Albums by this artist

Pleased To Meet Me (1987)

Tim (1986)

The Replacements

Pleased To Meet Me

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» DEVON REED | STAFF WRITER

The Replacements Pleased To Meet Me Sire, 1987 RiYL: Big Star, Soul Asylum, John Strohm

I've never really fully embraced The Replacements' Pleased To Meet Me like I have its two predecessors, Tim and Let It Be. I mean, sitting here with the three discs in front of me, it's obvious that the latter are in serious need of being replaced, whereas the used record store would give me top dollar for my copy of Pleased To Meet Me.

It wasn't until I stumbled on The Mats' best-of compilation All For Nothing, Nothing For All that I realized what was so sorely missing from Pleased: lead guitarist Bob Stinson. All For Nothing contains what is simply one of The Replacement's finest moments, a version of "Can't Hardly Wait," but minus the strings and horns featured on the Pleased To Meet Me version. Labeled "The Tim Version," and featuring Stinson on lead guitar, it's the missing link between The Mats' pre- and post-firing of the guitarist in question.

"The Tim Version" proves how much Paul Westerberg's desperately reckless lyrics needed a desperately reckless musician to create that hopeless cry of the outsider, which made The Replacements so great to begin with. "Can't Hardly Wait" is a typically touching Westerberg pop song on Pleased To Meet Me, but it feels a little too safe. When "The Tim Version" kicks off with Stinson's dizzying guitar, and Westerberg howls, "I'll be there in an hour!" it's a call to arms, a battle cry for all the lonely souls in the world.

Even minus Bob, however, The Mats still manage to carve out some great songs on this album. "Alex Chilton" is a great tribute to one of Westerberg's biggest influences. And "Skyway" proves, like Let It Be's "Unsatisfied," that Westerberg's songs don't need to be electric to be powerful.

The only problem is that all of these songs are on All For Nothing, and the rest of Pleased sounds like warm leftovers from the Tim sessions. I'm usually a staunch proponent of buying and listening to entire albums. But if you're looking to fill out your Replacements collection and file another disc next to Let It Be and Tim, throw down the extra few bucks for the Sire compilation, if for nothing else than to hear "Can't Hardly Wait" the way it was meant to be heard.

DEVON REED |