I’m identifying the best three albums by my fifty favorite rock bands of all time. This blog is for #8 – The Replacements, a band many of you have probably never heard of.

Criteria for selecting the best three albums

First, greatest hits albums are not permitted. Second – no live albums. I will note that this band has recently released a lot of live music. Third I will include an honorable mention or two for the top 25 bands. This band only released seven Studio albums. It is doubtful you’ll see more than one honorable mention.

Replacements albums ranked by ChatGPT

Let’s look at what artificial intelligence has to say about this list. According to ChatGPT below are the top five Replacement albums based on sales and critical acclaim.

1. Let It Be (1984): Often regarded as a masterpiece, It blends punk energy with melodic pop, and the album’s tracks showcase the band’s diverse talents.
2. Tim (1985): Released on a major label (Sire), “Tim” found a larger audience, and songs like “Bastards of Young” became college radio staples.
3. Pleased to Meet Me (1987): Following the departure of original guitarist Bob Stinson, The Replacements released this album, which includes fan favorites like “Alex Chilton.” It’s also highly regarded by critics.
4. Don’t Tell a Soul (1989): This album was one of the band’s more commercially successful releases, partly because of the single “I’ll Be You.” However, some critics and fans feel that its polished production took away from the band’s raw edge.
5. All Shook Down (1990): This album leaned more towards Paul Westerberg’s evolving songwriting style and was closer to alternative rock than their earlier punk-infused work.

Good list – the top four are what I expected to see. All Shook Down shows up at number five. Many fans do not really consider this to be a Replacements album as much as a Paul Westerberg project. I agree. I don’t think the whole band was behind that album.

Popular releases for this band

Let’s look at some Spotify data. According to that streaming platform below are the five most popular albums and a single by The Replacements. The single is a recent remix of “Left of the Dial”, an excellent song, and the four albums match the ChatGPT list. I will make a comment about this band. It seems like over the last few years they’ve tried to leverage their catalog and make money by re-releasing their albums. Such a contrast with what their attitude was like back in the day. They were young punks. They didn’t do videos and they were banned from Saturday Night Live for showing up too drunk to play. I think they realized they squandered a great opportunity. They simply couldn’t get their act together.

The third-best album by this band is Don’t Tell a Soul

The third-best album by The Replacements is called Don’t Tell a Soul. If you’ve heard of this band it is most likely because of this album and the song “I’ll Be You” which was a hit back in the day. It also includes “Achin to Be” and several other good songs. Replacements hardcore fans hated this album. They said the band became too popular and that album was overproduced. What a load of crap. I prefer a well-produced album by a band to listen to one that sounds as if they recorded it in their basement.

The second-best album by INXS

The second-best album by The Replacements is called Pleased to Meet Me. I wish more people knew about this album – it is so good. It includes the song “Alex Chilton” dedicated to their rock hero as well as my favorite Replacement’s song “Can Hardly Wait”.

Honorable mention albums for this band

The honorable mention album for The Replacements is called Let It Be. Some of their fans and rock critics consider it to be their best record. I do not agree. I think this album does show the first signs of greatness to come. It has several great songs such as “I Will Dare”, “Unsatisfied” and “Answering Machine”.

The best album by The Replacements

The best album by The Replacements is called Tim. This is the record that got me hooked on this band with songs like “Kiss Me on the Bus” and “Bastards of Young”. The band used an unusual approach to closing out this album with three killer tracks: “Left of the Dial”, “Little Mascara”, and the acoustic classic “Here Comes a Regular”. If you’ve never heard of this band this is the best album to start.

There you have it – the three best Replacement albums. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

I am Doug Keating and this is my letter to my sons.