Tim (Iex)

by Replacements

Overview

Moving to a major label was inevitable for the Replacements: they garnered too much acclaim and attention after Let It Be to stay on Twin/Tone, especially as the label faced the same distribution problems that plagued many indies in the mid-'80s -- plus, the 'Mats' crosstown rivals, Hüsker Dü, made the leap to the big leagues, paving the way for their own hop over to Sire. The Replacements may have left Twin/Tone behind but they weren't quite ready to leave Minneapolis in the dust, choosing to record in their hometown with Tommy Erdelyi -- aka Tommy Ramone -- who gives the 'Mats a big, roomy sound without quite giving them gloss; compared to Let It Be, Tim is polished, but compared to many American underground rock records of the mid-'80s (including those by the Ramones), it's loose and kinetic. The production -- guitars that gained muscle, drums and vocals that gained reverb -- is the biggest surface difference, but there aren't just changes in how the Replacements sound; what they're playing is different too, as Paul Westerberg begins to turn into a self-aware songwriter. A large part of the charm of Let It Be was how it split almost evenly between ragged vulgarity and open-hearted rockers, with Westerberg's best songs betraying a startling, beguiling lack of affect. That's not quite the case with Tim, as Westerberg consciously writes alienation anthems: the rallying cry of "Bastards of Young" and the college radio love letter "Left of the Dial," songs written with a larger audience in mind -- not a popular audience, but a collection of misfits across the nation, who huddled around Westerberg's raw, twitchy loneliness on "Swingin Party" and "Here Comes a Regular," or the urgent and directionless "Hold My Life." These songs are Westerberg at his confessional peak, but instead of undercutting this ragged emotion or hiding it away, as he did on the Twin/Tone albums, he pairs it with the exuberance of "Kiss Me on the Bus" -- an adolescent cousin to "I Will Dare" -- and channels his smart-ass comments into the terrifically cynical rockabilly shuffle "Waitress in the Sky." All this eats up so much oxygen that there's not much air left for any of the recklessness of the Twin/Tone LPs: there's no stumbling, no throwaway jokes, with even the twin rave-ups of "Dose of Thunder" and "Lay It Down Clown" straightened out, no matter how much Bob Stinson might try to pull them apart, which is perhaps the greatest indication that the Replacements were no longer the band they were just a couple years ago. Some 'Mats fans never got over this change, but something was gained in this loss: the Replacements turned into a deeper band on Tim, one that spoke, sometimes mumbled, to the hearts of losers and outcasts who lived their lives on the fringe. If Let It Be captured the spirit of the Replacements, then Tim captured their soul. [Tim was re-released on LP in 2017.]

Product Details

Release Date:	01/17/2017
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0081227954789

Tracks

1. Hold My Life
2. I'll Buy
3. Kiss Me on the Bus
4. Dose of Thunder
5. Waitress in the Sky
6. Swingin Party
7. Bastards of Young
8. Lay It Down Clown
9. Left of the Dial
10. Little Mascara
11. Here Comes a Regular

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Replacements   Primary Artist
Alex Chilton   Vocals (Background)
Michelle Kinney   Cello
Bob Stinson   Guitar
Paul Westerberg   Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic)
Chris Mars   Drums,Drums (Snare),Vocals (Background)
Tommy Stinson   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Thomas Erdelyi   Guitar

Technical Credits

Alex Chilton   Guest Artist,Producer
Justin Perkins   Mastering Engineer,Mixing
Ted Nugent   Composer
Paul Stanley   Composer
Bob Nolan   Composer
Bob Stinson   Composer
Keith Richards   Composer
Mick Jagger   Composer
Tommy Ramone   Producer
Robert Longo   Artwork
Jack Skinner   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Monty Lee Wilkes   Recording
Steven Fjelstad   Engineer,Producer
Paul McCartney   Composer
Paul Westerberg   Composer
Jimmy Pursey   Composer
Chris Mars   Composer
Ed Stasium   Mixing
John Lennon   Composer
Peter Callander   Composer
Tommy Stinson   Mixing,Composer
Philip Broussard   Mixing
Brian Kehew   Mixing
Thomas Erdelyi   Producer
Aadam Jacobs   Recording
Dave Parsons   Composer
Debbie DeStaffan   Art Direction
Billy Murray   Composer
Bobby Nolan   Composer
Mitch Murray   Composer
Phillip Broussard Jr.   Mixing