Replacements - A Family Tree

The Replacements - the little band that couldn't - may have been the last of the rock 'n' roll true believers. They didn't hide behind layers of smug irony, nor did they limit their bleary-eyed ambition to the safe havens of indie cool that have sprung up in the internet age. They overtly aimed for greatness even while self-handicapped by a crippling distrust of success - a dichotomy that ensured they exist in a frustrating no-win bubble that could never be broken. But, man, did they ever try to break it.

If you were lucky enough to witness them live, good night or bad night (because either held its own kind of glory), then you know their greatness was realized beyond debate. If you're a latecomer, then you'll just have to take us old folks' word for it as you ponder the recorded evidence. The Replacements albums have all been reissued and remastered with bonus tracks, and they're all worth checking out (particularly Let It Be, Tim, and Pleased To Meet Me). Today's exercise, however, is to compile some of the post-Mats projects.

Once the Replacements crashed and burned, it wasn't surprising that leader/main songwriter Paul Westerberg continued his path of iconoclastic brilliance, whether under his own name or the Grandpaboy moniker. More unexpected was how Bassist Tommy Stinson went on to prove himself an incredibly strong songwriter, first in the excellent Bash & Pop, then in the short-lived Perfect, and more recently under his own name. Drummer Chris Mars managed to put out four albums of decreasing charm before ditching music altogether. And Bob Stinson was predictably rudderless without the controlling hand of Westerberg, but his energetic work in Static Taxi only proved the tragedy in his passing. Bob's replacement Replacement, Slim Dunlap, released two fine records that almost sound like lost Keith Richards solo joints. As a bonus, this mix ends with the '06 reunion of the band that was recorded for the Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? best-of.

It's arguable that no other band has sired so many worthwhile splinter groups. The Beatles, of course, turned into three and a half awesome solo careers - but after that, I'd be interested to hear any other suggestions that rival the Replacements. I know they have to be out there, I just can't think of them.

Let's Not Belong

1. Paul Westerberg Knockin' On Mine
2. Paul Westerberg Ain't Got Me
3. Bash & Pop Never Aim To Please
4. Bash & Pop Loose Ends
5. Chris Mars Reverse Status
6. Chris Mars Popular Creeps
7. Grandpaboy Hot Un
8. Grandpaboy Psychopharmacology
9. Slim Dunlap Partners In Crime
10. Slim Dunlap Cozy
11. Slim Dunlap Cooler Then
12. Perfect Making Of An Asshole
13. Perfect Don't Look Down
14. Static Taxi Max Factor
15. Grandpaboy Let's Not Belong Together
16. Paul Westerberg Gun Shy
17. Paul Westerberg Looking Up In Heaven
18. Tommy Stinson Hey You
19. Slim Dunlap Nowheres Near
20. The Replacements Message To The Boys

Track 1 from 14 Songs (1993)
Track 2 from Eventually (1996)
Tracks 3, 4 from Friday Night Is Killing Me (1993)
Tracks 5, 6 from Horseshoes and Hand Grenades (1992)
Tracks 7, 8 from Grandpaboy (1997)
Track 9 from The Old New Me (1993)
Tracks 10, 11, 19 from Times Like This (1996)
Tracks 12 from Once, Twice, Three Times A Maybe (2004)
Track 13 from Seven Days A Week (1997)
Track 14 from Closer 2 Normal (1989)
Track 15 from Mono/Stereo (2002)
Track 16, 17 from Folker (2004)
Track 18 from Village Gorilla Head (2004)
Track 20 from Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? (2006)

Best of the Best of 2010

Get ready for another UHM quantum top 20, compiled grudgingly from the comps I've posted throughout the year (as well as a few last minute additions).

This was another year of great music, and this mix is subsequently filled with one outstanding tune after another. All of this blog's obsessions are represented: a little punk energy from the Cute Lepers, some dirty rock 'n' roll from Jim Jones Revue and J. Roddy Walston, some rootsy Americana from Mynabirds and Kasey Anderson, some modern R&B updating from Asa, a touch of glam from Free Energy, and a whole lot of power pop/pop punk/whatever-you-wanna-call-it from most of the rest.

