The 500 - #241 - Let It Be - The Replacements

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #241
Album Title: Let It Be
Artist: The Replacements
Genre: Post Punk, Alternative Rock, College Rock
Recorded: Blackberry Way Studios, Minneapolis

Released: October, 1984
My age at release: 19
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #156, up 85 places from 241 since 2012
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: I Will Dare

Let It Be album cover from The Replacements.

I knew little about the American, post-punk, rock band The Replacements until this week. Sure, I'd heard of them and knew that Paul Westerberg was their vocalist and guitarist. It was actually Westerberg who first came to my attention  in the spring of 1993 when I bought the soundtrack to the film Singles. Singles was a romantic-drama/comedy (dramedy) set in contemporary (early ‘90s) Seattle at the height of the grunge music scene -- a Generation X music phenomenon that became the dominant commercial genre in the first half of that decade.

Poster for the 1992 film Singles.

The Singles soundtrack featured Seattle-based artists from the ascendent grunge scene -- Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Mother Love Bone and Alice In Chains. However, it also contained songs from earlier Washington state artists, including May This Be Love by Jimi Hendrix and a cover of Led Zeppelin's Battle Of Evermore from The Lovemongers (a band featuring Ann and Nancy Wilson of the group Heart). In many ways, that CD was a  mix of the music I had thoroughly enjoyed for a decade, combining  the latest new sounds coming into fashion. I recorded it along with an assortment of other songs of the day. On a mixed cassette tape that "lived" in my car stereo for most of the spring of '93 -- a time when I was going through my own twenty-something, existential malaise. (Something documented in previous blog posts).

Album cover for the soundtrack to Singles.

The soundtrack contained two songs from Westerberg, his first as a solo artist after The Replacements disbanded in the summer of 1991. Those songs, Dyslexic Heart and Waiting For Somebody, won me over and, in retrospect, I am surprised I didn't dig deeper into his catalogue. Seeing him perform on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in December, 1993, (when Charlton Heston was the host) should also have kick-started my admiration for Westerberg's talent. His performances from that show were terrific and can be seen here.

Westerberg (centre) with Heston at right. Cast of SNL, including the late Chris Farley, in rear.

Westerberg's first band, The Replacements, formed in 1979 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Initially a punk band, the group comprised Westerberg (vocals & rhythm guitar), Bob Stinson (lead guitar), his brother Tommy Stinson (bass guitar) and Chris Mars (drums).

The Replacements (l-r) T. Stinson, Westerberg, Mars, B. Stinson.

Originally called (and I love this) Dogbreath, the band technically began in 1978 when 19-year-old Bob Stinson bought his 11-year-old brother Tommy a bass guitar to keep him "off the streets". Shortly after, Bob met Mars (who first played guitar) and they began jamming songs from an eclectic mix of artists such as Ted Nugent, Aerosmith and Yes. Westerberg was working as a custodian in the office of a U.S. senator and heard the trio playing in the Stinson's garage while walking home. After a few misstarts and name changes, Westerberg joined the trio, Mars moved to drums and The Replacements were ready to hit the scene.

The Replacements (early 80s).

Let It Be was an audacious title for the band's third record -- it is, after all, the same name as the final studio record released by The Beatles (#392 on The 500). However, that cheeky choice was perfectly "on brand" for a group who approached music with a "nothing is sacred" individualistic attitude -- truly "punk rock".

Let It Be album cover by The Beatles.

There were so many tracks on this record that resonated with me -- I Will Dare, Unsatisfied and, to my delight, a cover version of Black Diamond from KISS. However, the song that struck me was Androgynous, a piano ballad penned by principal songwriter Westerberg. The song is a celebration of a romantic relationship between two gender non-conforming individuals. It expresses the hope that we are heading to a future where all people and their relationships will be accepted. Some say it was decades ahead of its time; but I am pretty sure Andy Warhol, Candy Darling, Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground would disagree, as I discussed in my May, 2022 post.

Andy Warhol and transgender actress Candy Darling.

This week, and this post, began with the recognition that "I didn't know much about The Replacements". I'll end by saying I know quite a bit now. I've read articles, watched YouTube documentaries and, most importantly, listened to Let It Be many times. I'm happy to report that I am now a fan, rectifying my lack of appreciation for the group in 1993.