Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
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Music CD Cover
Composer: John LennonEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-06-12
Music Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Instant Karma -- U2
- #9 Dream -- R.E.M.
- Mother -- Christina Aguilera
- Give Peace A Chance -- Aerosmith with Sierra Leone Refuge All-Stars
- Cold Turkey -- Lenny Kravitz
- Whatever Gets You Through the Night -- Los Lonely Boys
- I'm Losing You -- Corinne Bailey Rae
- Gimme Some Truth -- Jakob Dylan Feat. Dhani Harrison
- Oh, My Love -- Jackson Browne
- Imagine -- Avril Lavigne
- Nobody Told Me -- Big & Rich
- Jealous Guy -- Youssou N'Dour
- Working Class Hero -- Green Day
- Power to the People -- Black Eyed Peas
- Imagine -- Jack Johnson
- Beautiful Boy -- Ben Harper
- Isolation -- Snow Patrol
- Watching the Wheels -- Matisyahu
- Grow Old With Me -- Postal Service
- Gimme Me Some Truth -- Jaguares
- (Just Like) Starting Over -- The Flaming Lips
- God -- Jack's Mannequin feat. Mick Fleetwood
- Real Love -- Regina Spektor
Free Music Notes for Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Free Music Review: A Worthy Cause, but Unworthy Renditions....
Hit: 2 Stars
There is one thing that this collection makes abundantly clear: Lennon was a master ARRANGER above everything else. It seems no one could do it like John. With only a few exceptions, the artists paying tribute here seem uncomprehending of the melodic perfection John bestowed upon his creations, thus giving them their power.
I'm sorry to say that the majority of these renditions are beyond butchered. Now, I'm well aware that for a collection like 'Instant Karma' to work, the artists had to stamp their own style on their particular cover, which is what they did. To my experienced ears, however, only a small number succeeded in doing this properly.
-------The good ones-------
1.)Los Lonely Boys - 'Whatever Gets You Through the Night':
A great example of how to keep in tune with the original melody and at the same time evoke a sound similar to your own creation, in this case, 'How Far Is Heaven?'. Well done boyos!
2.)Green Day - 'Working Class Hero':
Same as above.
3.) Snow Patrol - 'Isolation':
I LOVED this cover, especially how they reworked the lonely and solitary piano line into fast acoustic playing, making the song just as ominous as the original but in a new way. My only complaint is that they skip some lyrics "you're just a human, a victim of the insane". Why?
4.) Matisyahu - 'Watching the Wheels':
Not anything spectacular, but the tune is just so perfect that any rendition may have succeeded.
5.) The Flaming Lips - '(Just Like) Starting Over':
This is the perfect band to cover this song. Wayne's voice is perfect for it. Very well done.
6.) Regina Spektor - 'Real Love':
Again, like 'Watching the Wheels', this tune is so uniquely beautiful that any rendition may suffice. She has a nice voice and I'm tempted to check out her own work.
---The bad ones---
1.) The Postal Service - 'Grow Old With Me'
No amount of apology is sufficient for what was done to this gem. This is my favorite John song, his most moving and tear inducing. But this group saw fit to turn it into an electronic funeral dirge that makes one want to jump off a bridge. What a wasted opportunity!
2.) Jakob Dylan - 'Gimme Some Truth':
Dylan apparently can't grasp the anger and power of the original. No wonder, he doesn't sound like he has a vitriolic bone in his body. That is usually a good thing, but not when it comes to covering songs DRIPPING with it. Bleh.
3.) Jaguares - 'Gimme Some Truth':
TWO covers of this mighty song on this album, and still no real anger! Come on folks, you'll never save Darfur with this half-***edness!
That leaves the rest, which I can only describe as good efforts, but just off-tune or off emotionally to keep them from being truly worthy covers. In conclusion, I think this album demonstrates that modern artists need to take a MUCH closer listen to Lennon's production values. Therein lies the power that changed the world once......
p.s, Why didn't anyone cover 'Love', 'Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out', 'Remember', or 'Free As a Bird'?
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur Poster
John Lennon would have turned 67 in 2007. If alive, he could well be at the forefront of bringing peace to Darfur, where more than half a million have died from violence and disease during four years of rebel discord. So to create awareness of the ongoing conflict, Amnesty International (with permission from Yoko Ono) has mined Lennon's solo work and rounded up nearly two dozen current artists to reinterpret the music, which spans the ex-Beatle's entire post-band catalog (plus a pair from while the Fab Four were still in business). As with any attempt to cover Beatles-related music, results are hit and miss, with kudos going to Snow Patrol and the Postal Service for capturing the starkness of "Isolation" and "Grow Old with Me," respectively, Mexican rock band Jaguares for uncovering the fear and fury in "Gimme Some Truth," and (surprise!) Christina Aguilera for nailing the complex composition and mood of "Mother." Other highlights include Jackson Browne's piano-led "Oh My Love," Green Day's louder straight take on "Working Class Hero," and the Black Eyed Peas turning "Power to the People" into a gospelly protest. Will resurrecting 30-to-40-year-old messages of peace and love be enough to help end the brutalities in Darfur? That remains to be seen. But selecting John Lennon as the author of those messages will make people listen and, with this collection, may keep them listening. --Scott HolterFeaturing songs by the iconic John Lennon newly recorded by some of today's biggest as well as emerging artists, Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur is a major benefit-album project. In an effort to mobilize activism around this catastrophe, musicians unite to save lives. Some of the biggest artists in the world, along with today's emerging artists, all coming together for an unprecedented, brilliant collection of JOHN LENNON "covers." Proceeds from the campaign will go directly to support Amnesty International's urgent work on Darfur and other human rights crises worldwide.
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