The 1985 Project Pt 2: The Replacements - Tim

Continuing a look back at the records beloved by critics in 1985

For those just joining us - and a shout out to Jesse Irwin for recommending this Substack from his brand new return to the game, Exhortation Station, to all his subscribers, many of whom have joined me here - the idea of this project is to consider each of the 40 albums in the Village Voice Pazz and Jop Poll of 1985 followed eventually by many other albums from that year. Was this a bland year, a great year, or a poor year in the annals of the record industry? I don’t know what my final opinion will be yet, but it will be fun finding out together.

The Replacements – Tim

The first time I saw the Replacements, they opened for X – this would have been 1982 or 1983. The crowd, anxiously awaiting their heroes and previously unaware of this shambolic Minneapolis punkish band, was not taking too kindly to them. Exene Cervenka left the dressing room located in the back of the club, walked through dozens of people – there were a lot more patrons in the under-age section that night – and jumped on stage to announce we should pay more respect because “These guys are the best band in America.”

A couple years later, the Replacements were stars in the college rock world, and in fact had become the first such band to graduate from an independent record label to a major. Cries of sell-out began from those who a couple years earlier had been likely to boo. But music critics were bowled over by the combination of punk energy, introspective lyrics, and undeniable hooks the band delivered on Tim. Hence, it came in number 2 in the Pazz & Jop Poll. Those who loved them tended to love them a lot.

Me, I’ve gone around and around on the Replacements these past 40+ years. The live shows I saw were mostly drunken messes, but I generally like the records, especially this one. It wasn’t reined in like the next album, Pleased to Meet Me would be, but it also had more musical coherence than the previous one, Let It Be. Tim was the baby bear of the band’s three best albums.

Listening for the first time in maybe ten years – Cat Pick and I based an episode of our brief-running podcast Married With Music on this record – I’m leaning towards considering it a solid example of what this band could do. Songs concern memories of school bus rides, self-reflection concerning alcohol, celebration of college radio stations, a weird tribute to Paul Westerbderg’s stewardess sister, and quotations from Tooter Turtle cartoons. The chord changes shape the songs more than the melodies, and Westerberg’s vocals are pushed out more than sung, creating an emotional turbulence that makes everything he says seem more heartfelt. Bob Stinson’s guitar parts are better than he’s given credit for – he was an idiosyncratic player, not extremely disciplined but creative within the requirements of the songs. Tommy Stinson, still a teenager at the time, was already a terrific bassist, playing rhythmically in the pocket and harmonically vibrant. Chris Mars was obviously told to play drums with a click track – they don’t breathe or swing the way I’d like them to, but they sure are steady and propulsive.

Does this record deserve to be considered the second best album of 1985? Not to my ears, and probably not even then, when I liked it much more than I do now. It is consistently listenable, though, and I think “Hold My Life,” “Kiss Me on the Bus,” and “Bastards of Young” are all a cut above the rest. I’ll say 8 out of 10 points on this one.