For the 2000 Keanu Reeves movie, see The Replacements (film).
The Replacements (also known as The 'Mats or The Mats, from "The Placemats" - an insult from a detractor who joked the band's name as 'The Placemats', which the band then took and made for themselves) were a seminal alternative rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They began as a punk rock outfit, along with other hometown heroes Hüsker Dü, but they gradually shifted to a more mainstream, blues-influenced rock style. Loud and exuberant, the band featured guitarist and vocalist Paul Westerberg, guitarist Bob Stinson, bassist Tommy Stinson, and drummer Chris Mars. Bassist Tommy Stinson was just 12 years old when the band first formed.
The band first formed in 1979 as a punk rock group. This punk sound is very apparent on their first album, 1981's Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash. Their fast three chord songs, with lyric subjects ranging from anything from drinking and driving to a love song about the cashier at a convenience store, dominated most of the band's setlists for a few years. However, singer/songwriter Paul Westerberg may have been showing a hint of something to come with the B-side to the "I'm in Trouble" single, titled "If Only You Were Lonely". It was just Westerberg on acoustic, pouring out a soulful ballad that sounded more like a Merle Haggard song than it did the Replacements. Their first album was quickly followed by their first and only EP, 1982's Stink. This EP followed in same style as their first album. After this the band started to turn to other styles of rock, apparent on their second album, 1983's Hootenanny.
The band was famous, or infamous, for their rowdy, drunken shows. It was not uncommon for them to play entire sets of covers, ranging anywhere from Bryan Adams' "Summer of 69" to Lesley Gore's "Look of Love". When they played CBGB, the legendary New York City club, there was a classic moment of Westerberg wit when they played a sloppy rendition of The Beatles's universally recognized "Let It Be", but with Westerberg singing the lyrics to his very own "Fuck School". The band decided that they couldn't be the best band that ever played at the legendary venue, but they could be the worst band that ever played there.
