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The second of the 331/3 series I've now read, I picked Let it Be up for a couple of reasons. Specifically, my fandom of the Decemberists and of Colin Meloy’s other writings, and the fact that the Replacements are a pretty legendary group here in the Twin Cities. Even if I never heard of, or listened to the Replacements as a kid, they jumped pretty high on the list of local groups to check out once I became obsessed with local music in my twenties. Let it Be, their third album, became an iconic piece of the burgeoning college rock experience during the ‘80s and a forerunner to much contemporary indie rock, so I was looking forward to learning Meloy’s analysis of their influence.
Colin Meloy’s reflections on the album turned out to be a rather personal, nostalgic memory of Meloy’s middle school years, when music began to affect and shift his life, the Replacements among them. It was fun getting to know a little more about Meloy’s upbringing in isolated Helena, Montana and his influences. On the other hand, it’s not the deepest account, either. It’s easy to see that this is an early work in Meloy’s writing career. All in all, I felt that Let it Be could have used more analysis of the Replacements themselves, though, and though I enjoyed learning more about Meloy’s musical past, I was a little disappointed by the relative lack of discussion of the album itself.
Colin Meloy’s reflections on the album turned out to be a rather personal, nostalgic memory of Meloy’s middle school years, when music began to affect and shift his life, the Replacements among them. It was fun getting to know a little more about Meloy’s upbringing in isolated Helena, Montana and his influences. On the other hand, it’s not the deepest account, either. It’s easy to see that this is an early work in Meloy’s writing career. All in all, I felt that Let it Be could have used more analysis of the Replacements themselves, though, and though I enjoyed learning more about Meloy’s musical past, I was a little disappointed by the relative lack of discussion of the album itself.