Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has released a cover of Neil Young's 1971 classic The Needle And The Damage Done. From an upcoming charity album released to raise funds for The Bridge School, Vedder's version is a little shorter than the original at just 1'45", but lacks none of its anguished poignancy.
The Needle And The Damage Done was originally written by Young in response to the heroin addiction suffered by several musician friends – including his bandmate, guitarist Danny Whitten, who would die of an overdose seven months after its release in April 1972.
Other tracks already released from Heart Of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young – the first of two planned volumes – include a reggae-fied version of Old Man by Stephen 'Son of Bob' Marley, Courtney Barnett’s take on Lotta Love and a cover of Southern Man by Chris Pierce. It's scheduled for release on April 25 and is available to pre-order now. Full tracklist below.
- "Did he ask me to write a song with him? I didn’t take that seriously. We’d had a few pints." The night Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder hung out 'til dawn with Bob Dylan in an Irish bar in New York
- “Neil is the only one that would be a big fan of the band and then get rid of Eddie”: how Pearl Jam and Neil Young came together to make Mirror Ball
The Bridge School was co-founded by Neil’s late ex-wife Pegi in 1986, and specialises in educating children with severe speech and physical impairments. Three years later, during the original golden age of tribute albums, The Flaming Lips, Nick Cave, Pixies, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and others contributed tracks to The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young, which also raised funds for the school.
Heart Of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young - Volume One
Brandi Carlile – Philadelphia
Fiona Apple – Heart of Gold
Mumford & Sons – Harvest
Eddie Vedder – The Needle and The Damage Done
Courtney Barnett – Lotta Love
Stephen Marley – Old Man
Sharon Van Etten – Here We Are In The Years
Lumineers – Sugar Mountain
The Doobie Brothers with Allison Russell – Comes A Time
Steve Earle – Long May You Run
Rodney Crowell – Mr. Soul
Anders Osborne – Cowgirl in the Sand
Charlie Greene – Such A Woman
Chris Pierce – Southern Man
