Among the dozen Replacements songs that I enjoy hearing (probably 8 of which follow the same heroic-yet-self-deprecating template) is “Can’t Hardly Wait”, from one of two of their albums that I like the most, Pleased to Meet Me (wanna take a stab at what the other one is?). It’s got that Booker T & the MGs riff, which I’m always a sucker for, and I like the melody and sentiments of the lyrics. Goes down easy.
A couple of days ago I heard an alternate version that I never knew existed. Bob Stinson played on it, driving the song with his customary music store test-run bravado. Just like that a different version of the same song that I’d liked by The Replacements moved to the Crap bin. And I was reminded that Bob Stinson was the deal breaker for me regarding The Replacements. There were enough other beefs I had with them that they wouldn’t have made it beyond third-rate status with me, but I might have enjoyed them more had they made more records without Stinson – and without that Slim Dunlap guy as well. I don’t think Westerberg was very creative or effective in the “giving direction” department. On either side of Pleased to Meet Me, he let his guitar store clerk guitarists just do their thing, and their thing belonged in the guitar aisle.
So this is a roundabout way of asking whether you’ve ever identified a deal breaker among a band that you otherwise might have liked well enough.
Jimbo the fat drunk idiot
First of all, and I feel a bit like that Onion guy defending Green Day, as The Stooges ceased to exist when Williamson came in The Replacements ceased when Dunplop came in. Yes both were better guitar players but…
Secondly, Morrissey might be a deal breaker. It’s hard to tell as he breaks the deal before anyone even makes the first offer.
Steven Tyler is my dealbreaker, and Rod Stewart my nomination for iconic haircut.
“Rod Stewart my nomination for iconic haircut…”
Good one!
One of Rod’s buddies, Jeff Beck, also has a pretty iconic ‘do.
Robert Plant’s golden mane is up there.
Even though I like The Replacement as nuch as you do, Mr Mod, I like Stinson. Once he left, my appreciation of the band dropped even more.
I heard “Dyslexic Heart” the other day. I always liked that song back in the day (and the movie Singles). To me, that’s the best of Paul Wetsrberg. If hhe could write 8-10 songls like that for an album, I would definitely be a fan.
My deal breaker is Robert Plant.