Pleased to Meet Me
| Pleased to Meet Me | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Studio album by The Replacements | ||||
| Released | July 1987 | |||
| Recorded | Ardent Studios, Studio B, Memphis 1986 & 1987 |
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| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 32:59 | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| Producer | Jim Dickinson | |||
| The Replacements chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | A− [2] |
| Pitchfork Media | (9.3/10.0) [3] |
| Pop Matters |   [4] |
| Punknews.org |  [5] |
| Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
Pleased to Meet Me is the fifth full-length album by The Replacements. It was released on July 7, 1987 (see 1987 in music).
The album to some degree maintains the style of the previous album, and major label debut, Tim. While the punk roots of the group were still apparent on Tim, by Pleased to Meet Me they were there more in spirit as the band delved into other genres, such as soul and cocktail jazz, alongside tracks featuring their customary hard rocking sound. Perhaps due to the album's recording in soul music center Memphis, Tennessee or the influence of producer Jim Dickinson, the band augmented its sound with saxophone on the tracks "I Don't Know" and "Nightclub Jitters" and with a horn section on "Can't Hardly Wait" (which features Big Star vocalist Alex Chilton on guitar).
The album's cover art mocks the band's transition from young punks to successful musicians with a major record deal, depicting a handshake between one person clad in a suit, starched white shirt, glitzy watch and diamond ring and the other wearing a ripped workshirt. The self-mocking tone continues on the song, "I Don't Know", with its chorus, "One foot in the door/The other one in the gutter." The color scheme of the cover art was an homage to the 1960 Elvis Presley album G.I. Blues.
This album was the only album recorded by the band as a trio. After Tim, Bob Stinson was either kicked out of the band (ostensibly for problems with drugs and alcohol, though most of the other Replacements also had serious substance abuse problems at the time) or quit on his own volition due to creative differences. Many[who?] have attributed the noticeable shift toward a more accessible American rock and roll sound on Pleased to Meet Me to Bob Stinson's departure. The band recorded the demos for this album in August 1986, while Bob Stinson was still in the band .
The singles from the album were "Can't Hardly Wait" (which was the inspiration for the title of a movie), as well as "Alex Chilton" and "The Ledge" (the video for which was banned from airplay on MTV due to its lyrical content about suicide).
The lyrics and idea for "IOU" were based on an autograph "IOU nothing" that Iggy Pop had given Westerberg backstage several years before.
The album peaked at #131 on the Billboard Music Chart's Top 200.
"Alex Chilton" is playable in the game Rock Band 2.
The album was remastered and reissued by Rhino Entertainment on September 23, 2008 with 11 additional tracks.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Paul Westerberg except as indicated.
[edit] Side one
- "I.O.U." – 2:57
- "Alex Chilton" (Westerberg, T. Stinson, C. Mars) – 3:12
- "I Don't Know" (Westerberg, T. Stinson, Mars) – 3:19
- "Nightclub Jitters" – 2:44
- "The Ledge" – 4:04
[edit] Side two
- "Never Mind" – 2:47
- "Valentine" (Westerberg, T. Stinson, Mars) – 3:31
- "Shooting Dirty Pool" (Westerberg, T. Stinson, Mars) – 2:20
- "Red Red Wine" – 2:59
- "Skyway" – 2:04
- "Can't Hardly Wait" – 3:02
[edit] 2008 CD reissue bonus tracks
- "Birthday Gal (Demo)" – 4:39
- "Valentine (Demo Version)" (Westerberg, T. Stinson, Mars) – 4:09
- "Bundle Up (Demo)" (Westerberg, T. Stinson, Mars) – 2:59
- "Photo (Demo)" – 3:46
- "Election Day" – 2:56
- "Alex Chilton (Alternate Version)" (Westerberg, T. Stinson, C. Mars) – 3:37
- "Kick It In (Demo)" – 3:33
- "Route 66" (Bobby Troup) – 2:57
- "Tossin' n' Turnin'" (R. Adams/M. Rene) – 2:20
- "Can't Hardly Wait (Alternate Version)" – 3:00
- "Cool Water" (Bob Nolan) – 3:04
- Tracks 12-15 and track 18 are studio demos.
- Tracks 16, 19, and 20 originally released as B-sides of "The Ledge".
- Tracks 17 and 21 are alternate takes.
- Track 22 was originally released as the B-side of "Can't Hardly Wait".
[edit] Personnel
- Paul Westerberg – Lead and background vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica, piano, six-string bass (on "Skyway" and "Can't Hardly Wait")
- Tommy Stinson – Bass guitar, background vocals, upright bass (on "Nightclub Jitters"), acoustic guitar and guitar fills (on "Can't Hardly Wait")
- Chris Mars – Drums, cowbell, background vocals, foot tap (on "Skyway")
- Teenage Steve Douglas – Baritone sax, bass flute (on "The Ledge")
- Jim Dickinson (credited as East Memphis Slim) – Organ, keyboards, background vocals, vibes (on "Skyway")
- James "Vito" Lancaster – Background vocals
- Prince Gabe – Saxophone (on "Nightclub Jitters")
- Alex Chilton – Guitar (on "Can't Hardly Wait")
- Luther Dickinson – Guitar (on "Shooting Dirty Pool")
- Max Huls – Strings (on "Can't Hardly Wait")
- The Memphis Horns (on "Can't Hardly Wait"):
- Andrew Love – Tenor sax
- Ben Jr. – Trumpet
- John Hampton – Engineer, mixing
- Joe Hardy – Engineer, mixing
- Ted Jensen – Mastering
- James Lancaster – Production Assistant, inner sleeve photography
- Daniel Corrigan – Cover and inner sleeve photography
- Glenn Parsons – Design
[edit] Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Billboard 200 | 131 |
On page 230 of Michael Azerrad's book "Our Band Could Be Your Life," the author states "...Pleased to Meet Me wound up selling about 300,000 copies."
[edit] Cover versions
"Skyway" was recorded by The Supernaturals as a B-side to their 1997 single "Prepare To Land".
[edit] References
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