Comments on: Can’t Hardly Wait the ‘Mats most overrated song? Wrong, Magnet

By: jay

jay — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:01:15 +0000

“There’s a kind of loneliness that seeps thru the song. Life on the road, trying to stay in touch with someone, living out of a suitcase, hotel rooms, being weary. And all you wanna do is just get home.”

Nice.

By: FreeRider

FreeRider — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:10:05 +0000

I’ve always liked CHW for its poignancy regardless of the horns. Sometimes the strings and horns are bothersome but the song itself moves me past that. .

There’s a kind of loneliness that seeps thru the song. Life on the road, trying to stay in touch with someone, living out of a suitcase, hotel rooms, being weary. And all you wanna do is just get home.

Great song.

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:45:52 +0000

The author of the article DOES NOT say Answering Machine is overrated. Learn how to read.

By: richard

richard — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:18:43 +0000

Los Mats, Mostly agree with your post. I would just add “I will dare”, “favorite thing” and “androgynous” to the list (also love “black diamond” but since it’s not a Mats original, I’ll leave it out of the discussion). Not sure what you call a list of six songs. Not a trinity but maybe a “dos” trinity?

By: Los 'Mats

Los 'Mats — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:35:25 +0000

That the article’s author actually suggests “Let It Be” is the greatest album and then claims “Answering Machine” is overrated completely should discredit him/her from ever EVER writing anything again, especially something relating to the ‘Mats.

She/He obviously has never attempted playing this song on the guitar (arguably the most difficult ‘Mats song on their catalog), and has not actually analyzed the brilliance of the lyrics. And among with “Sixteen Blue” and “Unsatisfied”, it is part of the holy trinity of what makes “LIB” such an impossibly great album.

By: One Wink at a Time

One Wink at a Time — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:07:31 +0000

Yes on the horns in CHW and I love Inherit the Earth too. I guess I love the ‘Mats like I love life itself and there isn’t much they could do wrong as far as I’m concerned. Although I’ve only listened to part of Trumpet Clip once… I think I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to accept not liking it.

By: RJ

RJ — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:27:53 +0000

Paul wanted to record in Memphis… with Jim Dickinson producing… in the same studio that Big Star used… even writing a song about Memphis icon Alex Chilton. I don’t see how the Memphis-style horns on “Can’t Hardly Wait” are a surprise at all; the horns take nothing away from the song but rather elevate it to Desert Island status.

“Can’t Hardly Wait” – the Pleased to Meet Me version, WITH those glorious Memphis horns – is not just my favorite Replacements song but probably my favorite song of all time by anyone.

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 05:05:46 +0000

I thought “Can’t Hardly Wait” was the Mat’s version of a pop song at the time. Every album had been an evolution in clarity of sound, lyrical intent, cohesion, etc.

You have to remember that these guys were all self-taught. For every Talking Heads-esque group of arts school college seniors, there were hundreds of high school bands with no formal training. The Replacements would be the poster child for those souls and wear that on their sleeves.

The mid-eighties was the birth for a lot of college radio icons from self taught punk to polished pop songs that just would never break to the am dial. R.E.M.’s third album featured different syncopations and song structures then previous albums, and yes horns on “Can’t Get There From Here”. U2 turned away from their BOY and WAR template with AM UNFORGETTABLE FIRE with Brian Eno that featured strings and synthesizers. I chalked up PLEASE TO MEET ME as a similar progression, best exemplified by CWH. It is not my favorite song on the album, Valentine is, but a much better breakthrough song then “I’ll Be You”.

Seeing as how most Mat’s fans would fight you for any disparaging word against this secret pleasure who could not even be played on MTV like the other big bands of the era, I would like to know how ANY song is over-rated and by whom?

By: jay

jay — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 02:18:10 +0000

I also like inherit the earth…i think that album would be fantastic if released in the original version that has yet to leak out into the world.

By: Jonathon Hackett

Jonathon Hackett — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:26:02 +0000

I had no idea that people hated the horns on “Can’t Hardly Wait” so much. I really like them. I haven’t heard this other secret version though so maybe I’ll change my mind after some snooping around on the net.
Not going to attempt my own list, I’ll just disagree with the posted one. I really dig “Shooting Dirty Pool” and “Red, Red Wine”. They sound meaner than a lot of the stuff on Pleased to Meet Me and they fit really well where they’re placed on the album.
I have to agree that Let It Be is their best record. I think it hits consistently with every song, sums up what the band and Paul’s songwriting are about, and is the first record most people encounter with the ‘Mats. It’s definitely the album that I suggest people check out to get a start.