Hootenanny
by The Replacements

Hootenanny is an album about figuring out who the hell you're going to be when you grow up. It is scattered and unfocused. Clearly the group was looking to experiment here, attempting to incorporate roots music into a hardcore framework. The result is a more dynamic sound on Hootenanny, but it lacks the strong set of songs that were present on the debut.

The riffs here are the highlight and would go on to influence alternative rock music for decades. The songs on the other hand are just not developed enough to be enjoying and memorable.

Also, the band notably rips off the Dragnet theme on Run It and Oh Darling! by The Beatles on Mr. Whirly. Buck Hill is an instrumental that would become the riff for Kiss Me on the Bus on their Tim LP.

Not Recommended.

Condensed to a 7" Single:
A-Side: Color Me Impressed
B-Side: Within Your Reach

From Brad1770 11/28/2018 09:58 | #225779 | TOP COMMENT

I’m not a huge Rolling Stone fan but they got it right with a 2004 article about The Replacements titled “ The Replacements: The Greatest Band That Never Was” . This is as good a summation of The Mats there is

I love The Replacements and ‘Hootenanny ‘ is one of the reasons why , this album represents a little bit of everything that The Replacements were about

You’ve got straight up punk from their early incarcerations ( “Run In” ) , sweet Indi tunes ALA ‘Tim’ ( “Colour Me Impressed “) , tracks that downright blow ( “Willpower “) , goofy ( “Take Me To The Hospital” , “Buck Hill”) , tongue-in-cheek (the Beatles inspired “Mr Whirly “) the downright inspired (“Lovelines “ taken directly from a newspaper classified section) and the obligatory WTF moment (“ Treatment Bound”)

If I was ever asked to recommend where to begin on a Replacements discovery I’d point them immediately to ‘Hootenanny ‘ it’s got a little bit of everything

Finally “Treatment Bound” perfectly sums up The Replacements and it goes like this

‘We’re gettin no place as fast as we can’
‘Label wants a hit and we don’t give a shit’

Amen to that it’s why I adore this band

From slurpdurp 12/21/2016 16:59 | #180678 | TOP COMMENT

Clearly The Replacements were just trying to make a fun record here, and they succeed. But musically it isn't strong. Its significance is that it alerted people to what would become one of the biggest alt-rock bands of the 80s.

From babyBlueSedan 02/07/2016 18:43 | #158975 | TOP COMMENT

And underwhelming album given that this is the band that made Let It Be and Tim, but still a very enjoyable listen nonetheless. It's very clearly a transition between the largely punk Sorry Ma and the more varied Let It Be, though it does lean more towards the latter. Listening to it again you can hear a lot of what was to come in songs like Within Your Reach and Buck Hill (which is almost like a demo of Seen Your Video).

This is the sound of the band pleasing themselves with very little concern of pleasing a potential audience - Color Me and Impressed and Within Your Reach - proved Paul cared, just a little. Arguments have been made as to whether this aspect is either a virtue or failing of the record. I consider myself part of the former. This is the most freewheeling indie rock record ever recorded.