The Replacements | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Dogbreath Impediments |
| Origin | Minneapolis,Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | Discography |
| Years active |
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| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | |
| Past members | |
| Website | thereplacementsofficial |
The Replacements were an Americanrock band formed inMinneapolis,Minnesota, in 1979.[8] The band was composed of the guitarist and vocalistPaul Westerberg, guitaristBob Stinson, bass guitaristTommy Stinson, and drummerChris Mars for most of its existence. After two albums in the style ofpunk rock, they became one of the main pioneers ofalternative rock with their acclaimed albumsLet It Be andTim. Bob Stinson was kicked out of the band in 1986, andSlim Dunlap joined as lead guitarist.Steve Foley replaced Mars in 1990. Towards the end of the band's career, Westerberg exerted more control over its creative output. The group disbanded in 1991 and the members found various projects. A reunion was announced on October 3, 2012.[9] Fans affectionately refer to the band as the 'Mats, a nickname which originated as a truncation of "The Placemats".[10][11]
The Replacements' music was influenced byrock artists such asthe Rolling Stones,the Beatles,Faces,Big Star,Slade,Badfinger,Creedence Clearwater Revival, andBob Dylan as well aspunk rock bands including theRamones, theNew York Dolls, theBuzzcocks,the Damned and theSex Pistols. Unlike many of their underground contemporaries, the Replacements played "heart-on-the-sleeve"[12] rock songs which combined Westerberg's "raw-throated adolescent howl"[13] with self-deprecating lyrics. The Replacements were a notoriously wayward live act, often performing under the influence of alcohol and playing fragments of covers instead of their own material.
The Replacements' history began in Minneapolis in 1978, when nineteen-year-old Bob Stinson gave his eleven-year-old brother Tommy Stinson abass guitar to keep him off the streets.[8] In the same year, Bob met Mars, a high school dropout. With Mars playing guitar and then switching to drums, the trio called themselves "Dogbreath" and began covering songs byAerosmith,Ted Nugent andYes[14] without a singer.[15] One day as Westerberg, who was a janitor in U.S. SenatorDavid Durenberger's office,[16] was walking home from work he heard a band playing in the Stinsons' house.[17] After being impressed by the band's performance, Westerberg regularly listened in after work. Mars knew Westerberg and invited him over to jam. Westerberg was unaware Mars was a drummer in Dogbreath.[14]
Dogbreath auditioned several vocalists, including a hippie who read lyrics off a sheet.[18] The band eventually found a vocalist, but Westerberg wanted to be the singer and took him aside one day to say, "The band doesn't like you." The vocalist left and Westerberg replaced him.[14] Before Westerberg joined the band, Dogbreath often drank and took various drugs during rehearsals, playing songs as an afterthought.[8] In contrast to the rest of the band, the relatively disciplined Westerberg appeared at rehearsals in neat clothes and insisted on practicing songs until he was happy with them.[19]
"They didn't even know what punk was. They didn't like punk. Chris had hair down to his shoulders," Westerberg told an interviewer.[20] But after the band members discovered first-generationpunk bands likeThe Clash,The Jam,The Damned, andThe Buzzcocks, Dogbreath changed its name to the Impediments and played a drunken performance without Tommy Stinson at a church hall gig in June 1980.[21] After being banned from the venue for disorderly behavior, they changed the name to the Replacements.[22] In an unpublished memoir, Mars later explained the band's choice of name: "Like maybe the main act doesn't show, and instead the crowd has to settle for an earful of us dirtbags... It seemed to sit just right with us, accurately describing our collective 'secondary' social esteem".[19]
The band recorded a four-song demo tape in Mars's basement;[23] Westerberg handed it toPeter Jesperson in May 1980.[24] Jesperson was the manager ofOar Folkjokeopus, apunk rock record store in Minneapolis;[25] he also foundedTwin/Tone Records with Paul Stark (a local recording engineer) and Charley Hallman. Westerberg originally handed in the tape to see if the band could perform atJay's Longhorn Bar, a local venue where Jesperson worked as a disc jockey.[26] The band's first performance at a bar was at the Longhorn on July 2, 1980.[27] He eavesdropped while Jesperson put the tape on, only to run away as soon as the first song, "Raised in the City", played.[19] Jesperson played the song again and again. "If I've ever had a magic moment in my life, it was popping that tape in", said Jesperson. "I didn't even get through the first song before I thought my head was going to explode".[28]
Jesperson called Westerberg the next day, asking, "So do you want to do a single or an album?"[21][26] With the agreement of Stark and the rest of the band, the Replacements signed with Twin/Tone Records in 1980.[29] Jesperson's support of the band was welcomed and they asked him to be their manager after their second show. Later in the summer they played at the Longhorn on a Wednesday "New Band Night".
