Two years after their reunion fizzled out, The Replacements’ sporadically used Twitter and Facebook accounts recently began teasing… well, something… by sharing photos of the band performing in 1986 — the most recent of which bore the caption “Coming soon.”
It began last Friday evening, with a black-and-white photo of the ‘Mats playing live that was shared on the band’s Facebook page with a caption that simply said “1986.” In the photo, Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson are turned away from the camera, and Bob Stinson is wearing a trenchcoat.
The same photo, seen above, was tweeted from @thereplacements the following day — the first tweet from the band’s account in more than a year (its Facebook page is used more frequently).
Then, in a 15-minute span on Thursday afternoon, another photo was shared by the band’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts, this time a tighter shot of Westerberg and Bob Stinson, taken, judging by their matching wardrobe (that trenchcoat again), from the same show as the previous photo.
This time the caption said: “Coming soon…”
In an article about the mysterious release of a new Westerberg song earlier this week, Minneapolis Star-Tribune music writer Chris Riemenschneider noted the first of the two 1986 images shared via the ‘Mats social media channels, and speculated that, “It’s likely this is the first warning of news to come on a new — and long overdue — archive live recording series from the band.”
The hints also have not gone unnoticed by Replacements biographer Bob Mehr, who has retweeted both, commenting “The plot thickens…” after the most recent photo was shared.
Any release is certainly more likely to be something archival than new music, as Tommy Stinson has made it clear that recording sessions with Westerberg did not pan out (“I think Paul just doesn’t, I think his thing is he just doesn’t want to have to compete with the legacy,” he told our friends at the Rockin’ the Suburbs podcast of their half-hearted attempt to make a new Replacements album).
All of this speculation about a Replacements archival project comes as fellow Minneapolis legends Hüsker Dü are on the verge of something similar, with the Numero Group having spent months teasing a massive project involving the latter band — one that is expected to be announced in the near future.
The Replacements’ long dormant social media accounts both posted this image in the last 24 hours. In-ter-esting. https://t.co/tB4jFblxCp
— Bob Mehr (@BobMehr) July 8, 2017
And now this message from The Replacements’ official social media accounts. The plot thickens…https://t.co/riIULAiC5J
— Bob Mehr (@BobMehr) July 13, 2017
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Listen: Paul Westerberg releases weird new song ‘2HAWK_1’ ahead of possible album
- Listen: Exclusive uncut interview with Tommy Stinson from Rockin’ the Suburbs podcast
- Twin/Tone opens its vaults on YouTube: The Replacements, Suicide Commandos and more
- Tommy Stinson’s Bash & Pop announce U.S. dates in support of ‘Anything Could Happen’
- The Replacements announce 8-disc album collection, edit Rhino Records’ press release
Heresy alert: I was never a massive Replacements fan. I liked some of their songs just fine but overall could never get as excited about them they way a lot of my friends and colleagues did back in the day.
Must I surrender my 80’s college rock/Gen X credibility now?
Nah, I think you’re alright. If you didn’t like them, that’s okay. After watching that doco Color Me Obsessed, my perception of them dimmed a bit, too. Some of the fans are a little on the scary side and get really aggro if you dispute their “They ended for me when Let it Be came out/they moved to Sire/Bob left/Chris left/They appeared on SNL/insert other event here” stance. Still glad I saw Westerberg’s glorified backing band with Tommy on bass in Milwaukee, but they’re not all that.
Well, thanks!
Let me emphasize that I did not dislike them, they just didn’t amaze me on any level. I like some of their songs well enough, but feel no great sense of loss that I never saw them in concert, did no grieving when they disbanded, and am indifferent to this apparent reunion.
No no, I understood. You’re indifferent. And that’s okay. Have a brilliant weekend!
They must have to do some serious searching for this. The three shows I saw of theirs in the mid 80’s were a drunken disaster. I kept going thinking the previous show was an anomaly but nope. I know they have legendary live stuff, sadly I missed it all.
Lemon,
If I were a betting man, the WXRT concert from 4 July 1991 is getting cleaned up since that was the last show from the original run. Some of the dates opening for Petty (i.e. the contents of the S—, Shower, and Shave bootleg) might get a look in, too.
Surprised no one said, “They were better live when they were off their faces.” and launched into a diatribe about that. No, sorry, revisionist hipsters. Only one person that applies to: Rob Pollard.
I would bet on something pre-major label, otherwise I suspect Warners would have to be involved, and that might make things more difficult.
Maybe The S*** Hits the Fans gets released in CD and digital? Unless Twin/Tone pulls a Record Store Day exclusive stunt. RSD Black Friday will be upon us sooner than one cares to think.
Big fan, hope for new music and live dates.
It’s nice to see that Tommy is still putting out fresh new material with the latest bash and pop . Come back to mpls Mn for a summer jam.
All good. Never liked the Cure and thats….. o.k.
Saw em twice during the Bob era 1983 and in 86. The 1983 show is still probably the best live performance I’ve ever seen a rock n roll band give. The 1986 show? They could barely walk , in fact , Paul spent the whole show seated on the drum riser .
The fact that both pics are from the ’86 Maxwell’s Hoboken show, AND that that particular show is the best sounding ‘Mats soundboard ever, and the boys were having a very good night performance-wise, leads me to believe that this show will be mixed and mastered for official release. That is my guess.
You called that one! NICE!!!