I listened on, and their version kind of rocked. Like, I was glad they were playing a song that I had nearly forgotten about for the past 6 months. That said, there’s simply no way to reproduce the swirling guitar sounds of the late, great, Bob Stinson. No matter how good you are.

I checked youtube.com to see the band play it live. And, OMG, they even had the guts to play this song in Minneapolis This is something that very few American band would even consider. Pulling off this tune, and event telling the Minneapolis audience “you guys should be very proud of that song” takes some moxy, something that the Replacements had in bunches.

So in the end, I think The Cribs did right by this song. They put it out there, even tagging on the emphatic, repetitive chorus of “Get drunk, get drunk, get drunk, get drunk” at the end.

And if you are looking for other modern-day incarnations of the Replacements, check out The Whigs from Atlanta, Georgia. They got the same slept on hairdos and a touring schedule that includes nearly every campus ghetto in the US. Need more proof, their major label debut, “Mission Control”, features a picture of a guy who seems to have been pelted with a couple of eggs.

If you’re wondering who The Whigs cover, it’s usually Brit rockers, The Who just proving that bands can look across the pond for inspiration.

//sean s.