The Replacements - Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was? The Best of the Replacements

The Replacements
Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was? The Best of the Replacements
Sire/Reprise/Rhino
Grade: A-

The Replacements were the quintessential early and mid 80s college radio band; a band that helped define what ‘college radio’ meant and what indie rock would become. Yet, many younger folks only know the Replacements via references to contemporary bands and RIYLs. So, in pure Rhino fashion, we have this twenty-song collection to remind people how awesome the Replacements are and introduce them to a new generation; plus the band adds two new songs – “Message to the Boys” and “Pool & Dive.” With Paul Westerberg at the helm and filled out by Bob and Tommy Stinson, Chris Mars, and later Slim Dunlap, the Replacements had the unique ability to have uber-indie cred at the same time appealing to all pop rock fans. For someone like me, who grew up during the middle to end of the Replacements career the first set of the songs are a relative shock. The collection is chronologically order with songs cherry-picked from their albums and EPs. For instance, the opener “Takin a Ride” sounds closer to a Black Flag number than what the Replacements would eventually become. After a set of similarly constructed songs – “Shiftless When Idle,” “Kids Don’t Follow,” “Color Me Impressed,” “Within Your Reach” – the pop really begins to ooze forth on “I Will Dare” with its Cure-like cadence from Let It Be. After the scratchy “Answering Machine” comes the mopey “Unsatisfied” and the acoustic stretched “Here Comes a Regular,” followed by a string of winners. With the sweetly catchy “Kiss Me on the Bus” from Tim, the Replacements offer their new smoothly produced sound – and it’s grand! This is followed by the riff-driven “Bastards of Young” and the classic drunk “Left of the Dial,” both on Tim. Even with these all-star tracks, you can’t really top “Alex Chilton” as a Replacements’ pop anthem. Accompanying “Alex Chilton” here from their Please To Meet Me is the slow acoustic burner “Skyway” and the ‘other’ rocker, the thickly-produced “Can’t Hardly Wait.” “Achin’ To Be” and the tremendous “I’ll Be You” from Don’t Tell a Soul, and “Merry Go Round” from the Replacements’ last record All Shook Down round out the previously released material. With John Freese on drums, the two new songs “Message to the Boys” and “Pool & Dive” rock out in the later day Replacements’ fashion, but amazingly has the same intensity and energy as their material from twenty years ago. For those wishing to reminisce or catch up, this collection is perfect.