Let It Be (studio album)
by The Replacements

one of the best punk albums ever

I loved this album when it came out and still do although, I feel that it is one or two track shy of being a classic album for me but I still love it.

The previous two albums had been good but not great, this was Paul Westerberg's peak of his career although I do love a couple of his solo albums.

They were never quite punk and never quite rock but fell in that gap between the two occupied by others like R.E.M, The Wipers and the many Bob Mould fronted projects. A seriously good album

A great but inconsistent record that is let down by the filler songs which there shouldn't really be any of with how short the release is. We're Comin' Out and Black Diamond are the worst offenders in my opinion as they could be cut and I think the record would be better. Despite this, the album has two of my favourite songs of all time on here in the form of Unsatisfied and Androgynous. Both just feel so raw emotionally and just have such a power behind them that I can't help but play them over and over again. This sound they captured on these two songs and a few more is the best the group have ever sounded and if they could maintain this then this album would be phenomenal. Overall, the lack of consistency on here dampers an album that I absolutely love but the quality just isn't there to rank it any higher.

I got this due to reviews and how highly placed it is amongst members. I've had it for a few years now and listened to it multiple times. There's hints of 'The Clash' in there but as a whole it doesn't really resonate with me. I find it slightly dull. They could of done without the Kiss cover as well.

I Will Dare and Unsatisfied are one of the greatest 80s alternative rock songs I ever heard. This album overall is great, interesting fusion of hardcore punk and new wave with a bits of something fresh that was going on at a time. I also think that Answering Machine and Black Diamond are really great underrated tracks here.

This was a big step forward for the band, but definitely not the best place to start for new listeners. Their next three albums were on a major label and they are far stronger than Let It Be. I would recommend those LPs or the Don't You know compilation to see how much they changed over a short period of time.

Solid tracks here are I Will Dare, Androgynous, Unsatisfied and Sixteen Blue. The rest is either OK, incomplete sketches or throwaway songs.

Recommended.

Condensed to a 7" Single:
A-Side: I Will Dare
B-Side: Unsatisfied

From Jboy56 01/31/2022 16:34 | #280361

Supplies supplies said a Japanese critic. how very guud

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Album Rating: 78.00
(858/11)

1. "I Will Dare" - 76
2. "Favorite Thing" - 78
3. "We're Comin' Out" - 84
4. "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out" - 72
5. "Androgynous" - 91
6. "Black Diamond" - 84
7. "Unsatisfied" - 85
8. "Seen Your Video" - 71
9. "Gary's Got a Boner". - 60
10. "Sixteen Blue" - 78
11. "Answering Machine" - 79

"I Will Dare" and "Favorite Thing" is a great opening 1-2 punch. I feel like its a bit inconsistent after that. It is more inconsistent than Tim and Pleased to Meet Me, so I am surprised that it is higher ranked than those records.