In April, the longtime Saturday Night Live music producer Hal Willner died from complications of COVID-19 at the age of 64. Before his death, Willner was working on his dream project: AngelHeaded Hipster, a tribute album dedicated to the music of glam gods T. Rex and their late mercurial frontman Marc Bolan. The compilation is finally coming out later this summer, and it features a truly head-spinning array of artists — Father John Misty, Joan Jett, U2 with Elton John — taking on Bolan’s songs. We’ve already posted Nick Cave’s version of “Cosmic Dancer” and Devendra Banhart’s take on “Scenesof,” and today, Kesha has dropped her cover of the classic 1972 anthem “Children Of The Revolution.”
Kesha, who released her High Road album earlier this year, has focused on the blues-rock stomp of the original “Children Of The Revolution,” and she’s turned it into a kind of bar-band howler. Kesha had some big-time help on the cover. The legandary MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer plays on the song, as do drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher, Elvis Costello’s longtime rhythm section. You can hear the cover and see some studio footage of them making it in the video below, and you can also hear the great original T. Rex version.
In a press release, Kesha says:
Through a stroke of luck, I met the incredibly talented and kind Hal Willner. We were in the same studio, and he said he liked my red nudie suit, and then when he mentioned that he was working on a project that involved honoring Marc Bolan, I excitedly started rambling about how much T. Rex has influenced my music and my style. Right there, we decided to record our own incarnation of “Children of the Revolution,” a motherfucker of a song! I’m excited for the world to finally hear it! This project was so exciting and important to the late great Hal, and I’m humbled to be a part of this project honoring one of the most magical artists of the 20th century.
AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs Of Marc Bolan And T. Rex is out 9/4 via BMG. Pre-order it here.
