Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash

The Replacements: Paul Westerberg (vocals, guitar); Bob Stinson (guitar); Tommy Stinson (bass); Chris Mars (drums). Producers: Steve Fjelstad, Paul Westerberg, Peter Jesperson. Recorded at Blackberry Way, Minneapolis, Minnesota. All tracks have been digitally remastered. In the early '80s The Replacements burst onto the Minneapolis punk scene like drunken anarchists inviting themselves to a formal dinner party and smashing all the furniture. Their debut album, SORRY MA, FORGOT TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH approximates this entrance's noisy bombast. Like their cohorts Husker Du, the Replacements were molded in the crucible of hardcore punk rock, and the tenor of SORRY MA... is hard, fast, loud, and relentless. True to form, the Replacement's burn through these slices of adrenaline-fueled confrontation with their pile-driving rhythm section, Bob Stinson's wailing leads and Paul Westerberg's raw-throated, banshee vocals all sounding on the verge of imminent disintegration. Cuts such as "Rattlesnake" are pure crash and burn, but the key change of "Otto," the mellow swing of "Johnny's Gonna Die," and the white-knuckle melodicism of "Careless" hint at Westerberg's talent at cobbling songs. Fans of latter-day Replacements might be somewhat disconcerted by the in-your-face, falling-down-the-stairs aesthetic, but veterans of the Midwest's punk heyday should feel right at home here.