The Buck Pets, gone and maybe "never heard" but clearly not forgotten.

Just got the August issue of Spin -- the one with Harpo Marx Jeff Tweedy on the cover -- and figured, well, sure, there's gotta be at least one Dallas band amongst "The 100 Greatest Bands You've (Probably) Never Heard." And, sure enough, there they are -- the Buck Pets, a mere 16 spots down on the alphabetically ordered list. Listed as their "key to obscurity," the tag "local heroes." No shit.

So what writes Steve Kandell in his brief remember-when about the shoulda-been-somebodies? This:

While the Replacements flailed, the door was open for less sozzled acts who also wore their hearts on their flannel sleeves. This Dallas band's 1990 album, Mercurotones, was ruggedly catchy, just a little slick, and unafraid to end with a "Skyway"-style ballad because, well, them's the rules.

And that's that. Probably a good time to go back and re-read Jeff's February piece about the boys. And dig out your copy of the eponymous debut, celebrating its 20th anniversary on a bar stool near you.