It may have a rather modest title, but "Tim" is one monster of an album, easily deserving of the considerable praise it's earned over the years since its release. Led by the impassioned howl of Paul Westerberg and the incendiary guitars of Bob Stinson, the Replacements here cranked out a memorable collection of rousing anthems and brash rockers, with a few curveballs throw in just for good measure. Westerberg's lyrics told tales of hopes, dreams, fears, and disappointments in a way that just anyone can relate to, without pandering to the lowest common denominator like so many of the lousy "look at me; I'm so angst-ridden" alterna-lite bands crowding the airwaves nowadays. The result is a collection of stories that's alternately cocky, poignant, and upbeat, and always insightful. The album's finest cut, "Bastards of Young," a Springsteenesque tale of the struggles of the working class, especially deserves to be quoted at length:

"The ones that love us best

There are a few other classics to be found here as well. There's the twangy foot-stomper "I'll Buy;" the yearning "Kiss Me on the Bus;" the raucous "Dose of Thunder;" the swinging, ultra-catchy "Waitress in the Sky;" and the heart-rending domestic woe of "Little Mascara." And it's all topped off with "Here Comes a Regular," an acoustic ballad about the bonds between drinking buddies that somehow manages to be both depressing and uplifting at the same time. It takes a truly gifted composer to pull off such a song, but fortunately Westerberg is more than up to the task, as he more than amply proves on this album. Vocally, musically, and lyrically, "Tim" is a classic album that belongs in any good music collection. Period.

I had heard of The Replacements a long time ago, but had never heard their music until recently. I started with this cd, and I really think there's some great stuff here. In the opening verse of the first track, "Hold My Life," you hear the line "down on all fives"...that conjures up a stark image of someone who's a mess, and if you know the history of the band, you know they were a mess. And you can hear that on this cd, in all its ragged glory. Some songs are loud and raucous (Dose of Thunder, Bastards of Young, Lay it Down Clown) and some have a slightly pop feel (Swinging Party, Left of the Dial, Little Mascara). "Waitress in the Sky" is an anthem for anyone who has ever been dissed by a flight attendant, and is quite funny, too. The absolute highlight for me is the closing song on the disc, "Here Comes a Regular." It's about a fellow that spends all his time in a bar, and when Paul Westerberg sings the line "Am I the only one who feels ashamed?" it just about breaks your heart. This is a really great cd, and I wished I wouldn't of waited so long to check out this group.

At the time this album was released, i was far too into punk music and being "open-minded" to ever think of listening to anything that remotely sounded like this. Big mistake.

Man, this is THE replacements album. I live within driving distance of Minneapolis, so I could see, hear, and feel the sound of the Midwest in the 1980's. I wish i was a fan "back in the day".

Every time I pop this in the CD player, I am saddened by the fact I didn't discover this band earlier. If you grew up in the Midwest, i think you can feel something in this disc that others cannot. Amazing songwriting and melodies.

If you've wondered what the Replacements sound like and are considering buying a disc, start with this one.

Same year I saw Springsteen's Born in the USA tour, I caught these guys in an SF club, and witnessed the Greatest Band In The World. I've always considered Tim to be Pt. II of a series of an incredible triple (you guys know the other two albums...). Other than the obvious comments I can go on about the extremely high quality of the songs, I have to give Tim a 4 star rating because Tommy Ramone's (yes, THAT Tommy) production was so one-dimensional; he actually mixed this album using HEADPHONES because he was almost deaf from playing drums with the Ramones. But it's par for the course; leave it to the Replacements to hire a near-deaf producer. Seriously, along with Elvis Costello's first three, The Beatles catalog, Big Star's albums, and the Rolling Stones' Mick Taylor period, the ' Mat's three middle releases are some of rock's most listenable and important albums in rock's recent history...

Sadly I never got the chance to be obsessed with this band, but I can see why other people were - Westerberg doesn't just write great songs; he projects (for this record at least) an immensely likeable personality without trying to. Sort of like Malkmus and Dylan. They might be nothing like what they seem, but listen to their music and they feel like they'd be great to hang out with. Apparently Westerberg's newer material paints him as a bit of a self-pitying sap, but this album is full of lyrics that are more honest and striking than any amount of sad sack, me-and-a-guitar weepings:

The ones that love us best

The ones that love us least

It's no consolation, but it's a great song - and other than Dose of Thunder and Lay It Down Clown, every song on here is great. All delivered in a great rock snarl: even the ballads don't feel slicked up despite the tame production, because there's no slicking up Westerberg's voice. Nothing's better than a band that can swing from the poetry of Here Comes a Regular to a great sloppy stupid rock song like I'll Buy to the hilarious Waitress in the Sky, which is so catchy you'll keep listening to it even after the joke is old.

(My only complaint: I hate buying a CD, pulling out the insert, and discovering that it's just one sheet with basic information about who played what on what song. These guys are a great band: get some stupid rock critic gushing about them, or an interview with Westerberg - something, for god's sake! I like flipping through those fat little booklets; I feel like I'm getting my money's worth.)