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	And I Feel Fine...: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 R.E.M. Capitol/I.R.S. $24.98 The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting: An Oral History Voyageur Press $21.95 Open Season Paul Westerberg Lost Highway $13.98 Besterberg: Best of Paul Westerberg Paul Westerberg Rhino / Wea $18.98 Accelerate R.E.M. Warner Bros / Wea $18.98 Tim The Replacements Sire / London/Rhino $11.98

Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? - The Best of the Replacements by Rhino / Wea List Price: $18.98 Price: $14.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. You Save: $3.99 (21%)

But by the time of Hootenanny's "Color Me Impressed" and "Within Your Reach," something magical was clearly happening within Westerberg's songwriting and the band at large, even if it was largely inspired by terminal boredom, perpetual discontent, no small amount of alcohol--and an indifference to success that was one of their greatest charms. Within two years they'd produce one of the decade's--and perhaps rock history's--most compelling albums with Let It Be and the indie movement's first grassroots anthem in "Unsatisfied." They followed it up with Tim, a collection where Westerberg seemed able to conjure similar generational marching orders ("Here Comes a Regular," "Bastards of Young," "Left of the Dial") with preternatural ease; enraptured rock critics probably thought harder about his music than he ever did. Though highlighted by such gems as "Alex Chilton," "Skyway" and such pop-smart swan songs as "I'll Be You" and "Merry Go Round," the Mats' third act dissolved into the expected, if equally star-crossed solo career for Westerberg and the tragic death of Bob Stinson, events which can't help but cast a melancholy shadow over the unexpectedly gritty new old stock recordings "Message to the Boys" and "Pool & Dive." --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:
"One foot in the door, the other one in the gutter."	Customer Rating: 4 out of 5
The Replacements' second `best of' compilation - hotly anticipated due to it's inclusion of classic tracks (previously not included on the All For Nothing/Nothing For All set released by Reprise Records in 1997) from the band's first four Twin/Tone albums as well as those released after their controversial switch to major pastures (with Sire/Reprise) AND showcasing 2 brand new collaborative tracks from Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars - was released comparatively hot on the heels of Westerberg's own solo best-of, Besterberg, and in a sense falls into some of the same traps. The principle failing of the set is the track listing. Now, I am well aware that choosing tracks for a best-of compilation is an almost entirely subjective process, but within The Replacements' canon there are certain staples who's omission is close to heresy. Having gained in stature immeasurably since their portentous release on 1984's Let It Be it almost beggars belief that neither the plaintively ramshackle `Androgynous' nor the spark-to-a-blaze `Sixteen Blue' (written by Westerberg about Tommy Stinson but adopted as an anthem of disenchantment and despondency by those marginalised during the Reagan years and beyond) were not included. That said however, if you're limiting yourself to choosing The Mats' 18 "best" tracks then you are always going to struggle to please anyone but yourself entirely, and most of those that are here are indelible classics anyway. `Colour Me Impressed', `B@$tards of Young' and `Alex Chilton' are all irresistibly infectious rockers, whilst `I Will Dare', `Left of the Dial' and `Can't Hardly Wait' are as romantically steeped in the band's legendary self-deprecation and irony as they are in the legend of the band itself. I bow to no one however, in my appreciation of the All For Nothing/Nothing For All best of the Sire-years set, and whilst the scope of tracks on Don't You Know...? undeniably garners more kudos than the former, the presentation of the set leaves the latter trailing some way behind. This is particularly the case regarding the liner notes by Bill Holdship, whereby the insightful and sincere first-hand accounts of the All For Nothing set are replaced by crass generalizations ("`Kiss Me on the Bus' illustrated why [unlike many of their underground peers, including hometown heroes Husker Du] The Replacements had a whole lot of female fans") and nostalgic myopia. Additionally, the ethos of this set seems to be one of accentuating the bratty, drunken image of the band rather than balancing it out against the dignity and sensitivity that underpins the songs. The two new tracks, `Message to the Boys' and `Pool & Dive' are something of a misnomer in as much as Chris Mars merely sings backing vocals (former A Perfect Circle and Westerberg-solo session man extraordinaire Josh Freese plays drums) whilst Slim Dunlap declined involvement, leaving Westerberg and Tommy Stinson the only two members of the lineup having any significant involvement. The tracks subsequently come to sound similar to his tracks for the Open Season soundtrack (2 of which also feature Stinson on bass) yet have a similar charm about them so disavow any particular disappointment at their lack of inspiration. Overall, like so many before it, it is the "product" itself and the machinations of those involved in it that undermines the brilliance of the tracks, yet bypassing the sleeve and liner notes and going straight to the songs themselves is about as satisfying an experience as you can get from a compilation album. `Go'; `Swingin' Party'; `The Ledge'; `Talent Show'; `Anywhere's Better Than Here'; `Sadly Beautiful' ?? You can't please everyone.
Kiss Me On The Bus	Customer Rating: 5 out of 5
Let's make a scene on the merry go round while we forgot to take out the trash. BRILLIANT BAND THAT NEVER GOT IT'S DUE. Love ya Paul W.
Love from Minneapolis	Customer Rating: 5 out of 5
How can anyone who lives in the muck of a society that prizes commerce, populism, media savvy, and dumbed-down entertainment above all else be surprised how little popular success or money or fame the Replacements achieved in their career? But our same American culture of mass-produced cr*p-by-committee fertilized their existence, out of which sprang this wondrous musical art, an art that is nevertheless woefully underrepresented in this single CD. Not to bleat too much, but how does Rhino justify the omission of Androgynous and Swingin' Party, which, in all of their weird, surreal, organic, raw, sloppy beauty, epitomized the immediacy that helped make Let It Be and Tim the greatest back-to-back albums by any artist in the 1980s? These songs only get better with repeated listening, unlike the Mats' pre-Let It Be punk efforts that sound like the kind of speed metal that gives skateboarding fanboys hard-ons but grows increasingly tiresome with age. It is funny to me that as their music matured and became more melodic and interesting, many of these same fanboys accused the Mats of selling out. That instinct to keep bands stuck in perpetual adolescence always drags down great music, but thankfully, Westerberg and Co. resisted, although at the unfortunate loss of a bandmate. Despite missing some vital tunes, I still give this album five stars for Rhino's good sense to include Answering Machine and Here Comes a Regular, and because it is still the Replacements, who even at their worst could puke out better music than the soulless, high-polish, overproduced dreck that wins Grammy awards. If there is any justice, the Mats will be fast-tracked into the RnR Hall, thus affording them the opportunity to give the middle finger to industry tastemakers who overlooked them in their prime.
What, yet another Mats compilation album?	Customer Rating: 3 out of 5
Yeah, Yeah, this has the Twin Tone recordings that All For Nothing did not have. Sure, that makes this a better compilation of hits (what hits?) album. However, where All For Nothing had a disc of rairities, this one hopes to entice Mats fans with two new recordings. Uhh, correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Paul released like four (at least) solo albums since leaving the Mats (one could argue that the last Mats album was a Paul solo album)? I guess, Paul's solo works are different when he attaches the Mats name to it? So, uhhh, why exactly should you buy this CD? Well, if you are a fan and already have all of their stuff, there is no reason to buy this CD. I mean, come on. Chris was so indifferent about this project that he did not even bother playing drums on the two new cuts and Bob is dead. What, did you really miss hearing Tommy's bass-playing that much? Listen to some GnR for crying out loud. LOL
A Great Best-of	Customer Rating: 5 out of 5
I'm going to keep this short and sweet: The Replacements are a "glorious footnote" in the history of rock music, a band that didn't sell enough to make an impact when they were together (at least on the superficial charts of the Eighties), but I guarentee every indie band that followed had a record or two and practiced "Can't Hardly Wait" or "Kiss Me on The Bus" to learn their instruments. So if you're wondering what all the fuss is about, pick up this disc. I owned Hootenanny for a while back in the day, but foolishly let it slip out of my hands. So when I saw this disc, I had to get it. You can't understand alternative rock without the Replacements, REM, Joy Division, and Mission of Burma. Do yourself a favor and get this, you won't regret it.

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