Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian have teamed up to cover Gang of Four’s post-punk classic Natural’s Not In It.
The track will appear on a tribute to guitarist Andy Gill, who passed away in February 2020, entitled The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four.
Besides nailing Gill’s angular post-punk style, Morello’s particular brand of sonic mayhem is on fine form here, as he wrangles helicopter chops and spaceship collisions from his trademark Whammy, delay and Phase 90.
At the time of Gill’s death, Morello dubbed him, “One of my principal influences on the instrument as his jagged plague disco raptor attack industrial funk deconstructed guitar anti-hero sonics and fierce poetic radical intellect were formative for me.”
According to Gill’s widow, Catherine Mayer, Gill conceived the tribute album to celebrate 40 years of Gang of Four’s landmark album, Entertainment!.
“Andy loved what Tom and Serj did with this song, the fierceness of their attack and the jet-engine scream of feedback,” she told Spin.
“This was a track Andy always enjoyed performing. He said their version brilliantly captured all the explosive, danceable energy Natural’s Not In It can create in live performance.”
The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four is due out in May 2021. A full tracklisting will be unveiled on January 14.
For more info on Gill, check out our tribute to the post-punk pioneer who influenced a generation of guitarists.
