The Replacements Return!

Color us fucking impressed: Original flannel gods the Replacements have recorded their first new material since 1990. According to a press release from Rhino Records, 3/4 of the original lineup (and the only surviving ones), Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars, reconvened last December in Minneapolis to record two new Westerberg-penned tunes, "Message to the Boys" and "Pool & Dive," for the upcoming Replacements compilation Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?: The Best of the Replacements.
According to Billboard.com, the tracks were recorded at producer Ed Ackerson's Flowers Studio. Josh Freese (Vandals, A Perfect Circle) played the drums; original drummer Mars opted out of stick duties in favor of recording backing vocals. No mention was made of former guitarist Slim Dunlap who performed with the band from 1987 to 1991, following original guitarist Bob Stinson's departure. (Bob Stinson died in 1995.)
Shit, even if these two new songs are an embarrassment, isn't that just the kind of Replacements-worthy fuckup that's always made them so endearing? Yeah, either way we win.
Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? is scheduled for release on June 13, and will feature 18 classic tracks alongside the pair of new recording. It will also mark the second officially sanctioned 'Mats compilation since the group disbanded in 1991, and the first to encompass their entire career, as 1997's All For Nothing, Nothing For All only documented their later, less influential, years on Sire.

Bring your own lampshade, kids:

01 Takin a Ride
02 Shiftless When Idle
03 Kids Don't Follow
04 Color Me Impressed
05 Within Your Reach
06 I Will Dare
07 Answering Machine
08 Unsatisfied
09 Here Comes a Regular
10 Kiss Me on the Bus
11 Bastards of Young
12 Left of the Dial
13 Alex Chilton
14 Skyway
15 Can't Hardly Wait
16 Achin' to Be
17 I'll Be You
18 Merry Go Round
19 Message to the Boys
20 Pool & Dive

As if that isn't enough news from the long-dormant outfit, a recent Rhino podcast revealed details of a Replacements box set tentatively due out next year. Featuring a new interview with founding member (and current Guns n' Roses bassist) Tommy Stinson, the podcast unveiled plans for a multi-disc package that will draw from the band's entire back catalog, including a host of previously unreleased material, as well as a DVD of live performances.
"It's been going on for awhile," Stinson said. "It's going to include all the Twin/Tone records, all of the Warner Bros. records, bonus tracks, some stuff that's been in the vault for awhile, as well as a DVD part. Our role is basically to listen to the outtakes, some stuff that's been sitting there for awhile, and find out what might be worth having and what might not be worth having. [We'll] probably have to mix a little bit, some of the stuff's been sitting in vaults for so long, it just kind of needs to be fixed."
When asked about the DVD, Stinson continued, "I think they've got the "Saturday Night Live" stuff, and some of the stuff we did in Europe, like "The Old Gray Whistle Test" and some TV stuff in Holland a long time ago. [We'll] just kind of put it all together and make a nice package of it."
Wow, and all we've really been itching for is an update on the long-promised overhaul of the 'Mats original LP catalog, which Billboard.com reports is currently in the works.
We'll keep you posted on details, but in the meantime, fans can keep busy with a pair of upcoming soundtrack efforts from both Westerberg and Stinson-- who are scoring the films Open Season and Catch and Release, respectively. The former is a kids flick and the latter is a Jennifer Garner movie. Sigh.

Twin/Tone: http://www.twintone.com/index.html