All that recently happened to me when I started digging into the Replacements. I had always heard of them and had one of their records, but never really paid much attention. Then I got my hands on their discography and threw a bunch of their songs on my iPod that I would use at the gym or when I went running. The more I listened, the more I started enjoying their songwriting, Paul Westerberg's vocals, Bob Stinson's guitar playing ... all the layers started becoming apparent to me. I guess that's the breaking point as to when I became infected with the bug.
I was clearly obsessed. I had to tell my friends about them, read books on their history, have them on the stereo when drinking at the apartment on a Friday or Saturday night. I would imagine it started to drive people nuts, Alison included. I think I had her on board, but it was probably more because every time a certain song would come on I would talk over the whole song and go into detail about what I liked about the lyrics and the delivery and the desperation in the sound of the song and the message and how you can't say goodnight to an answering machine ... who even leaves messages on an answering machine anymore?
I then realized that The Replacements were one of those bands that someone has to experience for themselves and find their own reasons for enjoying them. Almost the way in which people end up loving Minutemen or Hüsker Dü or Dinosaur Jr.. Especially for people who weren't of age when those bands existed. Although when you dig in to them, you are able to hear the timelessness to those bands and their personality. I guess it's one of those things that is an isolated discovery, unlike hearing something that is broadly accepted as good by the masses. Not to say that one has an elite ear or understanding of good taste to like the aforementioned bands, but that when you do fall into it like the rest of the people that are into it, you are head over heels.
Enough posturing and waxing poetic for me. Check out some videos!
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