Following his 2009 Tribute To George Harrison EP, Jim James has announced a special reissue of the album as well as an exciting follow up Tribute To 2 that will cover a vast array of musicians–both due out on December 8th via ATO Records. The new album, recorded over a number of years using all different equipment, features the My Morning Jacket frontman’s solo renditions of “Baby Don’t Go” by Sonny & Cher , “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” by Bob Dylan, “Wild Honey” by Diane Izzo, “Funny How Time Slips Away” by Willie Nelson, and “Lucky Man” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, among others.
To pair with this announcement, Jim James shares the first single from the collection, a Beach Boys composition, “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” from Pet Sounds. The press release confirms that James’ version of this song is inspired by Isaac Hayes’ “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” from 1969’s Hot Buttered Soul. While listening to the Jimmy Webb written track, James found himself singing the Beach Boys’ track.
“It gave me the idea to unite the music of these two different worlds,” James explains in a statement. “I believe that if people really listened, they would love so much music outside of the genre they normally listen to – and that alone could start to unite people. I had just written liner notes for a re-release of Hot Buttered Soul and was lucky enough to get my hands on the multi-track recordings of the album. So, I ripped apart ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix’ and put it back together again as ‘I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times.'”
Listen to Jim James’ “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” below:
The Tribute To reissue will come with new cover art along with a bonus track of Bob Dylan’s “If Not For You”, which was recorded during the same 2001 session following George Harrison’s death. Pre-orders for both Tribute To and Tribute To 2 are happening here.
As for the Tribute To reissue, it comes with new cover art as well as a bonus track — a cover of Dylan’s “If Not For You” — recorded during the same 2001 sessions that occurred following Harrison’s death. Pre-orders for both releases are going on here, and you can find the Tribute To 2 album info below.
Tribute To 2 Tracklist:
01. I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times (The Beach Boys)
02. Baby Don’t Go (Sonny & Cher)
03. Wild Honey (Dianne Izzo)
04. Midnight, the Stars and You (Ray Noble & Al Bowlly)
05. Crying in the Chapel (The Orioles)
06. Funny How Time Slips Away (Willie Nelson)
07. Love Is The Sweetest Thing (Ray Noble & Al Bowlly)
08. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (Bob Dylan)
09. Lucky Man (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
10. The World is Falling Down (Abbey Lincoln)
11. Blue Skies (Irving Berlin)