Serj Tankian and Tom Morello have formed a powerful Gang of Two to cover a classic Gang of Four song in tribute to Andy Gill.
The collaboration was teased last year and now it’s finally here. System of a Down’s Tankian and Rage Against the Machine’s Morello have united to show their respect for Gang of Four’s vocalist Gill. They performed the band’s ‘Natural’s Not in It’, which forms part of an upcoming tribute album.
Titled The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four, the collection is expected to be released later this year in May. A full track listing including all the involved musicians will be announced on January 14th.
‘Natural’s Not in It’ first appeared on the post-punk icon’s 1979 debut album Entertainment!. In a comment to Spin, Morello explained the influence Gill had: “Andy Gill was one of a handful of artists in history who changed the way guitars are played,” he said.
“His band Gang of Four were just incendiary and completely groundbreaking with Andy’s confrontational, unnerving and sublime playing at the forefront. His jagged plague-disco raptor-attack industrial-funk deconstructed guitar anti-hero sonics and fierce poetic radical intellect were hugely influential to me.”
Tankian added: “It was a real pleasure to work on this track with Tom and honor the legacy of Andy and Gang of Four at the same time.”
Gill passed away last February aged just 64. Although the cause of death was listed as multiple organ failure and pneumonia, he was later suspected to be among the first victims of COVID-19.
Love Rage Against The Machine?
Get the latest Rage Against The Machine news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
Tankian and Morello are of course no strangers to each other. In 2002, the pair formed the non-profit organisation Axis of Justice, its goal to bring musicians and fans together to fight for social justice. Two years later, they released Axis of Justice: Concert Series Volume 1, which contained performances by the likes of Flea, Chris Cornell, and Corey Taylor.
Check out ‘Natural’s Not in It’ (cover) by Tom Morello and Serj Tankian:
