http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article ... 1002274305

Exclusive: Replacements Reunite For New Songs


As tipped yesterday (March 28) on Billboard's Jaded Insider blog, Replacements members Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars have reunited to record two new songs for an upcoming retrospective, "Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?: The Best of the Replacements." Due June 13 via Rhino, the set will feature "Message to the Boys" and "Pool & Dive," the band's first new recordings in 16 years.

Session drummer Josh Freese was behind the kit for the new recordings, while Mars contributed backing vocals. The songs were written by Westerberg and were recorded at producer Ed Ackerson's Flowers studio in Minneapolis.

Westerberg told Billboard.com in 2005 that he still reflects fondly on the Replacements' early days, especially "when we were riding in the van and we ripped the seats out and would just listen to tapes and listen to Black Flag. [We would] sort of slam dance and stuff around in the back of the van and be drinking hard liquor at noon and it was just, you know, carefree times. We didn't give a damn."

Sources say the long-awaited Replacements boxed set is still in the planning stages and will not be out until 2007 at the earliest. Rhino is also working on expanded editions of the Replacements' albums, but no release date has yet been announced for those packages either.

Here is the track list for “Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?”:

"Takin a Ride"
"Shiftless When Idle"
"Kids Don't Follow"
"Color Me Impressed"
"Within Your Reach"
"I Will Dare"
"Answering Machine"
"Unsatisfied"
"Here Comes a Regular"
"Kiss Me on the Bus"
"Bastards of Young"
"Left of the Dial"
"Alex Chilton"
"Skyway"
"Can't Hardly Wait"
"Achin' To Be"
"I'll Be You"
"Merry Go Round"
"Message to the Boys"
"Pool & Dive"

All I know is there BETTER be a tour in the offing.

I almost shit myself when I saw this thread.

there's no word officially yet, but this sounds pretty one-off. i don't think they're gonna tour

Dammit!
Have they learned nothing from The Pixies? They wouldn't do that level of business, but everyone would still fetch a pretty penny.
I should be happy about them getting together, but now I'm just pissed.

I'd have to disagree. I believe they would make the bank that the Pixies made on their tour(s). Since they've disbanded their name has been namedropped quite a bit by a number of bands. Not to mention a whole new crop of hipsters who didn't see them first time out, and who would want to see them now.

I know its only 2 new songs, but I always figured them to be one of those bands that if they reformed they could start a fire. Westerberg himself is enough of a pissant to carry an RnR attitude.

Glad to hear they're at least working together. Maybe it will bear out well enough to to record a full album.

are you kidding, the pixies would be lucky to even open for the mats?

wow, if they would tour again, i'd probably try to follow them to as many places around the midwest as possible. their shows were some of the best that i've ever seen.

I think this rumour of a reunion has already been squashed. But I still hold on to a small kernel of hope.

this post is more opinion than fact. sorry dude.

the pixies have a much bigger fanbase (including a considerable number of "kids" who werent fans when the band were around) and a ton more "hits" that people know.

also opinion.

i think this is probably a bad idea...but whatever...more power to them. i would probably do it and tour all over and make some cash.

I think Yail's got it pretty much right. 'Mats had a great body of work and were an important band just like The Pixies, but actively shunned the brass ring whenever it came in their proximity.

I think they'd still do well on a headlining tour of 3K-seat theatres and such, but I doubt they'd have the pull to co-headline Coachella or anything like The Pixies did. And I say this as a Johnny-come-lately but still BIG 'Mats fan. It's just reality.

dude, i know that a majority of folks that are now in their 40s and 50s that were fans back then and who haven't been to a show in a while would get up off their derrieres en masse for something like this -- and that's a fact!

did the Replacements sell more albums in their career than the Pixies?


I think they'd be about comparable, and one can't forget that had the Pixies not reformed, there'd probably be a pretty large group of "kids" that never would've heard of them. Who's to say the same isn't possible for the 'mats?



That said, without Bob Stinson, I wouldn't want to see it.

That was actually one of the very cool things about seeing Westerberg on the Come Feel Me Tremble tour. I'm a Johnny-come-lately like swiateck, too.

nope. that there is fact missy.

and the younger kids were into the pixies before they reformed.

<----also a huge Replacements fan, just sayin' the truth here folks.

My guess is that the Pixies have sold more albums than the Mat's. The Pixies definitely have a bigger worldwide following and thus a Mat's reunion wouldn't make nearly as much money as the Pixies.

And neither should reform, unless they just need the cash. At some point you're in your own cover band.

Goddamnit. These were supposed to be out last fall.



Also, Yail is right. As someone with two teenage sisters, I'd be surprised if anyone in their highschool had a clue who the Replacements were. Whereas my sister was listening to the Pixies even before the reunion.

I'm not sure why this is, that's just how it is. It's probably a bunch of small things like 'Where Is My Mind?' being featured in Fight Club. And Nirvana. Kids still go apeshit over anything Nirvana-related. And Kurt namedropped the Pixies enough times to finally get the young kids pricking up their ears.

I wouldn't go.
I've seen them twice without Bob already.

Now, if they could ressurect the man and slap a Strat in his hands....

And, if you really wanna know what The Kids think of this, you can observe the responses in THIS THREAD

I couldn't find any info on albums sold for the Mats, but Doolittle and Surfer Rosa have each sold roughly 500,000.

No strong opinions on a reunion. I think if they can still bring it then why not?

This is really true. I don't know anybody who listens to the Replacements, but I know lots of people who listen to the Pixies even if its just the Where is my Mind song. I don't even have anything by the replacements but have lots of stuff by the pixies. Like some one mentioned earlier The Pixies relation to Nirvana is super important. Back when I was just getting into "alt" music I would just go out and buy something by everyone who Kurt name checked. That being said it was actually a really good way to discover great music, and without Kurt I would have never listened to bands like the Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Vaselines, Meat Puppets, etc.

Yeah, I'm not excited about this whatsoever. If Bob was alive, it would be one thing, but without him it's just like some kind of "Paul Westerberg and Friends" tour.

Don't know why were fightin'. Just two songs on a comp. I'm sure they won't tour.

C'mon, Chinese Democracy is coming out! And Chris Mars has painting to do.

they tried doing that with him before shows even when he was alive!