Left Of The Dial: The Replacements' "The Sire Years" Released On Vinyl

Left Of The Dial: The Replacements’ “The Sire Years” Released On Vinyl

March 1, 2016 By Joe Marchese — No Comments

Today, author Bob Mehr releases Trouble Boys: The True Story of The Replacements, chronicling the tumultuous story of one of the most influential indie-rock bands of all time. On March 29, Rhino will issue an ideal audio companion to the biography. The 4-LP box set The Sire Years brings together all four of The Replacements’ albums for Seymour Stein’s fabled Sire label: Tim (1985), Pleased To Meet Me, (1987), Don’t Tell A Soul (1989) and All Shook Down (1990).

The Sire Years follows last year’s 4-LP box set The Twin/Tone Years which collected the band’s early albums on vinyl. All four albums feature the original album sequences with full original artwork. The set is limited to 8,700 numbered copies, and as a special promotion, fans who pre-order the collection from select independent stores (while supplies last) will also receive an exclusive 7-inch vinyl single featuring “Can’t Hardly Wait (The Tim Version)” b/w “Portland,” both previously unreleased on vinyl .

Paul Westerberg, Chris Mars, Bob Stinson and Tommy Stinson made their Sire debut with Tim (1985). The LP introduced “Kiss Me on the Bus,” “Left of the Dial,” “Swingin’ Party” and “Bastards Of Young.” Pleased To Meet Me (1987) – the band’s first album without founding guitarist Bob Stinson – introduced a more expansive, diverse sound on songs like “Alex Chilton,” “Skyway” and “Can’t Hardly Wait.” (Chilton, who provided additional vocals and production on “Left of the Dial” on Tim was welcomed back for Pleased to Meet Me, along with Luther Dickinson, Jim Dickinson, The Wrecking Crew’s Steve Douglas, and The Memphis Horns). Guitarist Slim Dunlap joined the band in the studio for the first time on Don’t Tell A Soul (1989), which reflected a more straightforward rock approach and premiered “I’ll Be You,” the group’s highest-charting single. The band’s final full-length album to date, All Shook Down (1990), was originally conceived as a Westerberg solo effort. It features just one track with the entire line-up, though all four members play on it. John Cale and Benmont Tench are among the other guests on this LP which boasts fan-favorites “Someone Take the Wheel.” “Sadly Beautiful,” and the Grammy-nominated “When It Began.”

The Replacements’ The Sire Years arrives on March 29 as part of Record Store Day’s “Vinyl Tuesday” initiative. You can pre-order at the links below!

The Replacements, The Sire Years (Sire/Rhino, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Includes:

Tim (1985)
Pleased to Meet Me (1987)
Don’t Tell a Soul (1989)
All Shook Down (1990)

Categories:

News

Formats:

Box Sets, Vinyl

Genres:

Rock

Tags:

Paul Westerberg, The Replacements

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song and beyond, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with labels including Real Gone Music and Cherry Red Records, has released newly-curated collections produced and annotated by Joe from iconic artists such as Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minnelli, Darlene Love, Al Stewart, Michael Nesmith, and many others.

Joe has written liner notes, produced, or contributed to over 200 reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them America, JD Souther, Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, and Andy Williams.

Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray.

Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.