The Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me - LP

Deluxe Edition Viny LP + 3CD Box Set featuring New Remaster, Demos, Rough Mixes & Outtakes as well as Bob Stinson's Last Recordings with The Replacements from 1986; 29 of 55 Tracks Previously Unreleased Released in 1987 by Sire Records, The Replacements' fifth full-length, Pleased To Meet Me is the only album recorded by the band as a trio, after original guitarist Bob Stinson acrimoniously left the band. Following 2019's widely acclaimed Dead Man's Pop release, Pleased To Meet Me receives a similar ‘deep dive' treatment with a vinyl LP/3CD deluxe boxed set, which tells the story of the album in ways not previously possible with more than 50% of the content previously unreleased. The making of Pleased To Meet Me was a transformative journey for The 'Mats, one that began with the combustible Minneapolis combo on the brink of collapse and culminated in one of the definitive albums of the band's career. That transformation is chronicled in-depth on the Pleased To Meet Me: Deluxe Edition box set. More than half of the music (29 tracks) on this Deluxe Edition set has never been released, including demos, rough mixes, and outtakes as well as Bob Stinson's last recordings with The Replacements from 1986. The music is presented in a 12 x 12 hardcover book loaded with dozens of rarely seen photos along with a detailed history of the Pleased To Meet Me era written by Bob Mehr, who authored The New York Times bestseller, Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements. Pleased To Meet Me was recorded over three months at Ardent Studios in Memphis with legendary producer Jim Dickinson before it debuted in June 1987. The collection opens with a newly remastered version of the original 11-track album along with a selection of B-sides and a version of "Can't Hardly Wait" that was remixed by Jimmy Iovine. All of the music included in this boxed set has been remastered by Justin Perkins, who remastered the band's widely acclaimed 2019 boxed set, Dead Man's Pop. The second disc explores the creative process behind Pleased To Meet Me with 15 unreleased demos recorded at Blackberry Way Studios in Minneapolis during the summer of 1986. The first seven of these demos represent the last recordings made by all four original members of The Replacements. After those demo sessions stalled out, singer/guitarist Paul Westerberg, bassist Tommy Stinson and drummer Chris Mars made the painful decision to part ways with lead guitarist Bob Stinson after recording five albums together. The disc's remaining eight demos feature the band as a trio and include "Shooting Dirty Pool," two versions of "Kick It In," and "Even If It's Cheap," whose opening line ("Pleased to meet me/the pleasure's all yours") would ultimately inspire the title of the album. The collection's final disc features 13 previously unreleased rough mixes by studio engineer John Hampton that include the majority of the album along with non-album tracks like "Election Day" and "Birthday Gal." These rough mixes are also featured on the vinyl record included in the set. Rounding out the collection are several unreleased tracks (Westerberg's "Run For The Country" and "Learn How To Fail," Stinson's "Trouble On The Way") along with a selection of outtakes ("Beer For Breakfast" and "I Don't Know") that debuted on the 1997 compilation, All For Nothing/Nothing For All. Features: • Deluxe Edition vinyl LP + 3CD box set • More than 50% of the content previously unreleased (29 of 55 tracks) • New remaster of the original album by Justin Perkins, who was also behind the boards for Rhino's Dead Man's Pop • 1986 demo session with Bob Stinson – his last recorded Replacements performance • Additional 1986 demos with the band as a three-piece outfit (sans Bob) • Previously unreleased rough mix of the album with alternate track listing • Studio outtakes from the album recording sessions (Memphis, 1987) • Rare single mixes • 12 x 12 hardcover book loaded with dozens of rarely seen photos along with a detailed history of the Pleased To Meet Me era written by Bob Mehr