The Replacements - Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash
#388
By Jim Coursey
August 25 1981
The Replacements
Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash
Genre: Too Wasted to be Hardcore
Allen’s Rating: 4 out of 5
Jim’s Rating: 4 out of 5
Highlights:
Takin’ a Ride
Careless
Johnny’s Gonna Die
I’m in Trouble
“Irresponsibility's my closest friend
Forget my duty I couldn't give a shit
Tell my about the city ordinance
Tell me that we're insubordinate
Plan tomorrow, money to borrow
I couldn't care less, care less”
(from “Careless”)
“Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash” is an apt title for the Replacements’ debut platter of fierce, fast-paced rock. Here the boys boldly flip the bird at all manner of white male first-world oppressions, from the household chores of its title, to speed limits and city ordinances. In some ways it feels very Reagan era -- young punks angry about something but not exactly sure what. And yet it also feels pretty Gen X / slacker in its thematic disdain for giving a fuck.
This is well before Paul Westerberg opened himself up as a songwriter; there is no real introspection, and this album barely extends itself beyond rocking hard and having a good time, all the while pretending not to care about any of it. So on the one hand, the tempo and drive of the music feels hardcore, but unlike many actual hardcore acts of the time, there’s not much agenda beyond the cigarettes, booze and drugs.
All that said, it’s pretty great for what it is. “Taking a Ride” kicks things off at a healthy pace, wearing the Mats’ reckless attitude on its sleeve throughout one of Westerberg’s catchier songs. From there it careens through a couple solid and breakneck songs like “Careless” and “Customer”, before maybe running a bit low on ideas if still high on tempo.
You can get some hints of the band’s promise along the way. While some riffs feel like punk rock cliche, there are some genuinely catchy numbers. Plenty of stuff here feels simply like 60s and 70s rock played at extreme volume and speed. Westerberg does even make one attempt at a slower, more contemplative number with “Johnny’s Gonna Die.” A song about a man destined to overdose, it maybe represents the one time they pull back and question their lifestyle choices, before getting back to the boozing and city living. But it also sounds a lot like a sketch of “Sixteen Blue” from “Let it Be”, a far deeper realization of teenage existential angst than anything on this record.
Overall “Sorry Ma” feels like what it reputedly is: a quick set of songs dashed off for a first album rather than a carefully crafted artistic statement to the world. But hey, there’s a few real gems along the way, and the whole album is a good time. And to be honest, the basic recording here sounds a lot warmer than the brash “Stink” that follows. It’s easy to knock it for its amateurishness, but you could argue it’s their best album they made before their fourth and greatest album “Let it Be.” Then again, maybe I’m just biased from listening to this one during my own shiftless and idle teenage years.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4zOmK82ivj2Eu7j4oP9Y3l?si=xbGf_6FrTxS8oJSpV-M-hw
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