MALLINation » The Replacements

Music: This Week’s New Releases

Noah Mallin — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:37:00 +0000

Though it seems like only a few years ago that The Replacement’s early output on Twin/Tone was remastered, their old catalog is now in the hands of Rhino and gets the deluxe re-issue treatment this week. Anyone without a copy of the magnificent Let It Be (1984) ought to crawl down to their local record store (if one still exists) and cough up. Even better, all the albums (Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out The Trash the 1981 debut which rocks Johnny Thunders-style, the follow-up EP Stink which shifts to a more hardcore sound, 1983′s messy but beloved Hootenanny and the aforementioned masterpiece Let It Be) contain rare bonus tracks. Even better news is that this treatment will be accorded to their Sire albums as well later this year. Could the Alex Chilton produced demos for Tim finally see the light of day? Here’s the classic video for “Bastards of Young” (not in this batch of re-issues) which aptly summed up the band’s attitude about fancy-schmancy MTV in the mid-80s:

Former Rocket From The Crypt-ster John Reis (aka Speedo) brings along some of his Hot Snakes buddies under new guise The Night Marchers and their album See You in Magic. Here they are doing “Whose Lady R U?” live:

TV’s Flight of The Conchords release their first full-length on Sub Pop. The album, pithily titled Flight of The Conchords features a number of the New Zealanders best known songs as seen on HBO. Here’s “Inner-City Pressure”:

Music News: Rock and Roll Hall of Lame

Noah Mallin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:05:00 +0000

The Shangri-Las: Still waiting for their induction…

The Rock Hall is set to vote on the next round of inductions and it’s a very mixed bag, (the notes in parenthesis are my personal preferences):

Madonna (yes, she is that influential even if she is not “rock’ per se)
The Beastie Boys (yes but not before Run-D.M.C. )
John Mellencamp (no, a handful of good songs should not make for a Hall of Famer)
Leonard Cohen (yes, one of the great American songwriters)
Afrika Bambaataa (yes, a rap and electro pioneer)
Chic (yes, one of the greatest and most influential disco acts)
the Ventures (no, too tied to the surf genre)
Donna Summer (no, not without Giorgio Moroder)
Dave Clark Five (no, second string British invasioneers)

Five of these lucky acts will be inducted March 10, 2008, at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Who could be here in their stead? The Replacements, Black Flag, Television, Cheap Trick, The Shangri-Las, The Chi-Lites, Joy Division, Jontahan Richman and countless deserving others…

Music: Laurie Lindeen Where Have you Been?

Noah Mallin — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:57:00 +0000

For us fans of long defunct early 90′s distaff Minneapolis alt-rock band ZuZu’s Petals, the AP and CNN have an update on bandleader Laurie Lindeen. Turns out she’s married to none other than ex-Replacements head honcho Paul Westerberg! Who knew? Not I… Here’s the story, mostly about her life and new book, and the scoop that a ZuZu’s Petals best of is on the way (oh and Paul has quit drinking…again). See the story here.