The Replacements Album: “Hootenanny”

Look, you either get this album or you don't. People who rate this album low don't get it - and consequently they don't understand what made the 'Mats a great band in the first place. To me, owning only the major label Replacements albums is like reading half of a novel. It's raw and unpolished - yeah, the sound quality is lacking, obviously - the 'Mats were 4 kids from Minneapolis on a small-time label back then. I wouldn't change a thing - consider it a timepiece, an artifact of an era. Great stuff.

The red-headed stepchild of replacement albums. Ever wish you could be sitting in a basement drinking a beer and listening to the best rock and roll band in America? Well you can. To me this album captures the mats with their guard down. This album was just a joke, "label wants a hit, and we don't give a shit", right? Just imagine Westerberg coming into the studio with "hospital" and Bob letting loose with the riffs, probably recorded in one take. Tommy's comments after "Treatment Bound" The kid was 15 years old for chrissake! Chris Mars lead on "hootenanny" is a small hint of his enormous talent and things to come. I bought this album in 1985 and I bought the cassette in 1989, and yesterday I bought the CD. The more i listen to the mats the more i realize how important Bob Stinson was to their sound and he is in pure form on Hootenanny. Isnt it funny that an album put out 17 years ago as an afterthought is still better then anything else out there today? Amazing.

The Replacements-Hootenanny *****

As for the original album itself, well it is easily one of the bands best ever. It's early 1980's punk that has the hardcore attitude but doesn't sound hardcore and still maintains humour and pop leanings. A notch up from the groups legendary debut Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash in every way, the vocals, lyrics, musicianship, and even performance are all just slightly better on Hootenanny than Sorry. Not to say Sorry was a bad album, as it was anything but. The goofy title track, the arrogant 'Color Me Impressed' the snotty 'Mr. Whirly' 'Buck Hill' and 'Treatment Bound' make Hootenanny one of the very best albums of the 1980's. Westerbergs lyrics are still innocent and funny, Bob Stinson is a guitar God, Tommy can't play to save his life but gives the band the punk edge, and Christopher Mars plays a damn good fill.

Now for the remaster, I don't get the gripe. Yeah it is still short, but it is a punk album so the fact that it even got remastered is amazing. The bonus tracks, most of which are demos and alternate versions of songs are killer. Some better than the real album versions. Also the liner notes on the album are excellent. They go into great detail on the album and the recording.

This is a great but whether you get this the remastered and reissued version or just the plain old album, they are both the same price so getting the extras is a given, but either way your sure to win.

The Replacements' second album sounds like a fun time. It also sounds like they had a fun time recording it with funny tunes like "Hootenanny", a nice hardcore song "Run It", the huge spin-off "Mr. Whirly", a song making fun of love shows on the radio "Lovelines", the hard-rockin' "Take Me Down to the Hospital" and practically every song they did on here has some kind of joke in it, which some people may not like. But there is one serious song on here-"Within Your Reach". It's a sad song that Paul Westerberg did on his own and it's a good tune.

So, all in all it is a huge step up for the 'Mats and paves up a way to the supreme "Let it Be".

The Replacements-Hootenanny *****

As for the original album itself, well it is easily one of the bands best ever. It's early 1980's punk that has the hardcore attitude but doesn't sound hardcore and still maintains humour and pop leanings. A notch up from the groups legendary debut Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash in every way, the vocals, lyrics, musicianship, and even performance are all just slightly better on Hootenanny than Sorry. Not to say Sorry was a bad album, as it was anything but. The goofy title track, the arrogant 'Color Me Impressed' the snotty 'Mr. Whirly' 'Buck Hill' and 'Treatment Bound' make Hootenanny one of the very best albums of the 1980's. Westerbergs lyrics are still innocent and funny, Bob Stinson is a guitar God, Tommy can't play to save his life but gives the band the punk edge, and Christopher Mars plays a damn good fill.

Now for the remaster, I don't get the gripe. Yeah it is still short, but it is a punk album so the fact that it even got remastered is amazing. The bonus tracks, most of which are demos and alternate versions of songs are killer. Some better than the real album versions. Also the liner notes on the album are excellent. They go into great detail on the album and the recording.

This is a great but whether you get this the remastered and reissued version or just the plain old album, they are both the same price so getting the extras is a given, but either way your sure to win.