The possibility of a Replacements reunion has been teased repeatedly over the past few years, and we had pretty much given up hope that it would ever take place. Now, it seems that the long-teased reformation has finally happened thanks to a new team-up between frontman Paul Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson.
The two longtime bandmates had already confirmed plans to collaborate for a track to benefit guitarist Slim Dunlap, the former Replacements member who suffered a stroke earlier this year. Now, Rolling Stone reports that a reunion of sorts has taken place, as Westerberg and Stinson recently recorded four cover tunes for a new EP.
The Rolling Stone article implies that the collection will released under the Replacements banner rather than another band name. The cover tunes, which were recorded in a day at a Minneapolis studio in late September, are as follows: "Busted Up" by Slim Dunlap, "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from the musical Gypsy, "I'm Not Sayin'" by Gordon Lightfoot, and "Lost Highway" by Hank Williams
These songs will be pressed on 10-inch vinyl in a limited run of 250 copies, all of which will be auctioned off online. Proceeds will go to Dunlap.
Replacements member Chris Mars didn't take part in the reunion (though he did record his own benefit song for Slim), but drummer Peter Anderson and guitarist Kevin Bowe fleshed out the lineup during the session.
So does this mean that a full-scale Replacements reunion may be on the cards?
"It's possible," Westerberg said. "After playing with Tommy last week, I was thinking, 'All right, let's crank it up and knock out a record like this.' I'm closer to it now than I was two years ago, let's say that."
Westerberg previously said, "I don't know, man. You catch me on one day and I think, 'Oh hell, why not?' Tommy [Stinson] has never stopped. He's a performer. I'm more of a writer-artist, though I perform as well — or at least I used to. But, God... I don't know."
The two longtime bandmates had already confirmed plans to collaborate for a track to benefit guitarist Slim Dunlap, the former Replacements member who suffered a stroke earlier this year. Now, Rolling Stone reports that a reunion of sorts has taken place, as Westerberg and Stinson recently recorded four cover tunes for a new EP.
The Rolling Stone article implies that the collection will released under the Replacements banner rather than another band name. The cover tunes, which were recorded in a day at a Minneapolis studio in late September, are as follows: "Busted Up" by Slim Dunlap, "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from the musical Gypsy, "I'm Not Sayin'" by Gordon Lightfoot, and "Lost Highway" by Hank Williams
These songs will be pressed on 10-inch vinyl in a limited run of 250 copies, all of which will be auctioned off online. Proceeds will go to Dunlap.
Replacements member Chris Mars didn't take part in the reunion (though he did record his own benefit song for Slim), but drummer Peter Anderson and guitarist Kevin Bowe fleshed out the lineup during the session.
So does this mean that a full-scale Replacements reunion may be on the cards?
"It's possible," Westerberg said. "After playing with Tommy last week, I was thinking, 'All right, let's crank it up and knock out a record like this.' I'm closer to it now than I was two years ago, let's say that."
Westerberg previously said, "I don't know, man. You catch me on one day and I think, 'Oh hell, why not?' Tommy [Stinson] has never stopped. He's a performer. I'm more of a writer-artist, though I perform as well — or at least I used to. But, God... I don't know."
