On the band's official website, a new rendition of the old-school tune "Rock Around The Clock" has been made available for download (and later removed) a few months ago.
Recorded by members of Pearl Jam (excluding Ed Vedder) to support Barack Obama, is titled "Rock Around Barack" and here's how Stone Gossard explain the aim of this cover:
"Hello everyone. This is a track I've been thinking about for a while. Rock Around The Clock was the first mainstream rock and roll hit in 1955 and it had a transforming effect on American music. At that time, rock and rhythm and blues music was traditionally only played on black radio.I am, by no means, an expert on the history of rock & roll, but this was a big deal.
The rhythm of rock music and its energy were so overwhelming that traditional barriers of race and culture broke down with an enormous crash. So here's to new energy, rock and the breaking down of cultural barriers: Barack Around The Clock!" |