Let it Be

Description

The ReplacementsLet It Beon LP

Twin/Tone Era LPs Are Available Again After Being Out of Print for Over 20 Years!

Along with Prince and Hsker D,The Replacementsput Minneapolis on the rock map in the 1980s. Among America’s greatest alternative acts of all-time, the ‘Mats rose from chaotic noise-makers to polished craftsmen, leaving at least three unqualified masterpieces in their wake. In a perfect world,Let It Be,Tim, andPleased To Meet Mewould have all gone platinum – but then again, endearing imperfection was always a hallmark of this band’s music.

The ‘Mats formed in the wake of the punk explosion of the late 1970s. Their anarchic stage shows had earned them considerable notoriety in local clubs. Indie label Twin/Tone took note and signed the quartet, and their first album,Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trashwas issued in 1981. That record and theStinkEP that followed the next year were both pretty much standard-issue hardcore thrash. These early efforts careen wildly between competing tendencies toward indelible genius and drunken abandon, yet are essential just the same. With 1983’sHootenanny, however, audiences began to really take notice of the songs beneath all the sound and fury; “Color Me Impressed” had exactly that effect on discerning rock listeners.

By 1984’sLet It Be,The Replacements’exponential growth as musicians and most particularly,Paul Westerberg’sgrowth as a writer was undeniable.Let It Beboasts the epic foursome of “I Will Dare,” “Favorite Thing,” “Unsatisfied,” and “Answering Machine” alongside the Kiss cover (“Black Diamond”) and a tribute to Ted Nugent (“Gary’s Got a Boner”).The album topped critic’s polls across the country and earned the group a place on the roster at Sire Records.

1. I Will Dare
2. Favorite Thing
3. We’re Comin’ Out
4. Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
5. Androgynous
6. Black Diamond
7. Unsatisfied
8. Seen Your Video
9. Gary’s Got a Boner
10. Sixteen Blue
11. Answering Machine