'' is the fifth
Album by
The Replacements . It was released on July 7th
1987 (see
1987 In Music ).
The album to some degree maintains the style of the previous album, and major label debut, ''
Tim ''. But while the
Punk roots of the group were still apparent on ''Tim'', by ''Pleased to Meet Me'' they had all but vanished. The album showed experimentation in the use of horns on the tracks "I Don't Know", "Nightclub Jitters" (which even furthers the experiments by being a very jazzy track), and the single "Can't Hardly Wait", in which the horns are used to a very efficient level, creating a fuller soundscape and track, at least compared with the demo version recorded around the time of the previous album, available on the second disc of
All For Nothing/Nothing For All . The cover art is a good representation of the band's transition from young punks to more polished musicians, with one arm clad in a suit sleeve and the other in a ripped sleeve.
This album was the first and only album recorded by the band as a trio. After ''
Tim '',
Bob Stinson there is some debate as to whether he was kicked out of the band (ostensibly for problems with drugs and alcohol, though most of the other Replacements also had serious
Substance Abuse problems at the time) or quit on his own volition due to creative differences. Many have attributed the noticeable shift from the
Post-punk of ''Tim'' towards a more accessible American rock and roll sound on ''Pleased to Meet Me'' to Bob Stinson's depature. The band recorded the demos for this album while Bob Stinson was still in the band in August 1986.
The singles from the album were the aforementioned "Can't Hardly Wait" (which was the inspiration for the title of a
Movie ) along with "
Alex Chilton " and "
The Ledge " (whose video was banned from airplay on MTV due to it's lyrical content about suicide).
The album peaked at #131 on the
Billboard Music Chart 's Top 200.
# "I.O.U." (Westerberg) - 2:57
# "Alex Chilton" (Mars/Stinson/Westerberg) - 3:12
# "I Don't Know" (Mars/Stinson/Westerberg) - 3:19
# "Nightclub Jitters" (Westerberg) - 2:44
# "The Ledge" (Westerberg) - 4:04
# "Never Mind" (Westerberg) - 2:47
# "Valentine" (Mars/Stinson/Westerberg) - 3:31
# "Shooting Dirty Pool" (Mars/Stinson/Westerberg) - 2:20
# "Red Red Wine" (Westerberg) - 2:59
# "Skyway" (Westerberg) - 2:04
# "Can't Hardly Wait" (Westerberg) - 3:02
- Ben Jr. - Trumpet
- Alex Chilton - Guitar, Vocals
- Daniel Corrigan - Photography
- Jim Dickinson - Producer
- Luther Dickinson - Guitar
- Steve Douglas - Flute (Bass), Sax (Baritone)
- Teenage Steve Douglas - Flute (Bass), Sax (Baritone)
- East Memphis Slim - Organ, Keyboards, Vocals (bckgr)
- Tommy Erdelyi - Producer
- Steven Fjelstad - Engineer
- Prince Gabe - Saxophone
- John Hampton - Engineer, Mixing
- Joe Hardy - Engineer, Mixing
- Max Huls - Strings
- Ted Jensen - Mastering
- Jim Lancaster - Production Assistant, Photography
- Andrew Love - Sax (Tenor)
- Chris Mars - Drums, Vocals (bckgr), Artwork
- The Memphis Horns - Horn
- Glenn Parsons - Design
- Bob Stinson - Guitar
- Tommy Stinson - Bass, Guitar (Bass)
- Paul Westerberg - Bass, Guitar, Harmonica, Piano, Guitar (Electric), Vocals
-
Billboard (North America)
