Congrats...for once, I'm speechless.

"Answering Machine" is one of my fave Mats songs. I saw 'em do it live when Bob was still in the band and it started out like the version on "Let It Be" - just Paul and his guitar - and then the band kicked in after the first chorus and it's STILL one of the best concert moments I've ever witnessed.

And I know every uber-sensitive Pet Sounds idolater in the white belt nation hates "Gary's Got A Boner", but that thing is a perfect Mats song: juvenile and anarchic.

Good god, your recent blunderbuss stereotyping is a far cry from your once incisive criticism. Quick, make a latte joke.

Strangely, aside from its juvenile subject matter, is probably my 2nd fave on that album.

And Haq, its like shooting fish in a barrel with you.

i'm listening to "tim" for the second time.
it's my 2nd album of theirs, the first being the one with "alex chilton"
"alex chilton" being the only song on that album to grab me.

I didn't know that song was so hated. That's one of my favorite songs to put on the jukebox at the bar.

See, you I would expect to fall back on cliches. Radcliffe used to be different. <sniff>

Its funny because your over-reliance on "not being cliched" is what pushes you so strongly into the cardigan and soy latte crowd to begin with.

I think Gary's Got a Boner and Answering Machine probably have their place but hearing them for the first time now probably has a different effect. I don't skip the songs but overall, I think they are weak tracks on an otherwise strong album.

I can totally see Gary's Got a Boner being a great bar song.

JESUS. Not even "Valentine"?

i didn't listen to it that many times.
i always forget i have it.

So what you're saying is I've made my OK Computer and now I'm coasting on a sea of hackneyed cliches and self-inflicted despair?

answering machine is awesome. seeing it live would have been awesomer.

What I'm saying is that the uncle has become the disciple. And not even the first - you've stepped in line behind monty.

That's a whole lot better than being in front of him. Jesus, when did I sit in icing?

Oh, my.
on a glazed donut, even.

I think herein lies the difference between being around when the band was in their heyday, actually experiencing the whole package & just listening to the records years later.

The whole deal behind the band was that they'd get you laughing with something like "Gary" then - POW - drop yer jaw with something like "Answering Machine". Or live...going from one of their own songs to various crappy cover tunes.

It all just depends on where your existence falls in the timeline.

Love when Tommy sings "If I Only Had a Brain".

I have figured it out. At once why so many people love them yet I don't, really.

All these songs sound like they are playing in an empty bar. Not the recordings. The songs. They sound like music from the jukebox of an empty, dark bar at around 7 in the evening in the summer.

Its still light out, but when you walk in, you wouldn't know the time.

Its pre party music...arriving early, not staying late.

You might have something here. I'm definitely feeling the vibe.

After my listen of the best of only, my initial reaction is, "meh".

I am now ready to be crucified.

having not had the band click with me yet, i agree that the production is a hurdle for me. it doesn't seem to fit the band or the songs.

np: The Replacements, More Songs about Buildings and Bob [Live from 1980-something or other]

Tracklist:
01 Take Me To The Hospital [3:26]
02 Color Me Impressed [0:56]
03 Heartbreak Hotel [0:39]
04 Draw The Line [2:13]
05 Stairway To Bob [1:25]
06 Bobdamn Bob [1:18]
07 Help Me Bob [2:34]
08 Little GTBob [1:56]
09 Freebob [0:23]
10 Bob Night Special [1:33]
11 Can't Get A Bob [0:35]
12 God Save The Bob [0:29]
13 Bob Beat Is A Love Beat [0:16]
14 Metal Health [0:50]
15 ??? [3:01]
16 Cherokee People [3:02]
17 California Sun [5:36]
19 Hitchin' A Ride [2:56]
20 Blue Suede Bob [1:04]
21 Jailhouse Bob [0:57]
22 Hootenanny [1:43]
23 Paul's List [0:38]
24 Bill's Got Some Boots [0:59]
25 The Moon Shines On Loreena [2:37]
26 Can't Hardly Wait (almost) [0:45]
27 ??? [1:36]
28 Can't Hardly Wait [3:31]
29 Lovelines [2:51]
30 ??? [3:15]
31 Nobody Knows But Me [1:47]
32 Gary's Got A Boner [2:21]
33 Train Kept A Rollin' [2:07]
34 Last Train To Clarksville [1:49]
35 Hey Good Lookin' [1:58]
36 The Replacements vs The Audience [1:04]
37 The Crusher [2:55]
38 Goin' Out Of My Head [1:10]
39 When You Were Mine [2:02]
40 Johnny's Gonna Die [3:50]

I first saw them when I was 35... 1985. Maybe I liked them because they made me feel like a 17 year old. Nah, fuck that... I was real unhappy at 17.

I had the honor of seeing the drummer pass out and throw up on stage... roadie dragged him off and came back to play the drums. Paul didn't even notice. I have a friend who is obssessed with them/Paul... has picture of him all over her house, taught her kids all of his songs... wrote Paul a letter and took her two kids backstage to meet him when he was at the Troubadour last year. Personally, I've given up on his solo career.

Tim - Let it Be - Pleased to Meet Me... interchangeably their best. My favorite songs are Kiss Me On The Bus, Swingin' Party, and Alex Chilton.

It's indicative that the 'Mats is a band that there are a lot more comments about who sounds like them, than who they sound like.