[Sorry Ma!] -- This week, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Replacements' beautifully messy 1981 debut, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash. If you are not familiar with The Replacements, here's the intro for a previous flashback that served as a brief retrospective of their 12+ year career (over on Prophet or Madman):
The Replacements formed in Minneapolis in the late 70s. According to drummer Chris Mars, the band's name reflected their sense of a secondary status: "Like maybe the main act doesn't show, and instead the crowd has to settle for an earful of us dirtbags" [Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life. 2001. p. 199]. They were never commercially successful, but they did receive critical accolades and have been cited as a major influence for many bands.The Replacements (or, simply, The 'Mats to their fans) are probably my favorite of what I call the "sloppy" American rock & roll bands. Their sound was informed by a combination of the arena blues-rock of their collective youth and the post-punk that was in vogue when they took up their own instruments. Now, they never achieved a high level of proficiency as musicians during their time together, but they did evolve from garden variety garage band to a genuinely tight if oft-times shabby outfit. Their songs touched upon the pains of growing up, hating your job, and relationship issues, and they did so in their own loud but tuneful manner.
And they released their debut 40 years ago this week. With only one track exceeding three minutes, they were able to pack a total of 18 tracks onto this record. The lone single was "I'm In Trouble," released on August 7, 1981. An outtake track, "If Only You Were Lonely," was the B-Side; it was included as one of the 13 bonus tracks on the 2008 reissue. "I Hate Music" is the only song on this record to receive the music video treatment, and then only recently as something of an advert for RHINO's 40th anniversary deluxe edition of Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash. The new video, even as part of an obvious (obnoxious?) cash grab, does nothing to diminish my love for "I Hate Music." My other fave tracks include "Shiftless When Idle," "Shutup," "Something to Dü," "I Bought a Headache," and "Careless." Feel free to mention your faves in the comments ... after you reacquaint yourself with this hardcore classic. This post's embedded YouTube playlist has all the tracks included on the 1981 release.
Flashback: Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (1981)
That's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.
I'll see you in seven!
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