3-Way Tie (For Last)

Though 3-Way Tie (For Last) would turn out to be the final Minutemen album—D. Boon died in a van accident just days after its release—the album’s eclecticism points to the different directions the trio might have taken had its lifespan not been cut short. In a somewhat alarming division for a group that so prized unity, the album is separated into a D. Boon side and a Mike Watt side. While Boon’s side offers the exotic acoustic shuffle of “The Big Stick,” his best moments are covers: The Meat Puppets’ “Lost” and a surprisingly personal spin on John Fogerty’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” The majority of the album is given over to Watt’s diverse interests. His side contains spoken word (“Spoken Word”), rap (“No One”), folk (“Stories”), free jazz (“Situations at Hand”), and samba guitar (“Hittin’ the Bong”). On the poppy “What Is It,” the trio’s old instrumental frisson snaps into place. While 3-Way Tie came out in pieces more than a unified album, true fans can put together those pieces and imagine the sound of the follow-up that never came to be.