AMBFAD Book Club

'The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting: An Oral History'

I don't know if it's come across via this blog or not, but if and when i'm posed w/ the question of who i'd consider the greatest American rock'n'roll band to ever stumble across God's green earth...it's an extremely easy question for me to answer. Minneapolis's favorite sons (of no one), The Replacements, are by far my musical (anti) heroes and changed the way I both looked at and listened to music.

Legendary in a way that could never be pre-fabricated and/or manufactured...more infamous than famous...the 'Mats are remembered for both how amazing and how amazingly bad they could be both live and on record. Their amazing catalog of music and self-destructive behavior as both band/individual equally created a near-mythical status and cult-like following that still haunts the surviving members/alumni of the band to this day.

The band was soooo ahead of it's time and the droves of artists that reaped the dividends from their influence during the early 90's alt-rock boom would have almost been sad, if not that it was seemingly the band's mission that they never reach industry-success. I remember back in the late 90's driving w/ a co-worker much younger than I and after a half hour of being subjected to their recently 'greatest hits collection' he turned to me and said: 'wow. this is amazing...how is it these guys were never huge?'

Until this book's release, that was a question that could only be answered w/ a few hours of free time and cocktails of equal amount. Minneapolis rock critic and former Westerberg co-conspirator, Jim Walsh, does an admirable job of weaving modern-day personal and recorded accounts of the band's infamous history into book format. Confirming and (in some cases) debunking the lore that has been spun from those who were there and those who wanted to be there during their 12-year ride.

Not only does 'All Over but the Shouting' encapsulate all of those great stories into one place, but it serves as a huge love-letter illustrating how much this band meant and continues to mean to people. While I don't usually like 'oral histories' and the book would have been more interesting w/ Paul and Tommy's participation...it's still a great read for fans of the 'Mats and music alike. It was supposed to be released on 15-Nov, but found it's way to my local Border's last week.

In honor of this book that has been a long time coming, please enjoy my favorite 'Mats song of all time in the sample area. 'I'm in love...w/ that song.'