"33 1/3: The Replacements' 'Let It Be' "

I listened to an audiobook version of Colin Meloy's bookI just finished my third installment of the "33 1/3" series of audiobooks in which famous or semi-famous people review classic albums.

I had a mixed experience with the first two.

Warren Zanes'  "33 1/3" take on Dusty Springfield's "Dusty in Memphis" was just awful because it never really got into the music at hand. Bill Janovitz's breakdown of The Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street" was much better, offering a straightforward analysis of an album that seems to get better as the years go by.

But Colin Meloy's "33 1/3" take on The Replacements' "Let It Be" was a surprise, in a good way. I'm not much of a fan of The Decemberists, the band Meloy leads. But I am a big fan of The 'Mats, whose mix of crash-bang punk and touching lyrics powered me through college.

Meloy dives into his review from the vantage point of an awkward teen growing up in small-town Montana. It's a perfect match for "Let It Be," whose songs are both immature and emotionally vulnerable in trying to address the mystery and agony of adolescence. There were more than a few segments where I felt Meloy was describing slices of my childhood. Like the first few listens of "Let It Be," I felt like someone finally understood me.

I like The Decemberists -- when they're doing someone else's songs

I’m not much of a Decemberist fan. They’re good, and I find their music enjoyable enough. But nothing I've bought or heard keeps me coming back for more.

You Ain't No Picasso has dozens of great cover songs from The Decemberists and Colin MeloyBut I do like the sense of adventure from the band and leader Colin Meloy, which shines in a collection of more than 50 Mp3s of live cover songs captured on a site called You Ain’t No Picasso. ((())

There’s a core group of songs from three performers: Morrissey/Smiths, Shirley Collins and Sam Cooke (?!?!). But there also are nuggets from Big Star (“Ballad of El Goodo”), Robyn Hitchcock, Soft Boys, Bad Company, Scud Mountain Boys, Brian Eno, Echo and the Bunnymen, Velvet Underground, Squeeze, ELO, Cheap Trick, Heart and The Outfield. Plus many more.

Song are OK, some good, some are great, some are muddy, some are crisp. But when you’re constantly pushing the edges, it’s all good in my book.