When Titanic Love Affair was mercilessly criticized for sounding like a knock off version of The Replacements (often referenced as The Mats by critics and fans), it's more than likely that they were already comfortable with The Mats being such a heavy influence on their sound. After all, they got Chris Mars, original drummer for The Replacements, to do their debut's liner notes.
The Replacements saw themselves as the band that you turned to in case the originally scheduled act failed to show. Before that, they went by The Impendiments, a name adopting the "The ______" format inspired from their discovery of the British punk scene. Dogbreath, however, was the moniker that the band began to form under. The core starts with the Stinson brothers and Chris Mars. They formed Dogbreath in 1979 with the elder Bob Stinson on lead guitar, Chris Mars on drums, and Tommy Stinson on bass (at the ripe age of 12). Paul Westerberg, the band's eventual frontman, rhythm guitarist, producer, and primary songwriter, met the unfocused trio when he overheard them jamming in the Stinson's garage. He befriended the band and eventually sought out the vocalist position which at the time was already filled. This didn't stop Westerberg, however, as he convinced the then-vocalist, that none of the other band members liked him and were aiming to fire him. The singer quit soon after, and Westerberg filled the vacancy. With him, he brought professionalism and an untapped knack for songwriting.
The acquisition of Westerberg was the band's first stroke of luck. A connection with Peter Jesperson was the other. Jesperson ran the local record store and founded an independent record label Twin/Tone Records. He was more than impressed with the band's demo; he believed the band were surefire hits and had an unnatural enthusiasm in getting the quartet recorded. They signed with Twin/Tone in the winter of 1980, and Westerberg went to work immediately on writing material. They soon found themselves in the recording studio laying down the tracks for their debut album. The recording process took its time as they couldn't afford successive weeks in the studio, and even with it finished after six weeks, it took time for Twin/Tone to afford its release.
Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash saw release in August of 1981, preempted by one single "I'm in Trouble". Though the album is filled with an epic-seeming 18 songs, the rare song clocks in at over two minutes so the album is over within forty minutes of pressing play. Sorry Ma captures youthful frustration and raw inability. The Mats's energy is modeled after the anarchy of English punk groups but produce a sound a bit more fun and real aided by the band's own self-awareness. They relish in their trite impulsiveness and their inability to play their instruments properly. At this point, they have no more aspirations than simply having fun together and being in a rock band.
Here is the discography surrounding The Replacements's debut album:
1980 Demo (1980 demos)
1980-12-06 Minneapolis. MN (1980 live bootleg)
I'm in Trouble (1981 single)
Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash
Incident on 7th Street Main (1981 live bootleg)
"Johnny's Gonna Die", "Kick Your Door Down". and "Dope Smokin' Moron" by The Replacements live at 7th Street Entry on September 5th, 1981
"If Only You Were Lonely" by The Replacements
If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.
Pass the Headphones!!
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