1985_04 The Daily Collegian April 1985

              4 The Daily Collegian
News
Review
April 19,1985 5
Replacements hit hard on vinyl
Some record* hit me hard, then lose
their impact after repeated listenings.
Then there are other record, that take
awhile to kick in. but when they do, it's
like being socked in the head.
I wasnt too sure about the Replace¬
ments' third album, Let It Be, at first, but
suddenly, 1 realized that it was becoming
almost an obsession with me. There is as
much diversity, humor and just plain rock
'n roll fun on Lel II Be than on any record
I've heard since The Clash. London
Calling.
The Repalcements' secret is lead singer
and guitarist Paul Westerberg's sense of
melody. Every'song on this record from
hardcore thrash to piano ballad is inten¬
sely hummable.
In fact, the lead-off track, "/ Will Dare
should have been a hit single, and probably
would have been considered a pop classic,
except for so-called "Rock" Radio, ig¬
norant refusal to play any new material
that doesnt have a video attached. (All
that means is that the vast majority of
people will never get to hear a song that
they would probably enjoy.)
The Replacements address this issue
with "Seen Your Video:" "Seen your
video/Your phony Rock and Roll/We
dont wanna know."
It's this refusal to play the game that
fuels The Replacements, but will at the
same time keep them from being wildly
popular. Consider "androgynous," feat-
uringjust Paul, at his piano, singingabout
a love affair between Dick and Jane,
completely normal except that Dick is
wearing a skirt and Jane is sporting a
Then consider a totally straight cover of
the "classic" Kiss song "Black Diamond."
Now consider these two songs back-to-
back. It doesnt make any sense, but it
works. Way eclectic.
Let It Be's second side opens with the
beautiful 12-string guitar intro to the
antbemic "Unsatisfied," which is a rewrite
of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction."
While not as musically compelling as that
classic, the song is strong and clear and
certainly gets there. And while Mick
mentions specific incidents that frus¬
trated him, Paul Westerberg is pissed at
everything.
This comes out so emphatically in his
singing that it's as equally stirring to sing
along with the real emotion in Paul's voice
when he goes, "I'm so, I'm so, unsatis-
fied,"as it was/is to shout out "I'dont get
And Paul Westerberg's singing is the
intangible that puts thii album across.
Despite being loaded with killer melodies,
Paul's rough, rough vocals ensure that the
songs never get wimpy. Again, much like
The Clash or Rolling Stones. And while
hell never be .able to sing like those
demigods in "U.S.A. for Africa," he
C0^FT.*cro" « • more powerful and
expressive vocalist than any of them (Bob,
Bruce, Stevie and Ray excepted, of
Everything comes together — the
melody, the noise, the lyrics, the singing
— on the totally amazing "Answering
Machine." The closest 1 can come to
describing this is, "An electric folk love
ballad for the 80s."
It a anchored by just Paul's electric
guitar, which lazily floats above the song,
echoing the words: "Tried to breathe some
i letter/ Losing hope, never be
together/ My courage is at iu peak, do youiff
know what I mean?/ How do you say 'or
to an answering machiner jr
He can tell her anything he wants to, of
course, but leaving it on tape is far too
impersonal for what he has to say — ok,
I'm lonely, I miss you. Suddenly he's
haunted by the phone company's own
recorded messages: "If you need help,
please hang up and try again." Con¬
fronted by the futility of his situation,
Westerberg comes up with the only
message possible: "I hate your answering
machine."
And as Paul's message becomes buried
under a hailstorm of percussion, that
amazing guitar, and the phone lady re¬
peating "If you need help, if you need
help, if you need..."
I'm tempted to see the song as not just
about a specific incident, but as a huge
metaphor for all screwed-up communica¬
tion everywhere. I'm probably wrong, of
coursci but the song is that incredible.
Overall, Let It Be shows off a band of
playing in many different styles, albeit
sloppily. More importantly, it highlights
Westerberg* very real song—riting tal-
With his eye for wit and detail, and his
ear for a hook, Westerberg could become
one of our major songwriters in a very
short period of time. But even though tbe
Replacements have signed with Sire Re¬
cords and now have Warner Bros, records'
promotion* staff behind them, I doubt
that they will be big, even if they break
down and make a video. There are just too
many contradictions inherent in this band.
Ironicallly, it's these contradictions that
make them great. Dare. Check out Let II
Be.
The Replacements will appear al the
Wamor's Star Place tonight at 9 p.m.
Opening will be Wounded.
Wounded snap back on EP
By MIchMl S. B_n_«tt
Contributing Writer
The key aspect of Ufe Down Here is
summed up in the opening lines of the first
song, "Shout,"a tight, beat
"It's not hard to understand
I'm just like a rabberband..."
Despite several flaws in both the quality
of the material, and the quality of its exe¬
cution, this record snaps right back into
place, kind of like, well, a nibberband
Kind of.
On their debut five-song ep, The Woun¬
ded, a Fresno-based quartet featuring Lee
Pereira on lead guitar and backing vocals,
Drew on lead vocals and guitar, bassist
Mike Russell, and drummer Doug Tan-
aka, the group comes across as a talented
foursome whose greatest and most imme¬
diate need is a forceful producer to diver¬
sify the band's music, and add somes sub¬
stance to the group's material.
Let there be no mistake; a strong, iden¬
tifiable sound, one which fans can quickly
recognize, is a plus for any band, espe¬
cially an up-and-comer like The Wounded.
That "sound" gives newly recruited fans
something to hold onto, something to
remember after the show is over.
H owever, one thing that must be avoided
at all costs is attaching such a sameness to
all of the songs so as to prevent any true
emotion from coming through. In this
regard, Life Down Here is only margi¬
nally successful. The production, for a
first time effort, is crisp, clean, and unclut¬
tered. The playing, especially that of guit¬
arist Lee Pereira, is strong and for the
most part, imaginative. All too often
though, Tanaka's drums are reduced to
- nothing more than a lifeless drone, con¬
tinuing in the same patterns over and
over. And bassist Russell seems content to
stay in the shadows, refusing to establish
himself as a force to be reckoned with, and
allowing himself to be shuffled out of the
mix almost completely.
Those negatives aside, there are several
bright spots which warrant attention, in
addition to those already mentioned. Lead
vocalist Drew (who, along with Lance
Kincade, co-produced tbe set), sings with
conviction. Occasionally he stretches his
limits a bit too far, as on "Fistful of
Change," but for the most part he proves
himself a capable singer.
At this point, it is too early to tell
whether or not the Wounded will be able
to overcome their principle weaknesses
and fulfill some or all of the considerable
potential they display on Ufe Down Here.
As the title of the final song sutes, "Time's
gonna find you out..."
VINTAGE DAYS
April 26 in the Amphitheatre
Gates Open at 6pm
Show starts at 8pm
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE
AT THE COLLEGE UNION
INFORMATION DESK
$3.50 Advance Students
$5.50 Day of Show
WHEREHOUSE