BETTER WITH BOB

Back in the 80's, there was a drinking game called "Bob". It was played while watching a rerun of The Bob Newhart Show. As the show had characters that frequently addressed the star by his first name when he so much as farted, somewhere a game was made up, wherein the participants would have to have a gulp of beer (or a shot) every time someone in the show said "Bob". (It was an effective game at times. In episodes where his wife Emily was dismayed at something he had done, there would be instances of "Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob,...") A word of warning: don't play any variation of the "Bob" game that includes long time Replacement fans as participants.

The Replacements live in 1981, part on of six. All six parts at Twin Tone.

The Replacements were one of those bands that you really had to see early in their existence to fully appreciate. That's because Bob Stinson was still in the band. He was the guitarist that started the band, recruited his kid brother Tommy to play bass, and buddy Chris Mars to play drums, before asking Paul Westerberg to join. This early line up is what endeared them to their faithful core. Frequently performing sloppy drunk, it wasn't unusual for their shows to turn into extended unraveling-at-the-seams mixes of originals and set-list-be-damned cover fests. They may not have been at their critic pleasing best, but they brought the party.

Things would change. They got signed by a major, and, if you ask anyone who was clued in from the beginning, this is when they lost the magic. The lost Bob Stinson. They became more restrained, and rocking out and getting shitty drunk no longer fit in the game plan. At least for three of the members. Stinson was fired, from the band he started, for a combination of two offenses. (In one instance, Westerberg had played him a softer, more melodic song, and Stinson's comment was to suggest that he save it for his solo album). Stinson went on to play in a couple other bands, before passing away at 35, not from an overdose as has been suggested, but from his body just giving up, after years of alcohol and drug abuse.

If you aren't familiar with the potency of early Replacements, it is suggested that you start with the excellent live 1981 set (video in six parts), at Twin Tone. Then you can filter through 6 live sets (170 songs), and and 25 demos, outtakes and rarities. And shake your head at the thought of Paul Westerberg endorsing a cheap signature model guitar sold through Walmart. WWBD?

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
The Replacements - Boink LP, 25 individual mp3s (and streaming), demos, outtakes, & rarities at Captains Dead
(Liner notes and cover for above at Color Me Impressed)
The Replacements - The Shit Hits the Fan, live 1984, cover heavy set, LP zip at Pop Headwound (NOTE: Scroll to bottom of post for four more live sets)
The Replacements - Four more live sets (some with mp3's) at the bottom of this post at Pop Headwound
The Replacements - Live at CBGB's 1984, 18 individual mp3s (and streaming) at Captain's Dead
(Cover for above: front, back at Color Me Impressed)
The Replacements - Shit, Shower and Shave (live), LP zip (via Box.net) at Pop Head Wound, 23 live songs, recorded in 1989, post-Bob Stinson.
Static Taxi (w/Bob Stinson) - Fafa (streaming) at Rock Town Hall
Static Taxi (w/Bob Stinson) - Max Factor (streaming) at Rock Town Hall
Watch:
The Replacements - Live in 1981, at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, 25 songs in six videos at TwinTone
The Replacements - Drunk interview from 1984 at YouTube
Read:
Color Me Impressed - Replacements fan site
Color Me Obsessed - Replacements documentary site
The Replacements at Wikipedia
Bob Stinson at Wikipedia