Idolator
Time for another installment of the Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda Files, where we raid our archives in search of a lost gem.
Artist: Tommy Stinson
Song: "Not A Moment Too Soon"
What happened: Stinson is best know for being the bassist in a famously self-destructive band with an inscrutable lead singer; he also plays with Guns N' Roses. In 2004, he released Village Gorilla Head, a solo album with a terrible name and at least one great tune.
Why it should have been a hit: With its crisp opening guitar line and "I love you, baby, but it's tough" theme, "Soon" could have been a later-era Replacements tune. So, actually, it never really had a chance of being a hit either way. But it's still better than anything from that Westerberg album with all the cartoon bears or whatever:
Tommy Stinson - Not A Moment Too Soon [MP3, link expired]
Comments
Great pick guys! Personally, I've always felt that Tommy Stinson's post-'Mats output has been criminally overlooked.
Sure, Bash and Pop was mostly B-grade Replacements, but the band still cranked out at least a FEW catchy tunes ("Loose Ends" and "Friday Night Is Killing Me" come to mind). Then you have Perfect, a band that could have been huge but got derailed by label in-fighting. The band's debut LP finally saw the light of day in 2004 (now titled Once, Twice, Three Times a Maybe), but by then Tommy was knee-deep in the circus that is G&R redux.
At any rate, Village Gorilla Head has at least 5 tracks that would make 'Mats fans drool, had they been penned by St. Paul. Coulda Shoulda Woulda indeed.
Between Bash & Pop, Perfect, and this, Tommy's entire career qualifies as a shoulda-coulda-woulda file, doesn't it?
I whole-heartedly love that Bash & Pop record most of all. I seriously thought after the 'Mats broke up, that Tommy was going to turn out to be the solo winner (but he's kind of squandered his time).
It wasn't completely his fault - Perfect's album was shelved for years, and now Sanctuary has pretty much folded.
I love the Bash & Pop CD, I've had an unshakable bond with Tickled To Tears since the first moment I heard it. That was released within a couple of months of Westerberg's 14 Songs- probably the best Replacements period since Tim.
I'm not a big fan of VGH, and haven't listened for a couple of years, but I seem to remember Home Without A View (sic?) being my favourite. Very Westerberg-like, vocally.
I'll take Bash & Pop (which I love), Perfect or the "Open Season" soundtrack over this album any day of the week. Shows in support of the album were hit and miss (not that they influence my opinion of the album). When The Figgs were his backing band it rocked. When Alien Crime Syndicate was the backing band it was tragic.
Glad to see a mention for Paul Westerberg's fine Open Season soundtrack. For all the "this is what my fans have been waiting for" hype Folker received, that album just felt forced. I guess in typical Westerberg fashion, he wrote the better songs for a record he figured few would hear.
"Something's Wrong" is another good jam from this album.
Can we next release Chris Mars' "Horseshoes and Hand Grenades" from The Vault? "Popular Creeps" or "Reverse Status" would do nicely
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