Tonight's album is Let It Be by The Replacements. I've had this cd for a few years, and to be honest I haven't played it much, until recently when I was reading about the band in the excellent Our Band Could Be Your Life, by Michael Azerrad. This book is a terrific account of the US hardcore punk underground scene, 1981-1991. There are chapters on Black Flag, Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Minor Threat, Big Black, it's a fantastic read. It really sent me back to a lot of albums which I haven't played for a long time, including this one here by the Replacements.
Let It Be contains at least two bona fide classic songs which make it worth hearing for them alone - I Will Dare, and Unsatisfied. The Replacements played a sloppy, liquored up rock n roll, and along with Husker Du were a big influence on a lot of power pop bands which came after them, and who watered down their sound into a more commercially palatable brew. Original guitarist Bob Stinson is dead, his brother Tommy is in Guns n Roses, and what Paul Westerburg is up to I don't know. Let It Be has some brilliantly aching songs about being young, drunk and mixed up, sung in Westerburg's raw and ragged yowl.
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