''Hootenanny'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the American rock band The Replacements, released on April 29, 1983 by

Twin/Tone Records Twin/Tone Records was an independent record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which operated from 1977 until 1994. It was the original home of influential Minnesota bands the Replacements and Soul Asylum and was instrumental in helping the T ...

. The album received positive reviews from critics.

Recording and release

''Hootenanny'' was mostly recorded from October 1982 to January 1983 at the Stark/Mudge Mobile Unit warehouse in

Brooklyn Center, Minnesota Brooklyn Center is a first-ring suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. In 1911, the area became a village formed from parts of Brooklyn Township and Crystal Lake Township. I ...

, which was described in the liner notes as "a warehouse in some godawful suburb north of Mpls". The tracks "Run It" and "Within Your Reach" were recorded at Blackberry Way, while the song "Treatment Bound" was recorded "in the basement". The album was released on April 29, 1983 by

. According to the record label, ''Hootenanny'' sold more than 38,000 vinyl copies. In 2008, The album was remastered and reissued by

Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded in 1978, Rhino was original ...

, containing seven additional tracks and liner notes by

Peter Jesperson Peter Jesperson is an American music industry businessman from Minneapolis, Minnesota, known for his involvement in discovering the Replacements, and for later serving as their manager. He also co-founded Twin/Tone Records along with Paul Stark an ...

. The album's cover art, created by fellow

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

musician and

Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...

drummer,

Grant Hart Grantzberg Vernon Hart (March 18, 1961 – September 13, 2017) was an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-songwriter for the punk rock band Hüsker Dü. After the band's breakup in 1988, he released his first solo album '' ...

, under the alias of "Fake Name Graphx", is based on the 1963 Crestview Records compilation album ''The Original Hootenanny''.

Music and lyrics

''Hootenanny'' is often regarded as the first release on which The Replacements began to branch out from the "breakneck punk" that characterized their earlier work, through the incorporation of various genres such as

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

, and

boogie Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie mus ...

. The opening track "Hootenanny" features a rearranged lineup of

Chris Mars Chris Mars (born April 26, 1961) is an American painter and musician. He was the percussionist, drummer for the seminal Minneapolis based alternative-rock band The Replacements (band), The Replacements from 1979 to 1990, and later joined the inf ...

on lead guitar,

Tommy Stinson Thomas Eugene Stinson (born October 6, 1966) is an American rock musician. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements, one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. After their breakup in 1991, Stins ...

on rhythm guitar,

Bob Stinson Robert Neil Stinson (December 17, 1959 – February 18, 1995) was an American musician best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the American rock band The Replacements. Biography Early life Bob Stinson was born on December 17 ...

on bass guitar, and

Paul Westerberg Paul Harold Westerberg (born December 31, 1959) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Replacements. Following the breakup of the Replacements, Westerberg launched a solo career that saw him re ...

on drums and vocals, while "Within Your Reach" features Westerberg on all instruments and vocals. The lyrics for the song "Lovelines" were largely taken verbatim from the classifieds section of an issue of ''

City Pages ''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to a ...

'', a

newspaper. The surf-instrumental "Buck Hill" takes its name from a small skiing area in

Burnsville, Minnesota Burnsville () is a city south of downtown Minneapolis in Dakota County, Minnesota. The city lies on a bluff overlooking the south bank of the Minnesota River upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River. Burnsville and nearby subur ...

, just a few miles south of Minneapolis. "Mr. Whirly" is a parody of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

track "

Oh! Darling "Oh! Darling" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, appearing as the fourth song on the 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. It was composed by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney). Its working title was "Oh! Darling (I'll Never Do Y ...

" (with the opening bars of "

Strawberry Fields Forever "Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released on 13 February 1967 as a double A-side single with "Penny Lane". It represented a departur ...

") and bears the writing credit "mostly stolen" on the record label.

Critical reception

''Hootenanny'' received positive reviews from critics. Jon Young, in a 1983 ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' review, said that the Replacements play "with all the delicacy of a garbage compactor," and that "their joyful noise may shock you, but it'll add excitement to your life." The album was ranked number 30 in ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

''s 1983

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

critics' poll. In a retrospective review, Noel Murray of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' felt that ''Hootenanny'' "brims with personality, and though The Replacements' real masterpieces were ahead of them, their second LP was a deck-clearer that gave Westerberg the confidence to mature. It's just too bad that he never again made an album this straight-up fun."

Track listing

Personnel

;The Replacements *

– rhythm guitar, vocals (drums on track 1, all instruments on track 7) *

– lead guitar (bass on track 1) *

– bass (rhythm guitar on track 1) *

– drums (lead guitar on track 1)

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1983 albums The Replacements (band) albums Albums produced by Bob Stinson Albums produced by Chris Mars Albums produced by Paul Westerberg Albums produced by Tommy Stinson Rhino Entertainment albums Twin/Tone Records albums