The Replacements have announced a new deluxe box set of their acclaimed fifth studio album, Pleased to Meet Me. Due out October 9th from Rhino, the collection showcases 29 never-before-released tracks from the band, including their final recordings with guitarist Bob Stinson.
Remastered by Justin Perkins (who handled the same duties on last year’s excellent Dead Man’s Pop box), the Pleased to Meet Me deluxe edition is spread across three CDs and one 12-inch vinyl record. The first CD features the original LP along with B-sides and rarities, capped off with a Jimmy Iovine remix of the classic “Can’t Hardly Wait”.
Disc 2 captures the summer 1986 sessions at Minneapolis’ Blackberry Way Studios that led up to the final album. Amongst the 15 demos are 11 previously unreleased recordings, the first seven of which are the last to feature all four original Replacements members. The other demos find the band recording as a trio — singer/guitarist Westerberg, bassist Tommy Stinson, and drummer Chris Mars — sans the other Stinson.
The final 23 tracks contained on Disc 3 include 13 newly revealed rough mixes of the majority of Pleased to Meet Me plus deep cuts like “Election Day” and “Birthday Gal”. Mixed by studio engineer John Hampton, these baker’s dozen songs are also presented on the set’s 180-gram vinyl record. Disc 3 is finished off with outtakes both newly revealed (Westerberg’s “Run for the Country” and “Learn How to Fail”; “Trouble on the Way” by Tommy Stinson) and previously released (All for Nothing/Nothing for All selections “Beer for Breakfast” and “I Don’t Know”).
The Pleased to Meet Me deluxe box also includes a 12×12 hardcover book with rare pictures and a history of the album from Trouble Boys: The Trust Story of the Replacements author Bob Mehr. Special bundles for sale via Rhino’s online store include a T-shirt, tote bag, bumper sticker, placemat, and — most intriguingly — a cassette recording of a Westerberg interview from the era presented in full for the first time.
As a preview of the collection, The Replacements have shared six of the rough mixes form Disc 3: “Alex Chilton”, “Valentine”, “Never Mind”, “Birthday Gal”, “Election Day”, and “Kick It In”. You can stream them below via Spotify, but for the best quality, you can sign up for a free 60-day trial of TIDAL HiFi and listen in Master or high-definition audio.
Also watch a trailer for the Pleased to Meet Me deluxe edition ahead, followed by a look at the box set and the full tracklist.
Pleased to Meet Me (Deluxe Edition):
Pleased to Meet Me (Deluxe Edition) Tracklist:
Disc One: Pleased to Meet Me (2020 Remaster) + Rare, Single-Only Tracks
01. I.O.U.
02. Alex Chilton
03. I Don’t Know
04. Nightclub Jitters
05. The Ledge
06. Never Mind
07. Valentine
08. Shooting Dirty Pool
09. Red Red Wine
10. Skyway
11. Can’t Hardly Wait
12. Election Day
13. Jungle Rock
14. Route 66
15. Tossin’ n’ Turnin’
16. Cool Water
17. Can’t Hardly Wait – Jimmy Iovine Remix
Disc Two: Blackberry Way Demos
01. Bundle Up – Demo
02. Birthday Gal – Demo
03. I.O.U. – Demo *
04. Red Red Wine – Demo *
05. Photo – Demo
06. Time Is Killing Us – Demo *
07. Valentine – Demo
08. Awake Tonight – Demo *
09. Hey Shadow – Demo *
10. I Don’t Know – Demo *
11. Kick It In – Demo 1 *
12. Shooting Dirty Pool – Demo *
13. Kick It In – Demo 2 *
14. All He Wants To Do Is Fish – Demo *
15. Even If It’s Cheap – Demo *
Disc Three: Rough Mixes, Outtakes, & Alternates
01. Valentine – Rough Mix *
02. Never Mind – Rough Mix *
03. Birthday Gal – Rough Mix *
04. Alex Chilton – Rough Mix *
05. Election Day – Rough Mix *
06. Kick It In – Rough Mix *
07. Red Red Wine – Rough Mix *
08. The Ledge – Rough Mix *
09. I.O.U. – Rough Mix *
10. Can’t Hardly Wait – Rough Mix *
11. Nightclub Jitters – Rough Mix *
12. Skyway – Rough Mix *
13. Cool Water – Rough Mix *
14. Birthday Gal
15. Learn How To Fail *
16. Run For The Country *
17. All He Wants To Do Is Fish
18. I Can Help – Outtake *
19. Lift Your Skirt *
20. ‘Til We’re Nude
21. Beer For Breakfast
22. Trouble On The Way *
23. I Don’t Know – Outtake
LP Track Listing
Side A
01. Valentine – Rough Mix *
02. Never Mind – Rough Mix *
03. Birthday Gal – Rough Mix *
04. Alex Chilton – Rough Mix *
05. Election Day – Rough Mix *
06. Kick It In – Rough Mix *
Side B
01. Red Red Wine – Rough Mix *
02. The Ledge – Rough Mix *
03. I.O.U. – Rough Mix *
04. Can’t Hardly Wait – Rough Mix *
05. Nightclub Jitters – Rough Mix *
06. Skyway – Rough Mix *
07. Cool Water – Rough Mix *
* = previously unreleased
