To be Released January 24, the Collection Features
"a genre-busting, cross-generational cast" (The New York Times)
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, 212-633-4150, [email protected]
(New York) — Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International will launch with a trio of national TV appearances by artists featured on the collection beginning Tuesday, Jan. 17. The album is scheduled for release on January 24 in North America and February 6 internationally. The 4-disc CD set will contain a total of 73 tracks while 76 tracks will be available via individual digital download and a bundled digital album. In addition, a two-disc CD set of Chimes of Freedom with 31 tracks will be available at Starbucks beginning January 24.
Tonight, January 17, Blake Mills (http://www.blakemillsonline.com/) will appear on "Conan" performing "Heart Of Mine," a song that originally appeared on Dylan's 1981 album Shot of Love.
The Avett Brothers (www.theavettbrothers.com) will play their rendition of "One Too Many Mornings" on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" this Thursday, January 19. Praised by MOJO as "All taut claw-hammer picking and impromptu magic," "One Too Many Mornings" opens Chimes of Freedom and was produced by Rick Rubin, who began with Johnny Cash's 1969 recording of the song and invited The Avett Brothers to add vocals.
Joe Perry (http://www.joeperry.com) will perform his contribution, "Man of Peace," a song from Dylan's 1983 album Infidels, on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on January 30.
Amnesty International has seen tremendous and generous international support from a wide variety of music retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Google Music, iTunes, Spotify, Starbucks, Target, the Independent Retail sector and many more.
Tracks from Chimes of Freedom can already be heard across the powerful NPR radio network such as KCRW-LA, KCSN-LA, WXPN-PHILLY, WFUV-NY, KCMP-MINN, KXT-DALLAS as well as on KLOS-LA, WDST-Woodstock, multiple SiriusXM satellite channels, Yahoo, alternative, AAA & internet radio and more.
"All the songs but one are previously unreleased, and some of the most interesting tracks — Silversun Pickups' spacey, hopeful 'Not Dark Yet,' an electro-pop-tinged 'I Want You' by the Mexican singer-songwriter Ximena Sariñana — display the kind of creative reinvention a project like this can inspire," said The New York Times in a feature that ran this past Sunday.
The Times article said: "Cage The Elephant lend a gently psychedelic warmth to the anti-racist The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll, while the task of re-imagining Political World (from 1989's Oh Mercy) falls to able neo-bluegrass band Carolina Chocolate Drops," observed MOJO, adding: "and who better than 92-year-old Pete Seeger to sing Forever Young. Pete Townshend has fun on a sweet-rolling Corrina, Corrina…Elvis Costello's License To Kill employs subtle dub stylings, while My Morning Jacket render a tender, pedal-steel imbued You're A Big Girl Now."
"Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello (as The Nightwatchman) turns 'Blind Willie McTell' into an electrified trip hop nightmare, The Gaslight Anthem bounce 'Changing Of The Guards' off the garage walls with abandon, and Queens Of The Stone Age simply swagger through 'Outlaw Blues' as if it had always been a Queens Of The Stone Age tune," noted Uncut while Daily Variety praised Ziggy Marley's "moving, acoustic rendition of 'Blowin' in the Wind'" and Kesha's "emotive, mostly a cappella rendition of 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right.'"
Chimes of Freedom is dedicated to the thousands of people worldwide who are imprisoned or threatened for the peaceful expression of their beliefs. All of the artists, session musicians, arrangers, engineers, producers and recording studios worked pro-bono to support the human rights cause.
Music executives Jeff Ayeroff and Julie Yannatta are the Executive Producers of Chimes of Freedom. (They previously fulfilled the same role on "Instant Karma" — Amnesty International's album of John Lennon songs.) Martin Lewis, who as Co-Creator/Producer of "The Secret Policeman's Ball" series, instigated Amnesty's outreach to musicians, is Contributing Producer. Executive Producers for Amnesty International are Helen Garrett and Karen Scott.
For the full track listing, visit https://www.amnestyusa.org/chimes.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than three million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. For more information, please visit: www.amnestyusa.org
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