In my lifetime, I called the offices of Twin/Tone records three times. Once to confirm if the stories I’d heard that the Replacements made off with the master tapes of their Twin/Tone records and thrown them into the Mississippi River (they had—kind of—it was only the copies of the master recordings and not the real thing that they nicked). The other two times was to see if the second Magnolias album, For Rent, would ever be released on compact disc. On both of those discussions—about three years between each one—I was informed “yes” but never provided with a definitive date.
Here it is, over twenty-years later, and still no hint of this Minneapolis landmark and virtually no recorded evidence that the band was on the verge of taking the Replacements’ crown of teenage ambivalence right off the top of their still-working head.
In April, Rhino reissued the Replacements’ first three albums and an EP for hometown Minneapolis label Twin Tone. They’ve since sold 22,000 copies combined in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Only 22,000 copies? Combined? That’s just sad. I realize that everybody already has multiple copies of these things (cassette, vinyl, CD…), but still. I’m surprised Rhino’s even bothering to release the second batch.
An amazing document of classic American punk rock. It’s a multi-camera video of an entire 1981 Replacements show. YouTuber THX1968 explains: “Recorded live at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 5th, 1981. The album Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash had been released on August 25th, 1981.”
I think it’s also relevant to point out that bassist Tommy Stinson would be celebrating his 15th birthday a few weeks later on October 6. I know this is a crass cliche, but I actually have underwear that is older than Tommy was in this footage…
The first round of remastered, expanded Replacements reissues will be released on April 22, 2008, according to Billboard. The albums “were prepped for reissue by Replacements manager Peter Jesperson, with involvement from the surviving band members.”
This batch covers the band’s Twin Tone releases. The next batch, due later this year, will cover their Sire catalog.
Complete bonus material track listing after the jump…
TwinTone has some classic live Replacements video from a show in September, 1981: “These clips are presented as they were recorded live… in set order and very much with the tuning that troubled the night.” Via Chromewaves.
The Magnolias – For Rent (Twin/Tone)