Let It Be Review

Release Date: 1984
Label: Twin/Tone
Genres: American Underground, College Rock, Rock & Roll, Hard Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Number Of Tracks: 11
The Replacements half-heartedly tried to expand their reach on Hootenanny, and they followed through on that album's promise on Let It Be.

Sound:	9.5
Lyrics:	10
Impression:	10
Overall rating:	9.8
Users rating:	10
Comments:	6

overall: 9.7

Featured review by: Mcut202, on july 03, 2006

Sound: The Replacements are a post-punk band from the mid-west that not a lot of people know about. They were most active in the '80s and have since disbanded. This album was their first album to gain monumental critical aclaim. The name for the album came about when they decided that their album would be named after the next song that came on the radio, well you can figure out the rest. It starts off with the confidently poppy countryish song "I Will Dare." After that the songs become your stanard punk songs. But by the time we here the fifth track we know this is not any standard punk album. The soft piano ballad "Androgynous" shows us that this band could go on to produce much more than just punk rock. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics in this album are amazing. All the songs are written by singer/song writer Paul Westerberg. His lyrics could go from angry (We're Coming Out) or compassionate (Answering Machine). You never know what to expect. The lyrics fit the music just fine. Paul's voice is gravelly and slurred at times, due to the fact that he was almost always drunk, but still fits the music like a correct size shoe. // 10

Impression: This album is the best underground album from the '80s no question. Any other album from that era can not match this album. The most impressive songs in my opinion are "Answering Machine" and "I Will Dare" but almost every song is excellet. I hate nothing about this album everything is perfect. The production is raw enough for you to be able to tell this is an underground album without making you feel like you're listening to demos. If this album were stolen I would find the person who stole it beat the shit out of them and then go out and buy it again. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on july 23, 2008

Sound: The story of The Replacements is among rock and roll's great legends. Originally formed as a punk rock band in the late 70s, the band slowly made a transition toward alternative rock. The band became too big for indie label Twin/Tone following this record, and they eventually were signed to major label Sire. The band continually sabotaged their chances for mainstream success, however, whether it be performing drunk at shows where key record industry players were in the audience, throwing out the f-bomb on Saturday Night Live or making music videos that consisted only of a 3 and a half minute shot of an amp or a shoe. The end result was a band that achieved artistic success without ever achieving commercial success. Had the band started in the 1990s, things might have been different. Let It Be finds the band in a state of transition. While they had already began moving away from their punk roots on the grab bag of styles present on Hootenanny, it was here they began forging a definitive style the band had flirted with in tracks like "Color Me Impressed" and "Within Your Reach." The band still show traces of their punk roots here, with typically chaotic solos from Bob Stinson and a few silly tracks thrown in amongst the more mature numbers. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: The album starts with "I Will Dare," a plaintive love song set to a vaguely C/W backdrop. Some of singer/guitarist Paul Westerberg's best-ever word play features in the song. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck contributes a rockabilly solo in the middle. "Favorite Thing" continues in a similar vein. The section where everything but the bass drops out and Paul sings "You're my favorite thing, but I'm nothing!" is this track's best moment. "We're Comin' Out" returns to the band's punk roots. In fact, it's arguably the closest to hardcore punk the band ever got, though the lyrical matter is yet another plea for a girl to give our protagonist "one more chance to get it half right." The song features one of Bob's sloppiest ever solos (almost Greg Ginn-styled), though it's fun. Toward the end of the song, the rest of the band unexpectedly drops out as the song turns into a lounge piano number before slowly fading back in for the chaotic ending.

"Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out" is one of the two silly tracks here. If nothing else, they show that the band has a sense of humor. The song itself is a basic punker about bassist Tommy Stinson (brother of Bob Stinson) getting his tonsils out. "Androgynous" is Paul's first solo showcase on Let It Be. On this track, he contributes some rudimentary piano as a backdrop for his song about two transexuals falling in love. Despite the bizarre subject matter, the song manages to sound convincingly sincere. "Black Diamond" is a surprisingly tight cover of a KISS song, a very uncool move in 1984. The band manage to significantly improve on the original, which came off as a bit underdeveloped. Here, it's a kickass rocker that fits in perfectly. Bob flashes another great solo toward the end. "Unsatisfied" is one of the most famous tracks in The Replacements' canon. A largely acoustic number, the song's message is a heartfelt plea (presumably to a lover) delivered by Paul's powerful raspy voice. Eventually his simple question is answered by the line "Everything you dream of is right in front of you/And everything is a lie." Bob contributes some beautiful slide guitar and gentle strumming here. The song approaches a level of complexity The Replacements' music rarely reach despite the simple lyrics.

"Gary's Got a Boner" rips off Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever" to such lengths they even co-credited him for the song. It's obviously the second silly number here, but unlike "Tommy Got His Tonsils Out," it just comes off as stupid. It's the only true blight on an otherwise great album. "Sixteen Blue" tells the story of the lonely teenager who can't get a girlfriend and can't seem to get anywhere (something mostly everyone can relate to at one point or another). Though the song itself is yet another instant classic, the best moment is Bob's powerful melodic, almost lyrical solo at the tail end. The song's only shortcoming is that it fades out while the solo's still going. The true highlight of this album was wisely put at the end of the album. "Answering Machine" was recorded mostly solo by Paul (with backing vocals and maracas done by drummer Chris Mars). Paul's guitar sounds unbelievably spacey due to the unusual open A tuning. The song itself is arguably the greatest break-up song of all time, with Paul struggling with wanting to call his ex but knowing she won't pick up. The song is matched up with a truly unforgettable melody. The operator recording spliced in is also a nice touch. It wasn't until this track came on that Let It Be became something more than just an album for me. It changed my life. // 10

Impression: The band would abandon their punk roots completely for their next album Tim, which was pure college rock. Here, the band are still experimenting with new styles, but they seem surer of themselves than on Hootenanny. The end result finds an album that's capable of making you cry on one track and laugh your ass off on the next. // 10

Comments

[E_squared]

The Replacements are my favorite obscure band ever. Too bad they made so few records!

[Drifting182]

Good review. This is my favorite album of all time. Most of the time The Replacements' integration of many styles into their music was hit-and-miss, but here it was perfect. Their best album by far.

[adr11iano]

really great album, my fav. by them

[prplhazed]

one of my favorite albums ever, by one of my favorite bands ever
seeing this reminded me to put it back on, so 5 stars to you

[civildp1]

Wait, the replacements are underground and obscure? They were signed to Sire for the bulk of their output. I must have missed that demo.

Either way, this is by far my favorite of their albums.

[BrainScan]

great album, but certainly not my favorite. that goes to "Tim"