They Will Dare: The Replacements’ ‘Let It Be’ is Their Latest Deluxe Reissue
Rhino’s series of deluxe Replacements reissues is continuing on October 24 with 3CD and 4LP expanded editions of the Minneapolis band’s seminal 1984 Twin/Tone album cheekily titled Let It Be.
Let It Be takes a different format than the previous reissues of Tim, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, Pleased to Meet Me, and Dead Man’s Pop (an alternative presentation of Don’t Tell a Soul), all of which included both vinyl and CD in one package. This time, the formats are split into individual releases. Both the CD and LP packages feature a remastered version of the original album with previously unreleased live and studio material.
The band’s third album, Let It Be followed 1983’s Hootenanny. It found the band in a more introspective mood, with lead singer/songwriter Paul Westerberg desiring to be “a little more sincere” with his music. Rather than developed spontaneously in the studio, the songs would be arranged for Let It Be, lending a maturity of sound as well as composition. Westerberg challenged the preconceived notions of what The Replacements – and indeed, the punk genre – should be on Let It Be, imbuing his new songs with frank coming-of-age themes. The band initially invited Peter Buck of R.E.M. to produce, and while the affiliation wasn’t long-lasting, Buck stuck around long enough to perform the guitar solo on “I Will Dare” and support the band in a pre-production capacity. Ultimately, Westerberg helmed the album with Steve Fjelstad and band manager Peter Jesperson. When it came time to title the album, the band had no worries skewering any sacred cows. Westerberg confessed to Rolling Stone, “[The title was] our way of saying that nothing is sacred, that The Beatles were just a fine rock & roll band. We were seriously gonna call the next record Let It Bleed.”
The upcoming expanded edition of Let It Be features an entire disc’s worth of rarities – 14 tracks in total, half of which are previously unissued. (The other half have been sourced from a period single as well as the 2008 Rhino expansion. All of the bonus cuts from that release have been carried over here and remastered.) This disc can be sampled today with an alternate version of “Androgynous,” featuring a different vocal and restored piano introduction.
Also making its debut on this set is Goodnight! Go Home!, a previously unheard 28-song concert from Chicago’s Cubby Bear club recorded in August 1984. The rollicking setlist features songs from the not-yet-released-Let It Be (“Unsatisfied,” “I Will Dare”), early ‘Mats classics (“Takin’ a Ride,” “Johnny’s Gonna Die,” “Color Me Impressed”), and covers of The Beach Boys and Ronny & The Daytonas (“Help Me Rhonda/Little GTO”), Marc Bolan (“20th Century Boy”), and Bad Company (“Can’t Get Enough”). This live set has been sourced from an audience tape and restored and mastered for this presentation.
Rhino.com is offering an exclusive 10-inch vinyl release, Live at City Garden, as a bonus for purchasers of the 4LP vinyl box. The six-song soundboard tape was captured in the Trenton, New Jersey club and includes the band’s performance of “You’re Getting Married,” a request from manager Jesperson for his birthday.
Elizabeth Nelson (of The Paranoid Style) writes the liner notes for this reissue. It’s due on October 24 from Rhino, and can be pre-ordered at the links below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Let It Be (Deluxe Edition) (Rhino, 2025)
3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com
4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com
CD/LP 1: Original album – 2025 remaster (released as Twin/Tone TTR-8441, 1984)
- I Will Dare
- Favorite Thing
- We’re Comin’ Out
- Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
- Androgynous
- Black Diamond
- Unsatisfied
- Seen Your Video
- Gary’s Got a Boner
- Sixteen Blue
- Answering Machine
CD/LP 2: Rarities (previously unreleased except where noted)
- Gary’s Got a Boner (Alternate Version)
- Favorite Thing (Alternate Version)
- Perfectly Lethal
- Temptation Eyes
- Who’s Gonna Take Us Alive
- Heartbeat, It’s a Lovebeat
- Answering Machine (Home Demo #1)
- Answering Machine (Home Demo #2)
- Street Girl (Takes 1 and 2)
- Sixteen Blue (Alternate Version)
- Unsatisfied (Full Length Version)
- Androgynous (Alternate Version)
- 20th Century Boy
- Hey Good Lookin’ (Live)
Tracks 3-4, 6-7 and 10 first released on Twin/Tone/Rykodisc/Rhino R2 438844, 2008
Tracks 13-14 first released on “I Will Dare” 12″ – Twin/Tone TTR-8440, 1984
CD 3/LP 3-4: Goodnight! Go Home!: Live at Cubby Bear, Chicago, IL, (March, 1984) (previously unreleased)
- Can’t Hardly Wait
- Left in the Dark
- Unsatisfied
- I Will Dare
- Favorite Thing
- Kids Don’t Follow
- Run It
- Color Me Impressed
- Hayday
- Nowhere is My Home
- Love You Till Friday
- Help Me Rhonda/G.T.O.
- Takin’ a Ride
- Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
- Gary’s Got a Boner
- Johnny’s Gonna Die
- Can’t Get Enough
- I’m in Trouble
- Don’t Ask Why
- Take Me Down to the Hospital
- Shiftless When Idle
- Mr. Whirly
- Hitchin’ a Ride
- Black Diamond
- 20th Century Boy
- Go
- Gimme Noise
- White And Lazy
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6 thoughts on “They Will Dare: The Replacements’ ‘Let It Be’ is Their Latest Deluxe Reissue”
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I’m very happy that Rhino is finally splitting the vinyl and CD formats for this one. Though a handful of alternate takes and an audience-sourced live show makes me fear we’ve reached the bottom of the vault for the Mats.
Nice to see the CD’s packaged separately from the vinyl.
VERY excited about this release. As a Minnesotan, it’s The Replacements, Husker Du, and Prince. Zen Arcade REALLY needs a good remastering and a deluxe edition (SST Records is a joke) and don’t get me started on the state of the “estate” of Prince (I do think we will see a Love Symbol deluxe this year, though) but I digress…. Let It Be is the ‘Mats best album and regardless of the source I cannot wait to hear that concert! In the 90’s my friend Karen lived at 2209 Bryant Ave S. In Minneapolis literally right next to the “Let It Be House.” She pointed it out on my first visit down there and I was awestruck. Years later in 2014, we went to the Replacements reunion show at the closing of Midway Stadium in St. Paul, it was an amazing unforgettable show and night. Minneapolis is an amazing city, regardless of the politically-motivated attacks it has been subjected to the past few years, rich with culture, and the home of great music and musicians. I’m so proud of my state and the influence it has had on music. This is going to be a great Fall for music, can’t wait, day one purchase!
I knew something was coming but no one clued me into what it was…happy it’s “Let It Be”, although bummed at first it does not follow the same format as the others…i like all reissues to follow the same format…but with this split i will buy the 3CD set & recent Rhino coloured remaster vinyl separately, so it fills the spot with the prior boxes…that concert will prob be a hoot…looks like the only things left are “Stink”, “Hootenanny”, live bootleg “The Sh#t Hits The Fans”, “All Shook Down” & the shortlived reunion stuff…i do wonder when/if the next package following this will combine “Stink”, “Hoot” & “Sh#t” will be combined in 1 package & “Shook” will have a package with reunion stuff…or that’s it??
The band has been pretty vocal about not wanting “Sh#t” re-issued. Also, Jason from Rhino recently posted that at the moment there is not enough “Hootenanny”/”Stink” bonus material for a proper deluxe version.
So if that were the case, i guess the best solution would be to get the 2008 expanded remasters of those albums & bootleg of SHTF if i so desire, as this sounds the end of the Mats reissue line??