The band’s first full-length album, released on the local Minneapolis label Twin/Tone, bore the classic title Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash, and crammed 18 songs into 36 minutes. While taken at top speed, the songs aren’t exactly dissonant punk either. “Otto” gamely attempts dynamics and style shift within the same two minutes. Only two songs are longer than three minutes; one of them, the moody “Johnny’s Gonna Die”, predicted the demise of Mr. Thunders by about ten years (musically it sounds like a rip on Fleetwood Mac) while “Kick Your Door Down” belabors what little point it has. Titles like “Shiftless When Idle” and “I Bought A Headache” point to Westerberg’s future as the most cunning linguist of his generation. They’re not all zingers; “I’m In Trouble” (as in “you’re in love and”) might as well be a Ramones track, while “Something To Du” is an ode to crosstown rivals Hüsker Dü.
At this juncture they’re more like their nickname the ‘Mats, short for Placemats, bestowed on them after most shows that began with a couple of actual rehearsed songs and degenerated into drunken, barely remembered covers, instrument swapping and general chaos. Westerberg had a tendency to yell more than sing; he can’t decide whether to speed-spit his way through “Customer” or articulate his come-on lines, and “Shutup” is about as obnoxious as you’d expect. That said, his self-deprecating liner notes equally match the tone for the band’s rise and fall.
Sorry Ma would sell better over time, but with its thin drum sound and reliance on a chorus pedal, it’s not as likely to get played as much as later albums. That said, the updated CD version sounds pretty good, loaded up with about a half-hour’s worth of live tracks, outtakes, and the hilarious countrified solo B-side “If Only You Were Lonely”, arguably Westerberg’s best song of the Twin/Tone era.
That song was amended at the end of the album sequence when the 40th Anniversary expansion happened. As had been Rhino’s MO, the album was remastered and reissued with three extra discs filled with alternates and live tracks, as well as a vinyl compilation of some of those extras to approximate an “alternate” album. All of the extras from the previous expansion were included, which was nice of them. Much of the second disc is believed to have originated in the Stinson family basement, and come off more rockin’ than the speedier punk approach of the album proper. Some of are less-than-stellar sound quality, included for their “historical” nature, but that’s the only way we get to hear rarities like “Lie About Your Age” and “Don’t Turn Me Down”. The third disc delves into the actual recording sessions for the album; these also vary in sound quality, but the more successful tracks show off the band better, and Bob in particular. His “A Toe Needs A Shoe” is a snappy instrumental, and a highlight of the included outtakes, which also include two versions of “Get Lost” and a studio take of “We’ll Get Drunk”. Four solo Westerberg demos with lots of coughing cap the disc, including a couple that had been bonus tracks elsewhere.
The fourth disc is the gem, as it preserves a board cassette of a gig at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis in January 1981, during the gestation of the album. The bass is way loud, and Tommy’s voice has barely changed, but the kid could play. The band hasn’t devolved into drunken, forgotten covers yet; their Slade and Johnny Thunders selections are fairly straight, but “All Day And All Of The Night” is a mess. They also had yet to notice that “Careless” and “Takin A Ride” had the exact same riff. Overall, it’s an essential document of their power, speed, and ability, and puts the debut album in context. They could be really good at times. Especially Bob.
The Replacements Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash (1981)—2½
2008 CD reissue: same as 1981, plus 13 extra tracks
2021 Deluxe Edition: same as 2008, plus 69 extra tracks
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