Jun 092015
 


What nerve of Paul Westerberg to announce that The Replacements are breaking up again! Really? That money grab of a “reunion” tour with 2 actual members of the band’s once-active recording career was fine for what it was. I hope they made some money. They added something to ’80s rock culture that ’80s rock consumers didn’t give back to them. I hope fans of the band enjoyed hearing those songs performed live again. I hope a bit of their youth was rekindled as they watched Paul and Tommy Stinson shamble about like they were a little too cool to care. However, ceasing to carry on as a greatest hits act is not the same as breaking up. Is it?

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Oct 162013
 

hof2014

Please list this year’s nominees for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the order in which you think they should be included. If you don’t have the patience or interest in listing them all, please just list the top 5.

And the nominees are…

Nirvana, Kiss, the Replacements, Hall and Oates, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, LL Cool J, N.W.A., Link Wray, the Meters, Linda Ronstadt, Cat Stevens, Yes, and the Zombies.

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Jan 062011
 

Will Your Mystery Date Be a Dream or a Dud?

Yep, Bob Stinson actually lent his bizarre, energetic, sloppy, interestingly failed hard rock chops to another band following The Replacements. Static Taxi, a local Minneapolis band led by Ray Reigsted, recorded 2 albums’ worth of material in the late 1980s-very early 1990, prior to Stinson’s death in 1995. I forgot Stinson lived that long! The title of the Mystery Date song was “FAFA.” Here’s a more tuneful one, “Max Factor,” also from the band’s second posthumous album, Closer 2 Normal. In some ways, I can better enjoy Stinson’s playing in this band. There’s less for him to step over; more for him to “make interesting.”

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Static-Taxi_01_Max-Factor.mp3|titles=Static Taxi, “Max Factor”]
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Sep 302010
 


The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees have been announced.

And the nominees are: Beastie Boys, Chic, LL Cool J, the J. Geils Band, Darlene Love, Laura Nyro, Donna Summer, Joe Tex, Chuck Willis, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Neil Diamond, Donovan, Dr. John, and Tom Waits.

Perhaps I’m still holding a grudge against Bon Jovi for his lunkheaded comments about The Replacements (“Last Great band of the decade? I don’t even know who they are.”) in the late ’80s, but really, the fact that he and Tom Waits might be sharing the same honor on the same night for their contributions is ridiculous. (Jon, if you’re reading this, Tom Waits is the guy who wrote that song “Downtown Train,” which Rod Stewart ended up butchering.)
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