I’ve already mentioned the new Rhino re-issues of the 4 Twin Tone albums The Replacements made in the early-80’s. I know this. But I was listening today to Let It Be and realized that there are several noteworthy absences from the new CD that for all intents and purposes have no business not being included among the bonus material. [UPDATE :: check the comments, apparently there is good reason for them not to be included!]Of the 6 bonus songs included, 2 are alternate versions of Let It Be songs, 3 are covers (I‘d never heard “Heartbeat - It’s A Lovebeat” - and it was a welcome surprise), and there is but one previously unreleased original - “Perfectly Lethal”, which has been cleaned up nicely from the bootleg versions I'd previously heard. In hindsight these 6 songs seems to be on the slight side, especially considering the wealth of bootlegged material that has been circulating for years among fans, not to mention that the CD could hold at least 20 more minutes of music.
Noticeably absent are the Paul Westerberg originals “Who’s Gonna Take Us Alive?” and “Street Girl” - both of which would certainly be of interest to any Mats fan who has never tracked them down before. Hopefully the rumored re-issues of the post-Let It Be Sire years, scheduled for later this year, will be able to be a bit more comprehensive.
MP3 :: Who’s Gonna Take Us Alive?
MP3 :: Street Girl #1
MP3 :: Street Girl #2
(Let It Be outtakes)
----------------------------------------------------
Related: Pitchfork has a new, in-depth interview with Paul Westerberg in which he discusses lots of interesting Replacements details.
----------------------------------------------------
2 comments:
Hey James - I produced the Replacements reissues and enjoyed reading your blog and comments about them. Just wanted to tell you that both "Who's Gonna Take Us Alive" and (the correct title is actually) "Street Girl" were considered for the Let It Be reissue but not included as they were never finished and the band and I didn't think they were good enough to release as is. I think you're right, they would be of interest to lots of 'Mats fans but we have to exercise our own judgement on what to include and what not to, and the real hardcore fans can find this stuff via "the underground" if they want it. Either way, your interest in the band and the reissues is much appreciated.
Best regards,
Peter Jesperson
Wow - thanks for the feedback Peter. That makes a lot of sense and I can surely understand your not wanting to release material you and the band believe are not up to standard. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and drop a line.
You know, I always thought "Street Girl" was the proper title, but I changed them for the post last second because that's what they were tagged as from wherever I originally got them. I'll make the switch.
Best,
James
Post a Comment