The Replacements are releasing a one disc greatest hits on June 13 in the US through Rhino. It’s called Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was? The Best of the Replacements. It features two new tracks, one of which was recently premiered on US radio and hit the internet within 5 hours! You can also download mp3s of the entire Tommy Stinson interview here. It’s a great interview, and gets pretty uncomfortable at times. The Replacements rocked, but they were always better at showing you than tellng you.
Rhino has been working on the Replacements catalogue for some years now and this is the first result. According to another interview with Tommy, Rhino are preparing a box set that includes the Ryko material as well as a DVD. At times it seems like it’s going to be a box of all the albums, and at other times it seems like it’s going to be a standard 4 disc package. Who knows. Either way, we’ll be seeing the individual albums soon.
As for the song? It’s pretty fantastic. It’s a big riff, sing-along rocker, very much touching on the Pleased To Meet Me era of the Replacements. But it’s hard not to think of this as a simple placeholder. We’re waiting for the real treats that will hopefully be on this long promised boxed set.
MP3: The Replacements – Message To the Boys
– From Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was? The Best Of the Replacements (Rhino, 2006)