The Replacements: All For Nothing/Nothing For All

Here's a best-of collection hurt badly by licensing restrictions. In a world without copyright laws, no one would dream of releasing a Replacements anthology that ignores the band's work for Twin/Tone, especially the classic album Let It Be. An imperfect world, however, produces imperfect creations, and perfect creations were never what the members of The Replacements were about anyway. Picking up the band's story with 1985's Tim, The Replacements' first album for Sire/Warner, may not be ideal, but it still allows for plenty of great material. The most familiar stuff will be found on the first half of this two-disc set, which pulls four songs from each of the band's four major-label albums. This includes classic should-have-been hits like "Kiss Me On The Bus," "Alex Chilton" and "Bastards Of Young," as well as highlights from the less well-regarded final albums. It's not a bad introduction to the cigarettes-and-breakfast-cereal world of The Replacements, even if the albums themselves arguably provide better introductions. The real attraction for old fans will be the second disc, a rarities collection that includes alternate versions of "Can't Hardly Wait" and "All Shook Down," and a number of tracks strong enough not to sound out of place on even the band's best albums. One contains the Paul Westerberg neologism "hallefuckalujah," perhaps the most succinct summation of what the band was all about—and certainly one as accurate as any of the fawning tributes from celebrities and associates contained in the liner notes. These are fun to read, but they make Westerberg and company seem like simple, filthy, contemporary saints; they do little to provide details of the band's history; and they virtually ignore the controversial expulsion of doomed founding lead guitarist Bob Stinson. The music, however, does a fine job speaking for itself, and this collection should satisfy anyone already resigned to being unsatisfied with its limited range.