| www.theotherpress.ca

 

  
  
 

“) hat’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear
the name “Paul Westerberg?” Is it his infamous hard-
rocking lifestyle, bed-head hairdo, and questionable
fashion sense? Maybe it’s his groundbreaking efforts as the frontman
for the hugely influential Minneapolis band The Replacements?

Perhaps it’s the eclectic and
poetic body of solo work he has
produced since The
Replacements’ 1991 demise?
Or...What’s that? You're kidding
me. You haven’t heard of Paul
Westerberg? That’s kids today
for you, no sense of history.
Well, you’re in for a lesson, so
turn off that Good Charlotte
album and pay attention, please.
After all, no_ self-respecting
music nerd—I don’t care how
young you are—can possibly
expect to get anywhere without
first knowing where it is you’re
from. Yes, that’s right. Think
back. Back before Justin
Timberlake, before Kurt
Cobain, before Keith
Richards—no, wait, that’s too
far—back up.

It all started in 1981 when
The Replacements (Westerberg,
Chris Mars, and brothers Tommy and Bob Stinson) released their
first album, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash. This initial effort
was primarily a hardcore/punk outing, but Westerberg’s trademark
knack for eloquent and memorable lyrics was already beginning to
assert itself, especially on songs like the B-side single “If Only You
Were Lonely.”

Next came the Stink EP, and then things really started heating up
with the 1983 release of Hootenanny. This second full-length album
represented a shift for The Replacements, as the band began to
mature and develop a slightly more pop-tinged, slightly less-alienat-
ing sound. That’s not to say they didn’t still tock—they had just
learned when to roll a little, too.

 

Now that their sound was coming into its own, it was time for
The Replacements to really step up. And they did, with Let it Be in
1984. Let it Be is considered by many music lovers and critics to be

FEBRUARY 16/2005

  

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