They played several club gigs to almost empty rooms. When they finished a song, apart from the low hum of conversation, the band would hear Jesperson's loud whistle and fast clapping. "His enthusiasm kept us going at times, definitely," Mars later said. "His vision, his faith in the band was a binding force."[21] After the Replacements signed with Twin/Tone, Westerberg began to write songs and had an album's worth of material. Weeks after their live debut, the band felt ready to record the album. Jesperson chose Blackberry Way, an eight-track home studio in Minneapolis. However, as the band had no clout there, time spent in the studio was intermittent, and it took about six months to record the album.[30] Although not important at the time, Twin/Tone could not afford to release the album until August 1981. Because they were suspicious of the music business in general, the Replacements had not signed a written contract with Twin/Tone Records.[13] Before settling on a title for the band's debut album, Westerberg considered the namesUnsuitable for Airplay andPower Trash.[31]
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When the band's first album,Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, was released in August 1981, it received positive reviews in local fanzines.Option's Blake Gumprecht wrote, "Westerberg has the ability to make you feel like you're right in the car with him, alongside him at the door, drinking from the same bottle."[30] The album contained the band's first single, "I'm in Trouble", Westerberg's "first truly good song".[30]Sorry Ma included the song "Somethin to Dü", a homage to another Twin Cities punk band,Hüsker Dü.[33] The Replacements had a friendly rivalry with the band, which began when Twin/Tone chose the Replacements over Hüsker Dü.[34]
Hüsker Dü landed an opening slot at aJohnny Thunders gig that the Replacements had wanted.[35] Hüsker Dü also influenced the band's music, and the Replacements began playing faster and becoming more influenced byhardcore punk. Despite that the band did not feel part of the hardcore scene. As Mars later said, "We were confused about what we were."[34] Sometime in late 1981, the Replacements played a song called "Kids Don't Follow".[citation needed] Jesperson was convinced the song sounded like a hit[36] and pleaded with the Twin/Tone co-owners Stark and Hallman, "I will do anything to get this out. I will hand-stamp jackets if I have to."[37] The partners agreed to fund the recording, but Jesperson and virtually everyone he knew had to hand-stamp ten thousand white record jackets.[37] The band recorded eight tracks within a week, with Jesperson as producer. Their "balls-to-the-wall hardcore punk attempt",[36] their first EPStink, containing "Kids Don't Follow" and seven other songs, was released in June 1982, six months after a show inChicago.[36]
The Replacements began to distance themselves from the hardcore punk scene after the release ofStink. "We write songs rather than riffs with statements,"[38] Westerberg later stated. Inspired by other rock subgenres, he had been writing songs that incorporated a wide range of musical styles. He even wrote an acoustic ballad, "You're Getting Married One Night", but when he played it to the rest of the band, it was met with silence. "Save that for your solo album, Paul," Bob Stinson said. "That ain't the Replacements".[38] The track remained unreleased for years. Westerberg realized his toughest audience was the band itself, later saying, "If it doesn't rock enough, Bob will scoff at it, and if it isn't catchy enough, Chris won't like it, and if it isn't modern enough, Tommy won't like it."[38]
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With some new songs, the Replacements entered a warehouse inRoseville, Minnesota to record their next album; Twin/Tone co-owner Stark engineered. Westerberg wrote songs in stops and starts, so it took several sessions of recording to finish the album. Stark's meticulous approach to recording contrasted with that of the Replacements, often frustrating the band. In one session, Mars and Westerberg switched instruments and the band began to improvise, with Westerberg repeatedly shouting, "It's a hootenanny." The band declared it to be "side one, track one" of the new album.[39] According to Stark, the recording "was a complete joke from their point of view—they did not care what they delivered".[39]
