By Laura Ferreiro
To mark Amnesty International’s 50th anniversary, the esteemed human rights organization released “Chimes of Freedom” – a 75-song compilation featuring renowned artists covering Bob Dylan. Sting, Pete Townshend, Tom Morello, Joan Baez and Pete Seeger all donated songs, as well as some more surprising contributors such as Miley Cyrus, Adele and Ke$ha (a self-professed Dylan fanatic), with all proceeds going toward Amnesty International.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, Amnesty has launched a special campaign to “share the love,” which spotlights people in the world who aren’t able to share their love the same way straight couples do. The promotion on Amnesty’s Facebook page allows you to share songs from “Chimes of Freedom” with your loved ones at no charge. Songs include it-girl Adele’s cover of “Make You Feel My Love,” Miley Cyrus covering “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go,” Sting doing “Girl From The North County” and Sugarland’s take on “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You.”
“This project recognizes an unprecedented show of support for the cause of human rights and the influence of Bob Dylan,” executive producer Julie Yannatta says of “Chimes of Freedom.”
“When we reached out, hardly any artist said no,” Yannatta told Music for Good. “They all thought it was an amazing project to be involved in. There was no recording budget or A&R budget. Every artist donated their art, skill, time and craft. The stars just aligned and the artists decided which track to cover. The album reflects the diversity and complexity of the Dylan songbook and the impact of the songbook on each of these artists.”
Founded in 1961, Amnesty International is a global movement of people fighting injustice and promoting human rights. It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its “campaign against torture” and the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.
Chimes of Freedom track listing:
DISC ONE
01 Raphael Saadiq – “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”
02 Patti Smith – “Drifter’s Escape”
03 Rise Against – “Ballad of Hollis Brown”
04 Tom Morello/The Nightwatchman – “Blind Willie McTell”
05 Pete Townshend – “Corrina, Corrina”
06 Bettye LaVette – “Most Of The Time”
07 Charlie Winston – “This Wheel’s On Fire”
08 Diana Krall – “Simple Twist of Fate”
09 Brett Dennen – “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”
10 Mariachi El Bronx – “Love Sick”
11 Ziggy Marley – “Blowin’ In The Wind”
12 The Gaslight Anthem – “Changing of the Guards”
13 Silversun Pickups – “Not Dark Yet”
14 My Morning Jacket – “You’re A Big Girl Now”
15 The Airborne Toxic Event – “Boots of Spanish Leather”
16 Sting – “Girl from the North Country”
17 Mark Knopfler – “Restless Farewell”
DISC TWO
01 Queens Of The Stone Age – “Outlaw Blues”
02 Lenny Kravitz – “Rainy Day Woman # 12 & 35″
03 Steve Earle & Lucia Micarelli – “One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)”
04 Blake Mills – “Heart Of Mine”
05 Miley Cyrus – “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”
06 Billy Bragg – “Lay Down Your Weary Tune”
07 Elvis Costello – “License To Kill”
08 Angelique Kidjo – “Lay, Lady, Lay”
09 Natasha Bedingfield – “Ring Them Bells”
10 Jackson Browne – “Love Minus Zero/No Limit”
11 Joan Baez – “Seven Curses (Live)”
12 The Belle Brigade – “No Time To Think”
13 Sugarland – “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You (Live)”
14 Jack’s Mannequin – “Mr. Tambourine Man”
15 Oren Lavie – “4th Time Around”
16 Sussan Deyhim – “All I Really Want To Do”
17 Adele – “Make You Feel My Love (Recorded Live at WXPN)”
DISC THREE
01 K’NAAN – “With God On Our Side”
02 Ximena Sariñana – “I Want You”
03 Neil Finn with Pajama Club – “She Belongs to Me”
04 Bryan Ferry – “Bob Dylan’s Dream”
05 Zee Avi – “Tomorrow Is A Long Time”
06 Carly Simon – “Just Like a Woman”
07 Flogging Molly – “The Times They Are A-Changin’”
08 Fistful Of Mercy – “Buckets Of Rain”
09 Joe Perry – “Man Of Peace”
10 Bad Religion – “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”
11 My Chemical Romance – “Desolation Row (Live)”
12 RedOne featuring Nabil Khayat – “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”
13 Paul Rodgers & Nils Lofgren – “Abandoned Love”
14 Darren Criss featuring Chuck Criss and Freelance Whales – “New Morning”
15 Cage the Elephant – “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll”
16 Band of Skulls – “It Ain’t Me, Babe”
17 Sinéad O’Connor – “Property Of Jesus”
18 Ed Roland and The Sweet Tea Project – “Shelter From The Storm”
19 Ke$ha – “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”
20 Kronos Quartet – “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”
DISC FOUR
01 Maroon 5 – “I Shall Be Released”
02 Carolina Chocolate Drops – “Political World”
03 Seal & Jeff Beck – “Like A Rolling Stone”
04 Taj Mahal – “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream”
05 Dierks Bentley – “Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) (Live)”
06 Mick Hucknall – “One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)”
07 Thea Gilmore – “I’ll Remember You”
08 State Radio – “John Brown”
09 Dave Matthews Band – “All Along the Watchtower (Live)”
10 Michael Franti – “Subterranean Homesick Blues”
11 We Are Augustines – “Mama, You Been On My Mind”
12 Lucinda Williams – “Tryin’ To Get To Heaven”
13 Kris Kristofferson – “Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)”