"ALCOHOL IS GOOD FUEL - MA !!"
Where can I start?I have such a close knit history with this band I feel like I was one of them. I certainly put the hours in by listening to them and memorizing all of their... (okay there wasn't MANY albums) songs......BUT STILL... these guys are worthy.
They came out at the wrong time. I got to tell you. I was bored to tears listening to that whiney morass of a songwriter Stevie Knicks... and that poofy hairdoo wonderkind sidecar kickamajig Lindsey Buckingham. I certainly was not making macromae in my spare time and smoking dope. I was out there .. on the street... looking for the new sounds. To me.. THIS BAND WAS IT.
80's radio -- in general. .SUCKED.... I mean the early years in America. We had to scrap by with what would could grab. I didn't go for the big corporate dollar devil metal crap that was being pushed down our throats I wanted something REAL that I could use. The Replacements proved to be that vehicle for me as a youth.
They would never get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because they never sold enough records. They paved the way for harder bands like ... gasp... Nirvana... which in turn killed American radio with ball-less ballads that go down a dead end street.
On the FLIPSIDE... The Replacements were all about rebellion and causing up a ruckess. They were on a high note - literally. Sure there are some songs on their catalog that crank out a few tear drops but they are done artfully well. They carry a lot of soul in their droll.
.... Its good stuff.
Its fair to say that the media didn't kill music in the 2000's. The Internet did that. The corporations in the music biz could have done more however to help the MATS. There was a lot of reluctance to go around. Singer Westerberg hated making videos. The again... the videos they did make were worthy.
I remember seeing the new line up with Slim when they got drunk and shaved off their eyebrows. Man that was GOOD TELEVISION. I saw this on MTV in the 80's and they looked seriously goofy. Tommy actually spraypainted his boots bright red.
These songs take me back to a GOOD TIME in life. This includes driving a car thorugh a golf course -- jumping off buildings -- throwing tomatos out a nine story window -- homeade explosives -- stage diving -- and "hanging out the window".
I disagree with these guys being called A CULT band. They were not a CULT band. They were a ROCK AND ROLL BAND.. and a damn good one. They lacked a following because the mood of the industry was swayed with a lot of garbage from the SubPop label. Radio stations fell in line with what the corporate executives wanted. So consequently they never made the big play list. It had nothing to do with cultiness... they were MUSICIANS...... You could rely on them being good even when they were terrible.
Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan and that new guy on Idol with the hair and the Big Teeth will probably get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Seriously.
That is how things go in this ridiculous rock and roll circus.
posted by cantu
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