Hootenanny, the band's second studio album, was released in April 1983. OnHootenanny Westerberg expanded his songwriting capabilities, in songs such as "Willpower", with echoed vocals and a sparse arrangement, and "Within Your Reach", which features Westerberg on all instruments, he revealed a more sensitive side.[39] It was a more mature album thanStink andSorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash.Hootenanny was played on over two hundred radio stations across the country, with critics giving the album acclaim.Robert Christgau, writing in theVillage Voice, deemed it to be "the most critically independent album of 1983".[40]
WithHootenanny's release, the Replacements had begun to attract a following outside of Minneapolis. The band embarked on its first tour of the United States in April 1983, joined by Bill Sullivan, a young security guard, as roadie, who approached the band after a show at theWalker Art Center in Minneapolis.[41] Tommy Stinson dropped out of the tenth grade, joining the rest of the band on tour. The Replacements toured venues on theEast Coast, including a tense gig atCity Gardens, inTrenton, New Jersey where numerous punks lined the edge of the stage as the band played.[38] The band performed inDetroit,Cleveland, andPhiladelphia but its intended destination wasNew York City, where they played atGerde's Folk City; they also performed atMaxwell's, inHoboken, New Jersey.[42]
The Replacements returned to New York in June 1983, playing atCBGB. The gig was a failure; the band were almost refused entry. Bob Stinson was thrown out as soon as he walked in the door, and the Replacements were the last of five bands, which meant they played in the early morning on a Monday night. The show at Folk City was not a success, because "The Replacements were so loud and obnoxious that the people just cleared right out," according to manager Jesperson.[42] The band supportedR.E.M. on an eight-date tour later that summer, deciding that they should alienate the audience as much as possible. It was not a successful tour; by the end, various members had threatened to leave the Replacements. Band morale was low and Westerberg later said, "We'd much rather play for fifty people who know us than a thousand who don't care."[43]
For the recording of their next studio album, the Replacements decided to return to Blackberry Way Studios in late 1983. The band considered R.E.M.'s guitaristPeter Buck as producer, but when they met him inAthens, Georgia, they did not have enough material to begin recording. Instead, Jesperson and Steve Fjelstad co-produced the album.[44] By that time, the Replacements had grown tired of playing loud and fast exclusively; Westerberg said, "Now we're softening a little where we can do something that's a little more sincere without being afraid that someone's not going to like it or the punks aren't going to be able to dance to it."[45]
The new material placed more of a focus on songwriting, and the music was influenced byheavy metal,arena rock andChicago blues. Instruments such aspiano,twelve-string guitar andmandolin were featured throughout the album.[46] The new album included songs such as "I Will Dare", which featured Buck playing lead guitar;[47] "Androgynous", with Westerberg on piano; and "Unsatisfied" in which, according to writer Michael Azerrad, Westerberg "had hit upon a moving new way to declare that hecan't get no satisfaction."[46] The band's albumLet It Be was released in October 1984 to critical acclaim.[48] Robert Christgau gave the album an A+,[49] and theSeattle Rocket criticBruce Pavitt calledLet It Be "mature diverse rock that could well shoot these regional boys into the national mainstream".[48] In 1989,Let It Be was ranked number 12 onSpin magazine's list of the "25 Greatest Albums of All Time"[50] and number 15 onRolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s".
