The Replacements’ breakthrough record Let It Be is often called a masterpiece, and it’s easy to see why: it's far more accomplished than its predecessor, the (brilliantly) half-assed Hootenanny. Aside from “Gary’s Got A Boner,” the album showed that Paul Westerberg had serious songwriting skills. But despite Let It Be’s undeniable greatness, Tim is secretly my favorite Replacements album.
Why, you ask, is it my “secret" favorite then? Have you met Replacements fans? Sure, Let It Be's “Unsatisfied” is one of my all-time favorite songs -- how could it not be? -- and you can’t not-love the classic “I Will Dare,” but as a whole, Tim holds together better. This is not a popular opinion, but go ahead, look at the tracklist. There are no Kiss covers, no “Gary’s Got A Boner”; sure, there’s “Dose Of Thunder,” which has never done much for me, but I’d rather listen to that than Let It Be’s weakest spot, “Black Diamond.” Tim is simply cohesive, and despite the distortion and drum-bashing, it's wall-to-wall pop music.
Lead-off track “Hold My Life” is one of the band’s finest moments, with Westerberg pleading “Hold my life/ Until I’m/ Ready to use it/ Because I just might lose it” -- a line that, as anyone who's seen them live knows, captures The Replacements' vibe perfectly. They were continually on the verge of explosion or collapse, and this tension was what gave their music such potency. Next come the seemingly tossed-off (but emotionally insightful) “I’ll Buy” and then the record’s best track, “Kiss Me On The Bus.”
There’s probably no way to explain why “Kiss Me On The Bus” is also among my most beloved Replacements songs. It’s pretty inane, actually -- the title says it all, as do lines like “Your tongue, your transfer/ Your hand, your answer.” But filled with those incredibly melodic choruses, the last gloriously surrounded by sleigh bells, it all works perfectly. It’s stupid perfection.
Yes, Tim has a couple weak spots – the aforementioned “Dose Of Thunder” and throwaway “Lay It Down Clown” – but they fit the overall mood better than the misfits on Let It Be. People also complain about Tommy (Ramone) Erdleyi’s production, but I have no problem with it. It’s clean and shallow, but these songs -- oh God, the songs! How have I not yet mentioned “Left Of The Dial” or “Bastards Of Young”?! – sound amazing clean and shallow. As for closer “Here Comes A Regular,” the band’s song about their Minneapolis dive The CC Club (and about every dive on earth), just go find it and listen to it. Hear Westerberg’s voice crack as he sings “There ain’t much to rake anyway in the fall,” tear up a little, then play it again. Then remember: it’s not on Let It Be.