"The Ledge" by The Replacements

One of the greatest sins in the history of the music charts is the virtual absence of a band like The Replacements. Led by the songwriting genius of Paul Westerberg, the band only managed a single chart appearance at the twilight of their career together when "I'll Be You" peaked at #51 in 1989. Many other entities have recognized their hugely influential role in the annals of rock. For example, "Here Comes A Regular" and "I Will Dare" are both in the R&R Hall of Fame.

The band formed in Minneapolis in 1979 around brothers Bob and Tommy Stinson (who was a member of Guns N' Roses from 1998-2014, and also side bands Bash & Pop, and Perfect). They released their first album in 1981, a raw thrash record called "Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash." The band's sound quickly evolved as they began to incorporate new genres into their songwriting, and Westerberg was growing into a talented lyricist with a knack for snark and wordplay. He'd soon be tackling issues of addiction, suicide, spousal abuse, politics, and more. The band's 1984 album "Let It Be" is widely considered to be one of the best of the era. The album was not a commercial success at the time, but did get the band signed to the major label Sire.

Two more back-to-back masterpieces would follow with "Tim" and "Pleased To Meet Me." In-between those records, the band dismissed Bob Stinson since he showed clear disdain for the less rocking songs and suffered major issues with substance abuse (which took his life in 1995). Slim Dunlop replaced him for the rest of the band's career, which included two more albums, "Don't Tell A Soul" and "All Shook Down." While these two albums are gems in their own way, they were a far cry from The Replacements of old and more like solo efforts from Westerberg.

Picking a single song to highlight their brilliance is nearly impossible. They're one of the few bands in which every song they've ever done is worthy of a listen. Nonetheless, I'm going with "The Ledge," a track about solitude and suicide from 1987's "Pleased To Meet Me." This haunting song should have broken the band, but the video was banned from MTV. Not because of the visuals (in true Replacements style, the video just shows the band hanging out on a sofa and chairs), but due to the lyrics alone.