10 Overrated Rock Albums Of The 80s

There’s little more tedious than the punk rock community slating a band for having the temerity to try out a different genre, to extend their reach beyond the narrow confines of three songs and a boatload of attitude. So, to that end, The Replacements are worthy of praise for taking such a big step forward with their third studio album.

Still, Let It Be can’t help but feel like a naked attempt at commercial success, and more damagingly, simply a different band altogether. Indeed much of the album sounds more like a Paul Westerberg solo record than the ‘Mats of old.

They have every right to evolve, but opener “I Will Dare” and follow up “Favourite Thing” are drenched in radio friendly gloss, with bopalong riffs and sweet, uplifting methods. The Replacements were a band of the people due to their ramshackle nature combined with sharp songwriting skills, something they did perfectly on Hootenanny. Here, they went soft.

Let It Be is a quality album; at times, it’s even great. But their enhanced critical reputation came at the cost of throwing away so much of what made them great, and they rode that wave to their own destruction, getting blunter and less interesting from album to album.