The Who getting the tribute treatment. Sounds kind of fun, but it isn't. Each of these groups offers a limp, commonplace variation on what bar bands have been cranking out since Keith Moon was still smashing tellies. Nearly every song sounds exactly like the original, only with less character, wit, energy, skill, and intelligence. It's easy to forgive no-names like Hyperhead, Telescopes and the Mess-- hell, they're looking for a break like everybody else-- but Swervedriver, Blur and Alex Chilton? Judging by these performances, they must have thought they were submitting demos for a Chevy Truck commercial.

So, then who covers who? The "best" cuts on Who Covers Who are the ones that are so bad they can't be boring. Among these, the Hinnies' take on "Baba O'Riley" is one for ages, as is the Buck Pets' version of "Bargain." The topper, though, is Mint 400's godawful reading of "Boris the Spider." Why would anybody want to cover this song, ever? Hey, that's an even better title for this compilation: Why Cover Who?

-Mark Richard-San