The Replacements reportedly raised more than $100,000 on behalf of former guitarist Slim Dunlap, who suffered a stroke in 2012, with their limited-edition five-track Songs for Slim reunion EP, which went up for auction last month. Now, days ahead of the EP’s March 5 digital release, ‘Mats members Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson have offered their cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “I’m Not Sayin'” to the Internet, and, unsurprisingly, it sounds like a Replacements song. Armed with shambling guitar strums and non-committal pledges like “I’m not sayin’ I’ll be true / But I’ll try,” Westerberg and Stinson’s charming kiss-off wouldn’t feel out of place on 1987’s spit-shined Pleased to Meet Me.
The Songs for Slim EP will be out digitally on March 5, and available on 12-inch vinyl on April 16, courtesy New West Records. Proceeds from the EP went toward Dunlap’s medical expenses. The “Songs for Slim” charity effort is ongoing, as exclusive 7-inch singles featuring various artists covering Slim Dunlap songs go up for week-long auctions on the 15th of every month. Lucinda Williams, the Hold Steady’s Craig Finn, and Jakob Dylan are just some of the artists participating in the series.
Head over to Pitchfork to hear Westerberg and Stinson’s version of “I’m Not Sayin’,” and scroll down for Gordon Lightfoot’s original.
