After months of speculation, THE REPLACEMENTS (who called it quits back in 1991) have announced their long-awaited reunion and are in the studio recording an EP containing four song covers.
The EP, which will be available as a limited edition 10-inch record limited to 250 copies, will be auctioned online with the proceeds going to REPLACEMENTS guitarist, Slim Dunlap, who suffered a stroke earlier this year. According to frontman Paul Westerberg, Dunlap was the one who came up with the idea of a reunion, stating:
He’s in rough shape. He’s sort of paralyzed, he can move his leg a little bit. When I mentioned this, it seemed like something he really wanted to happen. ‘You guys get together,’ he said in a whisper. ‘Go play a song.’
The four songs that will appear on the EP are Slim Dunlap‘s “Busted Up,” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from the Broadway musical “Gypsy“, Gordon Lightfoot‘s “I’m Not Sayin’“, and Hank Williams‘ “Lost Highway”. The EP will mark THE REPLACEMENTS‘ first type of new material since two songs, “Pool & Dive” and “Message to the Boys“, for the “Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was?” compilation, which surfaced back in 2006.
THE REPLACEMENTS‘ reunion lineup consists of Paul Westerberg on vocals, Kevin Bowe on guitar, Tommy Stinson on bass and Peter Anderson on drums (their original drummer Chris Mars declined to participate).
Westerberg also told Billboard.com that he does not rule out rule out the possibility of a tour or a new album, which will be their first since 1990’s “All Shook Up“. He states:
I’m closer to it now than I was two years ago, let’s say that.
