Full Details About Lennon Tribute Album Revealed
The complete track listing has been announced for the John Lennon tribute album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign To Save Darfur, which is due June 12. The two-disc, 21-track set will include Jackson Browne's rendition of "Oh My Love," as well as previously announced contributions from Aerosmith, U2 and R.E.M. Proceeds raised will go toward Amnesty International's initiative against the Darfur genocide. Dozens of other recordings -- including one by Ozzy Osbourne -- will be sold as digital downloads to benefit the campaign.



from MarketWire.com--



Artists Unite in Donating Tracks to "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur," to Be Released by Warner Bros. Records June 12

Historic Double CD Features More Than 20 John Lennon Songs Recorded by U2, Green Day, R.E.M., Avril Lavigne, Big & Rich, Christina Aguilera, Snow Patrol, Corinne Bailey Rae, Regina Spektor and More; Tracks by Additional Artists Such as Duran Duran, Deftones, Ozzy Osbourne and Willie Nelson -- More Than 50 in All -- Available for Digital Download

BURBANK, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- April 30, 2007 -- In an historic effort to mobilize activism around the human rights atrocities occurring in Darfur, Sudan, more than 50 international recording artists and over 30 record labels have united behind "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur." The collection features iconic songs by legendary musician and peace activist John Lennon recorded by an array of best-selling artists and will be available for purchase both on CD and as digital downloads via online retailers.

In keeping with its long tradition of activism powered by music, Amnesty International, the world's largest grassroots human rights organization, will use Yoko Ono's generous gift of Lennon's solo catalogue as the centerpiece of its campaign to rally activists toward human rights activism for the people of Darfur. The "Instant Karma" mobilization centers on saving the lives of innocent women, children and men who are dying by the thousands and restoring peace in the region.

The two-CD set of "Instant Karma," which will be released by Warner Bros. Records on June 12, boasts a stellar line-up of 23 world-class artists from a variety of genres putting their own unique spin on classic songs from Lennon's solo songbook. The artists -- who come from the worlds of rock, pop, hip-hop and country -- include longtime activists U2 ("Instant Karma"), Green Day ("Working Class Hero"), R.E.M. ("#9 Dream") and Jackson Browne ("Oh My Love"); female pop powerhouses Christina Aguilera ("Mother"), Avril Lavigne ("Imagine"), and Corinne Bailey Rae ("I'm Losing You"); country stars Big & Rich ("Nobody Told Me"); alternative favorites Snow Patrol ("Isolation"), The Flaming Lips ("(Just Like) Starting Over"), Postal Service ("Grow Old With Me") and Regina Spektor ("Real Love"); best-selling rockers Aerosmith ("Give Peace a Chance"), Lenny Kravitz ("Cold Turkey") and Los Lonely Boys ("Whatever Gets You Thru the Night"); and pensive singer-songwriters Jakob Dylan with Dhani Harrison ("Gimme Some Truth") and Ben Harper ("Beautiful Boy").

The rights to Lennon's songs were generously donated by Yoko Ono, who has donated all music publishing royalties. Amnesty International chose to harness the power of Lennon's music to inspire a new generation of activists to stand up for human rights. Proceeds from CD and digital sales will support Amnesty International and its campaign to focus attention and mobilize activism around the urgent catastrophe in Darfur, and other human rights crises.

"It's wonderful that, through this campaign, music that is so familiar to many people of my era will now be embraced by a whole new generation," Ono says. "John's music set out to inspire change, and in standing up for human rights, we really can make the world a better place."

Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International U.S.A., adds, "We know music's power to unite and inspire people. With hundreds of thousands dead, millions driven from their burned out villages and rape being used as a tactic in the Darfur conflict, the world needs a mass mobilization demanding action and justice. The 'Instant Karma' campaign combines John Lennon's passionate desire for us to imagine a more peaceful world with Amnesty International's expertise in achieving justice. 'Instant Karma' allows ordinary people to lend their hand in saving lives -- a notion we think would make John proud."

