The Replacements release the Tim: Let It Bleed Edition box set on Friday, which features a totally new mix of the album by famed rock producer Ed Stasium that puts back a lot of the oomph than a lot of people (including the band) found missing from producer Tommy Erdelyi’s mix on the original album. How did Stasium do it? A new 25-minute documentary takes Replacements biographer Bob Mehr into Ed’s KozyTone Studios to find out. A few details:
In the doc, Stasium discusses his long relationship and close collaboration with original Tim album producer, the late Tommy Erdelyi, aka Tommy Ramone, with whom he worked on a series of iconic Ramones records in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Stasium – who was originally considered to work on Tim in ’85 – said that revisiting the album nearly 40 years later brought him full circle and offered a unique opportunity to collaborate with Erdelyi once again. “He was over my shoulder the whole time I was working on this,” said Stasium of Erdelyi, who died in 2014. “I had him in my ear.”
The film also gets deep into the inner workings of the album, as Stasium digs into the multi-tracks of signature Replacements’ songs like “Bastards of Young,” “Little Mascara,” and “Left of the Dial.” Stasium demonstrates how the new mix of Tim restores the rhythmic power of drummer Chris Mars and bassist Tommy Stinson, brings an emotional clarity to singer Paul Westberg’s vocals, and adds fresh elements to the tracks, including additional contributions from lead guitarist Bob Stinson.
Watch the whole thing below.