The Best of 2010

1. Spoon Trouble Comes Running (from Transference)
2. Silver Seas Somebody Said Your Name (from Chateau Revenge!)
3. Asa Why Can't We (from Beautiful Imperfection)
4. J. Roddy Walston & The Business Don't Break The Needle (from J. Roddy Walston & The Business)
5. Jim Jones Revue Dishonest John (from Burning Your House Down)
6. The Biters Dreamer (from The Biters ep)
7. Smash Palace How Can You Say? (from 7)
8. Free Energy Bang Pop (from Stuck On Nothing)
9. Title Tracks Every Little Bit Hurts (from It Was Easy)
10. The Cute Lepers What Happens Next (from Smart Accessories)
11. Yukon Blonde Babies Don't Like Blue Anymore (from Yukon Blonde)
12. Elvyn Those Were The Days (from The Decline)
13. Sunrise Highway Magic (from Sunrise Highway)
14. Locksley There's A Love (from Be In Love)
15. Telepathic Butterflies Aloha! (from Wow & Flutter)
16. Willie Nile Can't Stay Home (from The Innocent Ones)
17. The Gay Blades Mick Jagger (from Savages)
18. Kasey Anderson All Lit Up (from Nowhere Nights)
19. Little Fish You, Me, and the TV (from Baffled and Beat)
20. Jason Falkner Emotion Machine (from All Quiet On The Noize Floor)
21. Mynabirds What We Gained In The Fire (from What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood)
22. The Shivers American Girls (from Sunset Psalms)
23. Dan Kelly Grown Up Solutions (from Dan Kelly's Dream)


So that makes 23 artists on the UHM quantum top 20, and damn, there's still no room for great songs from great albums by Bobby Bare Jr., the Postelles, Nick Curran & the Lowlifes, Luke Doucet, Ted Leo, Macy Gray, My Jerusalem, and Caroline & the Treats, and a whole host of others.

Un-Herd Christmas 2010

Here is, in the words of the terminally unhinged Phil Spector, "A Christmas Gift For You." Of course, Phil baby was talking about a .44 Magnum and urinating on your bullet-ridden corpse while obscured under an eight pound afro wig, while I'm somewhat more peaceably referring to these 25 highly listenable and/or downright awesome songs that go along with last year's 25 Songs of Christmess mix. Your own predilections will dictate which gift you prefer, although for those on the fence let me just point out that the two mixes, when taken together, all but guarantee you at least two and a half pain-free hours during this most pain-filled of seasons. Then again, if pain be your thang you're gonna wanna stick with Phil. In the nonce, best of the season, glad tidings, happy holidays, etcetera etcetera.

Un-Herd Christmas 2010

1. The Mynabirds All I Want Is Truth (For Christmas)
2. Cartel Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
3. Eels Christmas Is Going To The Dogs
4. Leroy Santa Stole My Baby
5. Zombina & the Skeletones A Chainsaw For Christmas
6. Julian Casablancas I Wish It Was Christmas Today
7. The Ramones Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)
8. Rancid Xmas Eve (She Got Up And Left Me)
9. The Dualers Mus-Be Christmus
10. Hawaii Mud Bombers Santa's Wish
11. Best Coast w/ Wavves Got Something For You
12. Death Cab For Cutie Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
13. Little Jackie Mrs. Claus Ain't Got Nothin' On Me
14. Guster Tiny Tree Christmas
15. The BAcksliders That's How We Do Christmas
16. Little Isidore Party Hard
17. The Fleshtones Canadian Christmas
18. The Wellingtons I Guess It's Christmas
19. Material Issue Merry Christmas Will Do
20. The Long Blondes Christmas Is Cancelled
21. Rusty It's Christmas Time (And I'm Poor)
22. The Bellrays All I Want To Do Is Shag For Christmas
23. Nerf Herder I've Got A Boner For Christmas
24. The Chevelles O Come All Ye Faithful Surfer Girls
25. Bleu 12 Dayz

Covers Project Vol. VII

Oh yes, it's the latest installment of cool covers. And, just so we're all on the same page, the cheesy pic to the left is totally lying. These aren't all hits from the '70s (although a surprising amount of them are) and, hell, a few of them would need extensive plastic surgery, a fake moustache, and an accompanying hypnotherapist before they'd ever run the danger of being mistaken as "hits" - but I'm not gonna concern myself with such strict definitions. There is one small sliver of truth-in-advertising, however: if you were so inclined, you really could sing along with these mofos. And if you haven't already downloaded the previous volumes, just click on the "covers" tag at the bottom of this post to have them all laid out neatly before your very eyes.

Are You Ready, Steve?

