According to consequence.net, Mark Knopfler has teamed up with host of fellow guitarists to record a version of his song, “Going Home (Theme from Local Hero),” to raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. Tom Morello, Jeff Beck, Tony Iommi and more are featured in the song.
Eric Clapton, Slash, David Gilmour, Pete Townshend, Alex Lifeson, Bruce Springsteen, Ronnie Wood, Joan Jett and others appear on the song as well. Most notably, the tune opens with the final recorded guitar track by the late Beck. Knopfler’s longtime collaborator, Guy Fletcher, handled the production of the track. The Sgt. Pepper‘s style artwork was created by Sir Peter Blake.
A 15 second trailer clip can be heard now and it teases how the multitude of guitarists trade off runs and fills. Additional instrumentation was provided by The Who Roger Daltrey on harmonica, The Beatles’s Ringo Starr trading off on drums with his son Zak Starkey and Sting filling out the rhythm section on bass.
The full song is set to be released digitally on March 15, along with physical versions on CD, deluxe CD/Blu-Ray and vinyl. People can pre order the single through Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes website.
While speaking of the song, Knopfler says: “What I really want to do, more than anything else, is just to thank each and every one for this sterling response. I really had no idea that it was going to be like this. It hit Guy [Fletcher] and I quite early on that we had to extend this piece somehow, to take in the number of people who joined in.”
The artist adds: “Before I knew where I was, Pete Townshend had come into my studio armed with a guitar and an amp. And that first Pete power chord… man, I tell you. We were in that territory, and it was just fantastic. And it went on from there. Eric [Clapton] came in, played great, just one tasty lick after another. Then Jeff Beck’s contribution arrived and that was spellbinding. I think what we’ve had is an embarrassment of riches, really. The whole thing was a high point.”
Photo Credit: Conny Chavez
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