Let It Be attracted the attention of major record labels, and by late 1984 several had expressed an interest in signing the Replacements.[51] Financially, the band was not doing well; they were not selling enough records to recoup their expenses, and money from shows went to recording costs, hotels, travel, food and instrument repairs. Bob Stinson worked a day job as a pizza chef.[52] Twin/Tone was not being paid reliably by distributors,[53] and the sales ofLet It Be were not high enough to justify extra promotion. "It was time for a major label to take over," according to the label's co-owner Stark.[52] The band was close to a major-label contract but often alienated label representatives by intentionally performing badly in concert;[54] their 1985 live album,The Shit Hits the Fans, was an example of their concert performances at the time.
One label, theWarner Bros. Records subsidiarySire Records, eventually signed the Replacements.[55] The band admired the label head,Seymour Stein, who had managed theRamones, and Stein recruitedTommy Ramone as producer for their first major-label album,[56]Tim, released by Sire in October 1985.[57]
For the rest of 1985 and the first half of 1986 the band toured behindTim. In mid-January 1986 the Replacements received a last-minute request to appear as the musical guests on the January 18 episode ofSaturday Night Live, replacing the scheduled act,The Pointer Sisters, who had been forced to cancel only days before the show. The invitation was partly thanks to the show's musical director of the time,G.E. Smith, who was a Replacements fan. However, as a result of their shambolic and profanity-laced performance during the late-night live broadcast,SNL producerLorne Michaels banned them from ever returning to the show (although Westerberg returned as a solo artist in 1993, and was even allowed to play a Replacements song.)[58]
After playing an out-of-tune "Bastards of Young" (during which Westerberg audibly called out "Come on fucker" just off-mic) the band returned to stage wearing mismatched iterations of each other's clothing and performed "Kiss Me on the Bus" while completely intoxicated. In a 2015 interview recorded for theArchive of American Television, G. E. Smith recalled that although the band had performed well for the early evening taped dress rehearsal performance, one of the band's crew then smuggled alcohol into their dressing room and they spent the next few hours drinking (with the guest host,Harry Dean Stanton) and taking drugs. According to Smith, by the time of the late-night live broadcast they were so intoxicated that on their way to the stage to perform, Bob Stinson tripped in the corridor, fell over onto his guitar and broke it, and Smith had to hurriedly loan him one of theSNL house band's spare instruments.[59]
A few weeks later, on February 4, 1986, the band returned to the New York City area to perform atMaxwell's inHoboken, New Jersey. The show was professionally recorded by a crew hired by the band's labelSire Records, for use in a possible live album. Over 30 years later, the recordings were released as the double albumFor Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986.[60] The tour ended abruptly in June 1986 because Westerberg injured his finger during a show atThe Ritz in New York City.
In August 1986, the Replacements either fired Bob Stinson due to creative and personal differences between Stinson and the remainder of the band and Stinson's alcohol and drug abuse issues. They also fired Jesperson the same year. "It was like being thrown out of a club that you helped start," Jesperson later commented. "Everybody was drinking and doing more drugs than they needed to."[61]
Stinson preferred the louder, faster style of the band's early music, while Westerberg was exploring new territory in ballads like "Here Comes a Regular" and "Swingin' Party". The remaining Replacements carried on as a trio forPleased to Meet Me (1987), recorded inMemphis withBig Star producerJim Dickinson. Minneapolis guitaristSlim Dunlap took over on lead guitar for the subsequent tour and soon became a full member of the band.
The band's next album,Don't Tell a Soul, was a quieter, less punky affair, largely considered an attempt at mainstream success. While the move cost the Replacements the appreciation of some hardcore fans, the album had some notable songs, such as "Achin' to Be" and "I'll Be You", the latter of which topped theBillboard Modern Rock chart. The band then made a second appearance on network television, on the short-lived ABC programInternational Rock Awards, for which they performed a typically energetic version of "Talent Show" and caused a minor controversy when Westerberg responded to the network's censoring of the "feeling good from the pills we took" line by inserting an uncensored "It's too late to take pills, here we go" at the end of the song. The band appeared on the cover ofMusician magazine in February 1989, in which it was described as "the last, best band of the 80s".[62]
Trouble in the band began following a disastrous tour opening forTom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Westerberg recorded a new album largely with session musicians but was persuaded to release it as a Replacements album.All Shook Down won critical praise and more mainstream attention and its debut single "Merry Go Round" again topped the Modern Rock charts. However, the album's many guest players and Mars' quick departure from the band following the album's release led many to wonder about the band's future. They also received a nomination for aGrammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.
