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Punk can never really be “dead”. Not with bands like The Replacements to remind you how amazing the genre can be. These humble Minnesotan musicians reinvented the punk rock wheel in ’79, and are considered the pioneers of alternative rock music itself; they were the first to master bridging the gap between punk and a more melodic, more alternative genre of music dubbed “college rock“.
The members of The Replacements got together in the very tail end of the 1970′s when a young fellow named Peter Westerberg joined a garage band formed by guitarist and bassist brother duo, Bob and Tommy Stinson, and drumming machine Chris Mars. They had originally named the band “The Impediments,” but changed it when they got banned from a local club for causing a ruckus with their disorderly behavior. Jim Walsh, music journalist and author of The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting: An Oral History, described them best when he said that the band was “a notorious rock ’n’ roll circus, renowned for self-sabotage, cartoon shtick, stubborn contrarianism, stage-fright, Dionysian benders, heart-on-sleeve songwriting, and—ultimately—critical and popular acclaim. While rock then and now is lousy with superficial stars and glossy entertainment, the Replacements were as “real” as it got.”
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Despite their rowdiness, the band got signed by Minneapolis label Twin/Tone after gaining a significant following locally. A couple hardcore punk albums and EP’s later, they started changing their sound, aiming for a slightly more pop-and-rock-influenced dynamic. With 1983′s release of Hootenanny, the group began to take off, paving the way for their following album, Let It Be, to be an even bigger success; they were now a full-fledged rock ‘n’ roll band, and the buzz was so great that Sire Records, a part of Warner Music Group, signed them the following year.
Their first major album release in 1985, Tim, prepped them for a real breakthrough in the industry, but they were very unsettled about becoming “mainstream,” which hurt their chances of becoming fully recognized. The Replacements had landed a spot on Saturday Night Live, but everyone in the band was absurdly drunk throughout their performances, and Westerberg threw around the F-bomb on air (not a wise move).
Drug and alcohol use (and abuse) was a big part of the group for a couple of years, until they cleaned up in the late 80′s around the release of their 6th album, Don’t Tell A Soul; their last chance to hook a truly mainstream audience. Initially things looked good as their first single off the record, ”I’ll Be You,” became a number one album rock track, crossing over to number 51 on the pop charts. Unfortunately, the album as a whole belly-flopped, and after one final album release, the band called it quits and broke up in 1991.
Though The Replacements never achieved true commercial success, they remain one of the main influencers and innovators of alternative and indie rock music as we know it, and that’s quite a bit to be grateful for.