The Replacements – Tim

Yes, it’s the major label debut, but no, it’s not a sell-out.

It is, instead, an album that captures a beautiful moment in the career of a brilliant songwriter—call it an early mid-career perhaps.

As with any great artist that ages over time, there is a pattern.

All the self-conscious early efforts give way, but the pared-down formulas of the winter years don’t yet take over; instead, there is the glorious middle.

Still wild, still raw, still with an edge, but also with a different kind of aspiration taking hold. Craft is here. Care is here. There is intention. There is a quieter fury, and a smarter deployment of skills. There is no shame in being good.

This is where spontaneity and craft come together—where experience and passion meet at the crossroads to produce magic.

This is also the album with “Here Comes A Regular.”