There are many building blocks of the internet, but the cornerstones are think pieces, offhand lists, and other hollow provocations meant to stir arguments and, therefore, briefly redirect web traffic. Engaging such material is utterly pointless. Then again, it’s not like I have anything better to do.

The pending release of a box-set revamp of Tim, the album that ushered the Replacements into the ranks of major label acts, has seemingly stirred more online chatter than previous vault rummaging on behalf of the band. Given that, I just knew that some media outlet would cave in and rank the albums issued by the Minneapolis miscreants. Turns out it was Spin that did the deed. But I masochistically can’t resist expressing my somewhat heretical view of the best Replacements record ever pressed, I now present my own take on the sterling seven studio albums (and the one live EP that Spin understandably included).

8. Stink (1982). This is a good place to note that there’s not a single recording on this list that I don’t adore like it’s a cherubic grandchild. So placing this live EP at the bottom is no slight. The Replacements roar through eight songs in less than fifteen minutes, a feat of hardcore discipline adorned in tatty clothes.

7. Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (1981). My affection for the band’s debut is greatly enhanced by the knowledge that Bob Odenkirk considers it his favorite album of all time. It’s explosive, raw, and messy, which makes it very Mats.

6. All Shook Down (1990). My inclination is to not even include this on a list of Replacements albums, because it was basically Paul Westerberg’s solo debut in every respect but the name on the cover. If it’s one of the weakest Replacements albums, it’s without a doubt the best solo record Westerberg made.

5. Don’t Tell a Soul (1989). This slick rock effort came out during my freshman year of college, so every bit of it is embedded in me all the way down to the marrow due to the procession of radio shifts at the student-run radio station I called home that found me plucking it from rotation and turning the studio monitors all the way up.

4. Hootenanny (1983). I love the grab bag feel of this album, clearly attributable to Westerberg at war with himself about what kind of songwriter he wanted to be, disaffected hooligan or pop craftsman. The album veers around like a jalopy skippered by a drunken monkey joyriding to a Thelma-and-Louise grand finale.

3. Let It Be (1984). This is the album that is the absolute consensus pick for the best the band ever made. I also think it’s amazing, but I think it’s topped by two other entries in their discography.

2. Tim (1985). It starts with the bouncing brilliance of “Hold My Life” and closes with the poignant poetry of “Here Comes a Regular,” and every last song in between is up to the astoundingly high levels of those bookends.

1. Pleased to Meet Me (1987). Call it a favorite or call it the best. As I’ve written before, if there’s a better rock ‘n’ roll record, I haven’t heard it.

I have chomped on digital bait before.