'Let It Be' by The Replacements (1984)
An enigma wrapped in a riddle. Why weren't they popular when they very well should have been? Why did they name their magnum opus after a beloved album by the most beloved band of all time? The Replacements tried their best to open the door for others to come. Instead, in a drunken rage they busted the door until it was splinters hanging off hinges, then blacked out and fell down to the floor, drunk and drooling. Later on, Pearl Jam and Nirvana walked on through without much effort.
If they had come along at a later date, let's say the late eighties and early nineties, I don't doubt that these guys would have been popular. Hell, even in the late 70s they would have been popular. But the mid-eighties just didn't care about angst. The mainstream had been Reagan-ized and focused on partying. Hair bands were happy to oblige. For all intents and purposes true punk was dead, and New Wave was taking over.
As I listen to
Let It Be, I realize that The Replacements can probably be labeled as Pop-Punk. Think of them as a raw, much more talented version of Blink-182. Blink-182 was a big part of the music of my childhood and my generation, because they sang about being a teenager and growing up. It struck a nerve. The Replacements sang about the same stuff, but were more mature and smarter. They were brats that made great music. Tough bastards with a sensitive side.
There were obstacles. The Replacements never made as good of a top-to-down album as Let It Be. There albums probably weren't consistent enough. But they were always producing gems. They were sloppy drunk on SNL, and caused a ruckus that probably prevented them from appearing on more TV shows. Paul Westerberg's voice wasn't powerful enough for the melodies he envisioned, and so his voice instead is wildly passionate scream that I absolutely love, but isn't very conducive to mainstream success.
Let It Be is a maelstrom of changing seas and shifting moods. The Replacements go all over the map and score a bulls eye with each attempt. The first song, 'I Will Dare', is a coming out party, full of the unbridled passion of youth. In some ways, Paul Westerberg could be as passionate about being a teenager as Brian Wilson was. Just listen to the song 'Unsatisfied' It startles you with it's frankness and honesty. 'Favorite Thing' is a great love song, with the guitars sounding like 'Hang Onto Yourself' by David Bowie. 'We're Coming Out' is the most hardcore things The Replacements would ever do, and they do a good job at it. 'Androgynous' gives a good defense of the 80s clothing style. 'Answering Machine' has some of my favorite Replacements lyrics:
Quote:
Try to breathe some life into a letter
Losing hope, never gonna be together
My courage is at it's peak
You know what I mean
How do say you're O.K. to
An answering machine?
How do you say good night to
An answering machine?
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They were always too clever by half, and it prevented their mainstream success. If they really wanted to be as big a band as lets say, Motley Crue was in the eighties, they could have, but they chose not to. But despite all that,
Let It Be really is a populist record. And I don't say that in a bad way. The Beatles were a populist band.
Whatever it was, so it goes, let it be, let it be.