Permanent Records: Hootenanny

Not my favorite Replacements album (probably fifth or sixth), but it does have one of my favorite Replacements songs of all-time: "Within Your Reach." Here's what The AV Club has to say:

A disarming, deceptively loose record, Hootenanny sounds more like a rehearsal than a proper album, which is a large part of its charm. After opening with the collapsing title track—an obvious one-take wonder—Hootenanny staggers screeching hardcore punk workouts like "Run It" and "Hayday" with a handful of unexpected genre excursions like the roadhouse romp "Take Me Down To The Hospital," the moody surf instrumental "Buck Hill," the gorgeous synth-pop ballad "Within Your Reach," the improvised choogler "Lovelines," the snotty Beatles spoof "Mr. Whirly" and the boozy acoustic folk-punk anthem "Treatment Bound." Hootenanny brims with personality, and though The Replacements' real masterpieces were ahead of them, their second LP was a deck-clearer that gave Westerberg the confidence to mature. It's just too bad that he never again made an album this straight-up fun.

Comments

[Pete]

I felt Let It Be best captured the band's combination of fuck up humor and sensitive balladry. I mean it's crazy that "Answering Machine" is on the same album as "Gary's Got A Boner." Hootenanny has it's share of great songs, but it leans a little too heavily on the jokey stuff. "Within Your Reach" and a few others on the album offer a peak at what Westerburg was capable of.

[Eric]

Fifth or sixth?

[Captain]

Let it Be, Tim, Pleased to Meet Me, Stink, Sorry Ma...so yeah, for me it might be around 5th or 6th if I were to list them in order of preference. But I don't think I have a favorite album; I can listen to any of them.

The only time I saw them live was during the tour for Don't Tell a Soul. When the show started Westerberg, who I guess had been asked by the local station for an interview, came onto the stage and said: "Tell the guy from KROQ we just don't have the time." And then they just went ahead and blew everyone away.

[MC]

Let's see my favorite in order: Tim, Pleased To Meet Me, Let It Be, Don't Tell A Soul, All Shook Down...yeah fifth or sixth. Then again I like them all too, but the earlier ones are more of a novelty for me.

I saw them on The All Shook Down tour, even though they were on their way out-it was cool to see them live. I really regret missing their show in Seattle during the Pleased To Meet Me tour-that would have been really cool-The Young Fresh Fellows (one of my foavortie local bands) opened for them and they got drunk and they all shaved their eyebrows...