The Replacements" 1981 debut, like the Stink EP that came on its heels, is laden with hardcore punk that was the flavor in underground rock of the time, albeit of a customized strain. Oddly enough, that sense of compromise is the source of the charm to both early Mats titles. The Minneapolis quartet play fast and loose here but aren"t inclined to display the discipline the leading lights of the movement boasted. Raggedness and humor are their fortes. One can almost picture Paul Westerberg smirking a bit at the sanctioned snotty sentiments he"s voicing. "I hate music!" he bellows in the song of the same name, only to add cheekily, "Got too many notes." "Customer," too, undermines pure-punk ethos with wisecracks. Though he more often writes screeds than actual songs, Westerberg"s burgeoning skills nevertheless surface in "Johnny"s Gonna Die," "Shiftless When Idle," and "I"m in Trouble." Sorry Ma isn"t necessarily a superior punk album, but it"s an exceedingly likable one. --Steven Stolder