Steve Foley was recruited as Mars's replacement in 1990, and the band toured withElvis Costello in June 1991, the final show being atMadison Square Garden. The band embarked on a long farewell tour which lasted into the summer of 1991. On July 4, 1991, the band played their last show for 22 years, with the Chicago power-pop trioMaterial Issue atTaste of Chicago inGrant Park, referred to by fans as "It Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Roadie Plays", because each member disappeared during the set, their respective roadies taking their places. This show was broadcast live by the Chicago radio stationWXRT. Several bootlegs are available on theInternet.[63]
After leaving the Replacements in 1986, Bob Stinson played in local Minneapolis bands such asStatic Taxi and the Bleeding Hearts. After several years of drug and alcohol abuse, he died in 1995, at the age of 35.[64][65] Tommy Stinson quickly followed his time in the Replacements with the short-lived bandsBash & Pop andPerfect. He was the bass guitarist forGuns N' Roses beginning in 1998, replacingDuff McKagan from the band's "classic lineup" until leaving the band in 2016. In 2004, he released a solo CD,Village Gorilla Head, followed in 2011 byOne Man Mutiny.
Westerberg is a successful singer-songwriter signed toVagrant Records and, under his alias Grandpaboy, toFat Possum Records. His albumFolker was released in September 2004, marking a return to the melodic low-fi of the Replacements. Dunlap kept a low national profile but remained active in theTwin Cities music scene until suffering a massive stroke in 2012, which left him without the ability to move or eat.[66] He died in 2024.[67] Mars primarily works as a visual artist.
In 1997,Reprise Records released the two CD setAll for Nothing / Nothing for All. TheAll for Nothing disc collected cuts fromTim throughAll Shook Down; theNothing for All disc is a collection of B-sides and tracks not previously released on albums.
In 2002, in an interview withRolling Stone, Westerberg mentioned that the Replacements had been considering a reunion. He said, "We'll get together again one day. It will take a while, or it might take a few legal swipes of the pen, but we ain't over." A partial reunion nearly occurred in March 2002, when Tommy Stinson planned to join Westerberg on a tour of the Midwest, but Stinson's prior commitments with Guns N' Roses prevented it from happening.[68]
In 2004, active members of the band performed as the fictional Christian Rock group, Godflight, inBrian Dannelly's cult classic satirical black comedy,Saved!, starringJena Malone,Mandy Moore,Eva Amurri, andMacaulay Culkin.
On June 13, 2006,Rhino Records released the compilation albumDon't You Know Who I Think I Was?, consisting of songs from the Twin/Tone and Sire-Reprise years and including two new songs, "Pool & Dive" and "Message to the Boys". The new songs were written by Westerberg and recorded by the band (Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, and Mars) atFlowers Studio in Minneapolis. Session musicianJosh Freese (theVandals, ex-A Perfect Circle, and ex-Guns N' Roses) played drums on the two tracks; Mars contributed backing vocals. NeitherSlim Dunlap norSteve Foley participated in the sessions.
On April 22, 2008, Rhino released remastered deluxe editions of the band's four Twin/Tone albums with rare bonus tracks. On September 24, 2008, Rhino similarly released the four Sire albums in deluxe editions. Material recorded withTom Waits in 1988 was released on the Westerberg solo album3oclockreep in 2008.