"John Lennon was not just a famous Beatle, he was the social conscience of his generation," says Jeff Ayeroff, one of the album's executive producers. "By reinterpreting his music and reintroducing it to a new generation, we shine a light on the darkness that is Darfur. Yoko Ono's gift of John's music to Amnesty International, whose work points out the pain and injustice in the world, is a true beacon of light. Give peace a chance is all we are saying."

Winner of the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize, Amnesty International includes people from all walks of life taking action and is composed of more than 2.2 million human rights activists worldwide. Its members protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. Amnesty International investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public and helps transform societies to create a safer, more just world.

Amnesty International has a long history of activism involving musicians including 1988's worldwide Human Rights Now! Tour and 1998's Paris concert, which honored the 40th and 50th anniversaries of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, respectively. Collectively, the concerts featured performances by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, Youssou N'Dour, Alanis Morissette, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and Radiohead.

For more information about "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur" or Amnesty International, please visit InstantKarma.org in the United States or http://www.amnesty.org/noise outside the United States.




"Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur"

Disc One:

U2 -- "Instant Karma"
R.E.M. -- "#9 Dream"
Christina Aguilera -- "Mother"
Aerosmith -- "Give Peace A Chance"
Lenny Kravitz -- "Cold Turkey"
Los Lonely Boys -- "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night"
Corinne Bailey Rae -- "I'm Losing You"
Jakob Dylan featuring Dhani Harrison -- "Gimme Some Truth"
Jackson Browne -- "Oh My Love"
Big & Rich -- "Nobody Told Me"


Disc Two:

Green Day -- "Working Class Hero"
Black Eyed Peas -- "Power to the People"
Jack Johnson -- "Imagine"
Snow Patrol -- "Isolation"
Matisyahu -- "Watching the Wheels"
Ben Harper -- "Beautiful Boy"
Postal Service -- "Grow Old With Me"
Jaguares -- "Gimme Some Truth"
Avril Lavigne -- "Imagine"
The Flaming Lips -- "(Just Like) Starting Over"
Regina Spektor -- "Real Love"




http://www.instantkarma.org

http://www.amnesty.org/noise

http://www.wbr.com

SOURCE: Warner Bros. Records

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Cover art and pre-order listing, still kinda bare-bones at the moment:



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PMG9G2/?tag=imwan-20

Avril Lavigne? Christina Aguilera?
My question is, couldn't they have found others more fitting to John's songs than these two?

Exactly how do they not "fit" Lennon's music?

Not a fan of either, but Aguilera has a great voice. Lavigne to me is a fake punk rock poser.

This is coming out on Tuesday ~ here's the finalised tracklisting:

Disc: 1
1. Instant Karma - U2
2. #9 Dream - R.E.M.
3. Mother - Christina Aguilera, Bigelf
4. Give Peace a Chance - Aerosmith, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
5. Cold Turkey - Lenny Kravitz
6. Whatever Get You Through the Night
7. I'm Losing You - Corinne Bailey Rae
8. Gimme Some Truth - Jakob Dylan, Dhani Harrison
9. Oh, My Love - Jackson Browne
10. Imagine - Avril Lavigne
11. Nobody Told Me - Big & Rich
12. Jealous Guys - Youssou N'Dour

Disc: 2
1. Working Class Hero - Green Day
2. Power to the People - Black Eyed Peas
3. Imagine
4. Beautiful Boy
5. Isolation - Snow Patrol
6. Watching the Wheels - Matisyahu
7. Grow Old with Me - The Postal Service
8. Gimme Some Truth
9. (Just Like) Starting Over - The Flaming Lips
10. God - Mick Fleetwood, Jack's Mannequin
11. Real Love - Regina Spektor

