personal vision (Paul Westerberg is the group�s lead singer and rhythm guitarist and, as chief songwriter, head of the personal vision dept.). And while all this is going on the critics slobber appreciatively, the cult shows up for gigs, and the peak album sells about diddly, which means these guys are going nowhere for sure.