Foley died in 2008 from an accidental overdose of a prescription medication.[69]
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On October 3, 2012, it was announced that the Replacements had re-formed and that Westerberg and Tommy Stinson were in the studio recording an EP containing song cover versions. TitledSongs for Slim, the EP was sold in a 250-copy edition of 10" vinyl and auctioned online to benefit former bandmate Dunlap, who had suffered a stroke.[9]
In November 2012, the documentary filmmakerGorman Bechard releasedColor Me Obsessed, a film which tells the band's story through the eyes of their most ardent fans.
The Replacements played their first shows in 22 years atRiot Fest inToronto (August 24 and 25, 2013),[70] Chicago (September 13–15) and Denver (September 21 and 22).[71] Dave Minehan, guitarist and vocalist of theBoston-based band the Neighborhoods as well as drummerJosh Freese rounded out the lineup for the shows.[72][73]
Westerberg said that the band has not ruled out touring or recording a new album.[9] The band played two sets at theCoachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, on April 11 and 18, 2014;Green Day front manBillie Joe Armstrong joined the band onstage on the second date.[74] The band was also announced as one of the headliners of the September 2014Boston Calling Music Festival, along withLorde and theNational.[75] On September 9, 2014, the Replacements appeared as the musical guest onThe Tonight Show, performing "Alex Chilton". On September 19, 2014, they played atForest Hills Stadium.[76] Monsoon rains cancelled the Summer Ends Music Festival inTempe, Arizona, on September 27, 2014, resulting in their only indoor show of the tour when it was moved to theMarquee Theatre.
On December 17, 2014, a 24-minutejazz improvisation track entitled "Poke Me in My Cage" was uploaded to the band'sSoundCloud account.[77]
On February 9, 2015, the band announced aspring tour of the United States.[78] On this tour, they debuted a new song called "Whole Foods Blues", and according to their co-manager Darren Hill, the band has "laid down seven or eight" for a possible new album.[79] Towards the end of the tour, two shows inColumbus, Ohio andPittsburgh were initially postponed for medical reasons, but were later canceled.[80] The Replacements performed for the first time inSpain andPortugal at thePrimavera Sound festival on May 28, 2015,[81] and June 5, 2015,[82] respectively as part of a brief European tour. On June 5, 2015, Westerberg announced onstage at the Primavera Sound festival inPorto, Portugal, that it was the band's final show. T-shirts Westerberg had worn to previous shows had hinted at this outcome: each shirt had two letters on it (one each on front and back) spelling out, "I have always loved you. Now I must whore my past."[83]
In a September 2015 interview, Stinson discussed the band working on new studio material, stating, "it was one of those things: We dipped our toe in the water, and it didn't feel so good." Stinson said that he had reworked songs he wrote for the Replacements as material for his solo career.[84]
The Replacements gained local notoriety following their first live performance because of Tommy Stinson's young age. Early shows were consistently tight and became more aggressive following the release of theStink EP in 1982. As their stylistic repertoire began to expand with the writing and recording ofHootenanny the following year, the band's increasingly antagonistic stage show left them with a reputation for their rowdy, often drunken live shows. The band frequently went on stage too intoxicated to play. They were famously permanently banned fromSaturday Night Live after Westerberg shouted a (mostly) off-microphone profanity, directed at guitarist Bob Stinson, before a national television audience on January 18, 1986.
As a reviewer succinctly observed, the band could quite often be "mouthing profanities into the camera, stumbling into each other, falling down, dropping their instruments, and generally behaving like the apathetic drunks they were."[85] There emerged an element of unpredictability, as the Replacements—when sober—gained critical praise for their live shows. Part of the mystique of the Replacements was the fact that the audience never knew until the start of a concert if the band would be too drunk to play. It was not uncommon for the group to play entire sets ofcover versions, ranging anywhere fromBryan Adams's "Summer of '69" toDusty Springfield's "The Look of Love" toLed Zeppelin's "Black Dog".
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The band has been honored with a star on the outside mural of theMinneapolis nightclubFirst Avenue,[86] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.[87] Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.[88] Westerberg also has a star for his solo work; he is one of the few musicians to be honored with multiple stars on the mural.
