Paul Westerberg "Mono" (2002)

Unfortunately, that cover photo is probably the rowdiest thing on this album.  Now many years removed from his heyday in The Replacements, this is a solid if not fiery release.  Westerberg is struggling to followup the high points of his earlier career.  When your reputation is built on sloppy energetic rock music, how does a middle aged man continue in that vein?  The musicians who have seemed to stay relevant tend to be more musically exploratory.  The audience is unable to compare the newer with the older material simply because they are too different.

Unfortunately, Westerberg tries to stay with the tried & true.  Without the energy or the sloppiness of his earlier work, Mono seems to be a footnote at best.  While it's not bad, there's just no reason to listen to it when you already have the older material.

The Replacements "Let It Be" (1984)

This is one of the short list albums that were the soundtrack to my college years.  I can't remember who bought the album first, & I suppose that doesn't really matter.  What I do remember is how various friends and roommates fell in love with the album.  About the time anyone would get sick of it, someone else would seem to discover it for the first time.  So this one got a LOT of plays.

In so many ways it still sounds like a perfect soundtrack to that time.  Brash stupid songs ("Gary's Got a Boner"), semi ironic references to our childhood (the KISS cover), doses of angst ("Unsatisfied").  Listened in opposition to the posturing of arena rock, or the big city artiness of post punk, it was a breath of fresh air.  Somehow the Replacements seemed like guys we would know.  And maybe you'd see this sort of sloppy rock & roll on a Friday or Saturday night at the local dive bar.