Not as fast as Husker Du, they make up for it on pure charm. Westerberg was a budding lyrical genius, but he was still a immature kid here, though he still delivered everything with biting wit. Taking as many cues from Hank Williams as the Ramones, they start showing the signs that they were far different than your average bar band. "I'm in Trouble" is their first classic. B+
Stink:
They were drunken frat boys, but at the same time intelligent spokesman for an era that didn't pay attention to them. Here they address everything wrong with youth and their outsider status in society ("Kids Don't Follow", "Fuck School"), shitty jobs ("God Damn Job"), and anything else that they though was funny. The last pure punk output of their career. B+
Hootenanny:
Ladies and gentlemen, this is one of the birthing points of a little thing called alternative rock. "Color Me Impressed" serves as one of the first manifestos of the budding genre, and the rest of the album doesn't disappoint or drop in quality. A-
Let It Be:
Following in the wake of R.E.M.'s masterpiece Murmur (the first of the alternative genre), the 'Mats (with a little help from R.E.M.'s very own Peter Buck) topped it, creating what may be the defining album of not just alternative rock, but of the entire 80's. "I Will Dare" serves as one of the touchstones of college rock radio, and Westerberg shows his maturity as a songwriter on songs like the piano driven "Androgynous", and the fantastic "Answering Machine". They take cues from Ted Nugent ("Gary's Got a Boner"), and give a rousing rendition of KISS' "Black Diamond", which turns it into an introspective wonder. They really outdid themselves here (and even made a better Let It Be than the god damn Beatles). A+
Tim:
How do you follow up an album like Let It Be? You make a Tim. This album can go toe to toe with the former, and still make it look like a fierce challenge. "Kiss Me on the Bus" and "Bastards of Young" serve as choice cuts, and "Left of the Dial" serves as the eulogy for the independent radio station (despite that not being the intention of the lyrics). "Here Comes a Regular" is the standout track of the album, and perfectly closes the album. The lyrics are perhaps Paul's most poignant, and still resonate today. This was their final album with guitarist Bob Stinson, and his absence would be missed in the future. He was sloppy, yet brilliant, just like the band itself. A+
Pleased to Meet Me:
Not the type of follow-up that Tim was, but that doesn't mean that it was any less of an album. Westerberg pens a few classics here ("I.O.U.", "Alex Chilton", "The Ledge"), and the quality only dips slightly from their previous effort. It's still almost perfectly crafted. A
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