The Goo Goo Dolls' vocalist and guitaristJohnny Rzeznik cites Paul Westerberg as an "obvious influence" on his music.[89] The Goo Goo Dolls toured in support for the Replacements' final tour. They also co-wrote the song "We Are the Normal" with Westerberg for their 1993 albumSuperstar Car Wash.[90] Members ofthe Cribs have cited the Replacements as a key influence.[citation needed] Members of the alternative country groupsUncle Tupelo andWhiskeytown have said that the Replacements were an important influence on them.[citation needed]Brian Fallon ofGaslight Anthem said in a 2009 interview that "without the Replacements, there would be no Gaslight Anthem" and that they were inspired by the song "Left of the Dial".[91] The bandThey Might Be Giants made a tribute song to them called "We're The Replacements".[92] FilmmakerJames Gunn has named the Replacements as a favorite.[93]
1234 Go! Records releasedWe'll Inherit the Earth: A Tribute to The Replacements on October 3, 2006. The album contains twenty-three covers of the Replacements songs by various rock, punk, pop and country artists.
On October 16, 2013, the band was announced as one of the 2014Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees, but they were not inducted.[94] "Alex Chilton" appears as a playable song inHarmonix's music videogameRock Band 2 for all consoles. "Kids Don't Follow" was also released for the game as downloadable content.
Indie rock band Art Brut released a song titled "The Replacements" on their third album (Art Brut vs. Satan), in which singer Eddie Argos expresses both appreciation for the band, and incredulousness over the fact he was not already familiar with their music.[95]
Their songs have been used in many feature films. "Treatment Bound" was used in the official soundtrack forJackass Number Two. The 1998 teen comedy filmCan't Hardly Wait is named aftertheir single, and the song itself plays over the end credits. The song "I Will Dare" is sung byKeanu Reeves andCameron Diaz in the car inFeeling Minnesota. Lou and Nick contemplate their lives and the possibility of changing the past in the 2010 comedyHot Tub Time Machine while "I Will Dare" plays in the background.
"I'll Be You" plays during Jerry's bachelor party in the 1996 romantic comedy-drama sports filmJerry Maguire. The 2009Greg Mottola film,Adventureland, opens with "Bastards of Young". The song "Unsatisfied" is used in the film during the bus ride toNew York. The song was also featured in the 1994 filmAirheads and the 2016 filmOrdinary World. The fictional band the Fingers, in the movieLosers Take All,[96] gets their big break by securing a gig opening for the Replacements. "Within Your Reach" was used in the 1989 filmSay Anything. "Here Comes a Regular" was on the episode "Rigby's Graduation Day Special" onCartoon Network'sRegular Show. "Here Comes a Regular" was on the episode "The Wind That Blew My Heart Away" onOne Tree Hill. Peyton's mother describes the song as "the happiest" and it is heard playing in the episode.[97] "Here Comes a Regular" also appeared in the final episode of theNetflix series13 Reasons Why.
In what could be considered the only case of the Replacements receiving any official recording industry accolades, the band's biographer Bob Mehr received theBest Album Notes trophy at the63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021 for his liner notes on the 2019 box setDead Man's Pop, which is itself an anniversary reissue of their 1989 albumDon't Tell a Soul.[98]
In 2023, Tommy Stinson said:
Part of our lure is that we stayed underground. We stayed underground, for the most part, because of our shortcomings[...] But that was also, somehow, our strong-suit—that we were so unable to conform to what would make us star-quality or what would catapult us. We always felt like the music had to do it, that we couldn't do something with the music to make us more popular. In saying that, there were a lot of opportunities that I think we probably pissed away—because we just didn't know how to greet them artistically and make them fun or make them palatable. We pretty much wung [sic] our entire career. From top to bottom, we were total defects and we didn't know any better. All that you hear is exactly the way we were. It's the good, the bad and the ugly, really.[99]
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