1. The Oohs Ballroom Blitz (The Sweet)
2. The Crunchies Charlie Don't Surf (The Clash)
3. Grinspoon When You Were Mine (Prince)
4. Izzy Stradlin Pressure Drop (Toots & the Maytals)
5. The Hi-Fives Tainted Love (Gloria Jones, by way of Soft Cell)
6. Wilmer X I Can't Make It On Time (The Ramones)
7. Dramarama I Wish I Was Your Mother (Mott the Hoople)
8. Philadelphia Grand Jury I Got You (Split Enz)
9. Frightened Rabbit (w/ Craig Finn) Don't Go Breaking My Heart (Elton John & Kiki Dee)
10. Reigning Sound Stormy Weather (Lena Horne)
11. Sahara Hotnights Rockaway Beach (The Ramones)
12. Diamond Dogs Pills (Bo Diddley by way of the New York Dolls)
13. Supersuckers Hey Ya (Outkast)
14. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists Suspect Device (Stiff Little Fingers)
15. Riverboat Gamblers Heaven Is Falling (Bad Religion)
16. The Hot Rats (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (to Party) (Beastie Boys)
17. The Gaslight Anthem Tumbling Dice (Rolling Stones)
18. The Rubinoos Cruisin' Music (The Raspberries)
19. The Blue Shadows What The Hell I Got (Pagliaro)
20. Guided By Voices Downed (Cheap Trick)
21. Thelonious Monster For My Lover (Tracy Chapman)
22. Charlie Chesterman I Hate Everything (Young Fresh Fellows)
23. Evan Foster The Girl Can't Dance (Link Wray)
24. The Smugglers Kings of the Party (Brownsville Station)

14 Songs by Bob Forrest

The strangest aspect of Bob Forrest's career trajectory - from leader of the anarchic Thelonious Monster to semi-celeb counselor on Dr. Drew's rehab series - is just how perfect he's been in both roles. As a counselor he emanates empathy and a hard-won wisdom that has little tolerance for bullshit, while in his previous career as a band leader/songwriter he'd turned those same traits on himself, minus the empathy, which resulted in a sort of public self-flagellation for all his perceived failings as a human being. That probably contributed to a difficult existence for Mr. Forrest, but it made for some astounding music.

Thelonious Monster debuted in 1986 with the album Baby... You're Bumming Me Out In A Supreme Fashion on the then fledgling Epitaph label. Their following two albums, Next Saturday Afternoon and Stormy Weather, saw the band refining their sound, with Forrest's lyrics transcending mere cynicism by mining his own psyche with an unflinching, near-masochistic honesty. The band's major label debut in 1992, the aptly titled Beautiful Mess, was predictably a commercial disappointment. That was the height of the grunge era, and even if Forrest's sensibility wasn't far removed from Kurt Cobain's, the music certainly was - the album incorporated whimsical folk rock, Joan Armatrading covers, and a barroom lament featuring Tom Waits.

That was the end of Thelonious Monster... sort of. They reunited 12 years later and released the awesome California Clam Chowder album, consisting entirely of songs titled after bands that influenced the sound of each particular song (ie: "The Elton John Song", "The Joy Division Song", "The Beck Song" - there was even one called "The Thelonious Monster Song"). Naturally, that album didn't make a dent anywhere. I'm sure I'm probably on some F.B.I. watch list for buying it.

In between go-rounds with the Monster, Forrest formed the short-lived band The Bicycle Thief and put out the excellent You Come And Go Like A Pop Song (first released in 1999, but more widely re-released with different tracks in 2001). It's included on this blog's Best Of the 00's mix and is arguably the finest release of Forrest's career, featuring a selection of uniformly strong songs and (finally) a sympathetic production.

Since then, he put out a single solo album in 2006 called Modern Folk and Blues: Wednesday, which is mostly acoustic cover versions of unlikely songs, such as Guns 'n' Roses "Welcome to the Jungle" and Springsteen's "Born To Run". The few original songs are typically excellent. He also had a song featured on the I'm Not There soundtrack, and he continues to release music on his website (you'll find piles of Forrest solo stuff there as well as Thelonious Monster tracks).

And, lastly, I've got to add that Forrest's appearance on those Dr. Drew shows represents, to me, the triumph of the underdog. He has been an artist I've always followed, always respected and supported, and the fact that he can probably pay rent these days means we can score one more for the good guys.

