Joan Jett – “Jeepster” (T. Rex Cover)

Historically, things have worked out well when Joan Jett has covered UK glam-rock jams. That, after all, was what Jett was doing when she came out with “I Love Rock ‘N Roll,” her massive 1982 hit. So Jett was a natural for the forthcoming tribute compilation AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs Of Marc Bolan And T. Rex.

AngelHeaded Hipster is the passion project of the late Saturday Night Live music producer Hal Willner, and Willner spent years working on it. The release of AngelHeaded Hipster was finally announced in April, a few weeks after Willner died of coronavirus. We’ve already posted the T. Rex covers from Nick Cave, Devendra Banhart, and Kesha, and there are plenty of other big names on the compilation, including Father John Misty, Perry Farrell, Lucinda Williams, and U2 with Elton John. Today, we get to hear Jett’s take on “Jeepster,” T. Rex’s slippery and playful 1971 rockabilly jam.

Jett’s version of “Jeepster” is faithful to the original, though it sounds awfully different when delivered in Jett’s raspy strut-sneer. (Jett, as you would expect, makes sure that “Jeepster” is still a song about a girl.) Jett had an all-star band with her for the recording: Downtown guitar monster Marc Ribot, Dirty Three/Cat Power drummer Jim White, and pianist Thomas Bartlett, otherwise known as Doveman. Check out her version below, as well as the original.