Best and worst news you’ll ever hear: everything’s temporary.

I like The Replacements (or ‘The Mats’ *if you’re in the know) in part because they encompass that mood/ spirit of change through their career and each album. All the genres under Rocks’ umbrella. Sometimes hardcore, post punk, ALT, indie, blues, garage, lo-fi, throwing some acoustic ballads and at least once they used a drum machine. ‘Pleased to Meet Me’ has its own part in that evolution of their sound.

The Replacements 

Pleased to Meet Me 

1987 sire records

(2020 Rhino reissue, limited edition 3850 copies, Translucent Blue)

I have a little experience in the temporary and things changing… I was born in Ohio, moved to Illinois (skipping around the suburbs of Chicago) for the elementary years, relocated to western NY (Buffalo Bills country) for jr. & high school years. Uprooted back to (a different part of) Ohio for collage age years, returned back to W.NY in my 20’s, and now present day I’m in south central Pennsylvania. …pheewww. 

For me, something changing has always been inevitable. Understand the only consistency is change.

The Replacements have a song for everyone. The changes for this 5th studio album (9th release if you count the ‘Stink’ & Boink!’ ep’s and the Live-albums). The loss of Bob on guitar (quit or fired, maybe both), a new producer, new recording location, throw some horns to the mix and we get another shift in sound. 

Guitars rip open track1-side1 ‘IOU’. This sounds like the rowdy ‘Mats of old… “Step right up son; gonna show you something ain’t never been done.”  Producer Jim Dickinson (he worked with Big Star; recoded in Memphis) influences in full flex on ‘Alex Chilton’ and we’re all singing along “I’m in love. What’s that song? I’m in love with that song”.  Then follow the crazy horns swelling throughout ‘I don’t know’ and an upright bass shifts the whole mood on ‘Nightclub Jitters’. 

Suddenly it goes darker ‘the Ledge’ has classic-rock overdrive guitar tinge and suicidal thoughts…”watch me fly and die, watch me fall. I’m the boy they can’t ignore”. Bringing side1 to a close.

Side2 begins by announcing ’Never Mind’ over an echoey jangle.  Chugging bar-band guitars make a comeback on ‘Valentine’ and that classic defiant ’Mats attitude stiffens on the raw ‘Shooting Dirty Pool’. “Get your money on the table, get your head out of your ass”.   The buzzy garage punk-style contradicts the lyrics on ‘Red Red Wine’ then crashes into acoustic guitar picking on ‘Skyway’ and ends with one last blast of horns adding to ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ blues feels.   “Jesus rides beside me, He never buys any smokes”. 

This band will break up a few short years after this release, there was a reunion, members changed, we lost one… So life’s changing, your moods changing, people around you change… Everything is temporary; try to enjoy it while it’s playing, and if you don’t like this song another will play in a couple minutes. The Replacements are on #ParkersPlaylist