Tim (Expanded Edition)

Though the Replacements were never able to capture the total power of their live performance on studio tape, this album comes close, as the loose, pounding thunder of “Hold My Life,” “Bastards of Young,” “Left of the Dial,” and “Little Mascara” make their case for the band as one of the 1980s most affecting rock n’ roll bands. Singer Paul Westerberg sounds as if he’s on the verge of tears in the final moments of heartbreak that singe the album’s closer “Here Comes a Regular,” and a scared, lonely feeling permeates “Swinging Party.” Westerberg still comes out swaggering with “Waitress in the Sky” and “Kiss Me on the Bus,” each tune being complemented by wiry, unpredictable guitar solos from the band’s soon to be dismissed guitarist Bob Stinson. The 2008 reissue includes six bonus cuts, including an alternate take of “Here Comes A Regular” and two attempts at “Can’t Hardly Wait,” which would finally appear on the band’s next album Pleased to Meet Me. The acoustic version here is particularly spine-tingling and arguably the best take of the many that have surfaced over the years.