>> 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. <<

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PMG9G2/?tag=imwan-20

I got my early copy yesterday at 'Rama. Just got done listening to the first disc, pretty darn good. Even Aguilera turns in a credible performance. Bono avoids histrionics on "Instant Karma," "#9 Dream" by REM is, well, dreamy, and it's fun to hear Steven Tyler spit out the rapid-fire lyrics to "Give Peace a Chance" over a reggae beat. Kravitz slows down "Cold Turkey" with a bluesy feel, and Jackson Browne's "Oh, My Love" ane Youssou N'Dour's "Jealous Guy" are both lovely.

i'll be getting this on tuesday for sure.

renny

ITunes has a boatload of exclusive tracks associated with this release (it's unclear right now if they'll be available for single download), and Borders has an exclusive edition, too (with Willie Nelson's "Imagine" among the bonus tracks). Finally (to my knowledge, at least!), there's a two-track disc available at select independent retailers with the Cure's "Love" and the Raveonettes' "One Day At A Time". Whew!

I'm getting old. The only artist on there that matters to me in 2007 is Jackson Browne.
U2 & Aerosmith mattered to me through the mid 80's. Aguilera actually has a stunning voice, but her artistic choices (likely made for her by someone else) have been wretched.

where did you find the info about borders bonus tracks?

also, willie nelson's "imagine" would make three different versions of that song on this CD.

renny

im sure they just got who ever showed interest. the point of this isnt to do justice to music, if you want hear it in its correct manner than you buy then lennon albums. the point of this is to raise money. the wider variety of names they get the more money they can raise.

I heard all of this release this morning - these new versions have a wonderful vibe to them... a great listen!

Regina Spektor's take on "Real Love" is hauntingly beautiful! Wow!

Steve

Has anyone had a chance to listen to this yet? I picked mine up yesterday, and I've made it through most of the first cd. So far, it's terrific. I particularly like "Gimme Some Truth" by Jacob Dylan and Dhani Harrison. Can't wait to hear disc two.

i just bought his, and i must say the packaging is extremely cheap.

i understand it is a tribute and the money is going for a good cause, but i can see the edges of the CD's sticking out of the end of the digipack before i have even removed the shrink wrap.

i'm hoping that the taking off the wrap will make it easier to put the discs in all the way, not harder.

and yes every CD at best buy was like that.

renny

What happened to the tracks on iTunes? I got up this morning and was gonna just download the U2, Lenny Kravitz & Duran Duran (already got the R.E.M. & Green Day) and when I hit the 'purchase' button it said "No longer available" and now nothing is even mentioned on iTunes about it.

the borders release has 2 additional songs:

The Borders exclusive edition of this historic benefit project contains two additional unreleased tracks, Willie Nelson performing "Imagine", and Angelique Kidjo performing "Happy Xmas (War is Over)".

found this on their website, finally.

Do I assume correctly that there is not a 3 CD version of this anywhere, import or otherwise, and the only way to get all the tracks is to I-tune the missing tracks from the official CD release?

If you go to the Warner Bros. online record store and order it with your American Express card, you also get a free "Amex 6 Track bonus CD featuring Maroon 5, Josh Groban and more." Nothing there tells you what songs those two do or who else is on there, but you'll be paying $21.98 for the package. The Maroon 5 tune is likely to be "Happy Xmas."

I have been trying to find the download-only tracks to purchase of Duran Duran's "Instant Karma" and a-ha's "#9 Dream" today, but to no avail. The a-ha site says their track will be included on all versions outside North America, but the listings on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de do not back up that claim. If anyone has or comes across info on those two tracks, please post the details. Thanks.

this release is a real clusterf**k to say the least.

then they wonder why people don't buy CD's anymore.

why not just put all the songs on one package, charge what you charge and be done with it.

there are at least 4 different places with songs from this, and not one place where you can get them all.

it's bullsh*t.

renny

I'm not interested in getting all the songs, just the ones from the people I like.

just wondering if anyone likes this cover done by Los Lonely Boys? I'm one of their biggest fans, just curious.

Selina