This Is Not A Song For the Clear-Skinned Blondes

1. So What If I Did
2. Sammy Hagar Weekend
3. Anymore
4. I Live In A Nice House
5. Adios Lounge (w/ Tom Waits)
6. Bus With No Driver
7. Max, Jill Called
8. It's Rainin' (4 am)
9. Cereal Song
10. The Bob Dylan Song
11. The Rolling Stones '77 Song
12. The Curtis Mayfield Song
13. Memphis
14. I'm Going Republican

Tracks 1, 2 by Thelonious Monster from Stormy Weather (1989)
Track 3 by Thelonious Monster from Next Saturday Afternoon (1987)
Tracks 4, 5, 6 by Thelonious Monster from Beautiful Mess (1992)
Tracks 7, 8, 9 by The Bicycle Thief from You Come And Go Like A Pop Song (2001)
Tracks 10, 11, 12 by Thelonious Monster from California Clam Chowder (2004)
Tracks 13, 14 by Bob Forrest from Modern Folk And Blues: Wednesday (2006)

Best of '10 (vol. III)

The final volume of my favorite songs from 2010, all of which can be found right here.

This mix is further evidence that, despite what the mainstream charts and their indie counterparts would lead one to believe, there's a golden age of music happening right now. You just have to dig a little harder to find it under all the noise.

My only remaining chore for 2010 is to come up with the year's top 20 which, given the awesomeness and awesomosity of the last twelve months, is gonna be an even tougher task than last year's. And a quick note: the apostrophe in The Record's is not a typo; this is not the same band as the late '70s power poppers, but a similarly inclined crew from Italy.

Faves of 2010 (Vol. III)

1. The Jim Jones Revue High Horse
2. My Jerusalem Sweet Chariot
3. The Posies Cleopatra Street
4. Throwback Suburbia Private Oasis
5. Flashy Jacks & the All Nighters Sweet Anne
6. Young Rebel Set Walk On
7. The Shilohs Carolina
8. Bobby Bare Jr. Your Goat Is On Fire
9. The Dirty Novels Candy Can't Wait
10. The Sugar Stems Black And Blue
11. Cheap Time When Tomorrow Comes
12. Jaill Demon
13. Two Cow Garage Sally, I've Been Shot
14. Luke Doucet Monkeys
15. The 88 Dead On The Water
16. The Gay Blades Try To Understand
17. Asa Be My Man
18. The Record's We All Need To Be Alone
19. You Am I Trigger Finger
20. The Parting Gifts Shine
21. The Booze Cut My Heart Out
22. Marah Muskie Moon

Covers Project Vol. VI

22 explosive hits, most definitely - but original? Nu-uh. This is volume six of the covers project. A mix of great bands doing their versions of great songs. Or mostly great songs - there's a couple I'll admit to never being particularly fond of ("Sundown" and "Beat It", for example, miraculously rescued by Luke Doucet and Supergrass, respectively). The opening song presents the only curveball, as Hellsongs turns "School's Out" into fingerpopping lounge, but after that the mix settles fairly predictably into a punk and power pop hitfest. The pick for most surprising - to my ears, anyway - is the way Mia Zapata of the Gits soulfully digs in to "A Change Is Gonna Come" like she wrote it herself. Proves we only got to witness the tip of the iceberg when it came to her immense talent. Pick for the most fun? Everything else.

Kick Me Like You've Kicked Before

(secondary link)

1. Hellsongs School's Out (Alice Cooper)
2. Paul Collins The Letter (The Boxtops)
3. The Jim Jones Revue Get Back (The Beatles)
4. Crash Kelly Roxy Roller (Sweeney Todd)
5. The Hellacopters I'm Eighteen (Alice Cooper)
6. The Donnas Strutter (Kiss)
7. The Dahlmanns Holiday Road (Lindsay Buckingham)
8. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Fun, Fun, Fun (Beach Boys)
9. Cheap Trick When The Lights Are Out (Slade)
10. Goldspot Float On (Modest Mouse)
11. Electric Six The Rubberband Man (The Spinners)
12. Supergrass Beat It (Michael Jackson)
13. The Blondes Dyna-Mite (Mud)
14. Old 97's Rocks Off (Rolling Stones)
15. Luke Doucet Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot)
16. Ronnie Spector Something's Gonna Happen (Marshall Crenshaw)
17. The Posies Surrender (Cheap Trick)
18. Material Issue Cowboy Song (Thin Lizzy)
19. Kurt Baker I've Done Everything For You (Sammy Hagar, by way of Rick Springfield)
20. The Wildhearts Understanding Jane (The Icicle Works)
21. Perfect Crocodile Rock (Elton John)
22. The Gits A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke)