Instant Karma (The Amnesty International Campaign To Save Darfur) [Digipak] - Various Artists

'Instant Karma: the campaign to save Darfur'
The latest charity effort in a good cause is actually a good record, for the most part, though it’s way too long.

It's a John Lennon tribute album featuring a veritable array of the music world's most prominent talents and will raise funds for Amnesty International's work to address the catastrophe in Darfur, Sudan.

Yoko Ono has granted rights to John Lennon's entire ...
...goes to the campaign. The album is a double CD release with classic John Lennon tracks reinterpreted by 27 artistes renowned artists.

The Green Day cover of "Working class hero" is on here, and is about as good as you could want, their big guitars and simple approach suiting the song very well.

On the whole, good bands do good covers while others walk through with their eyes shut. REM's "#9 dream" ... more

'Instant Karma: the campaign to save Darfur'
The latest charity effort in a good cause is actually a good record, for the most part, though it’s way too long.

It's a John Lennon tribute album featuring a veritable array of the music world's most prominent talents and will raise funds for Amnesty International's work to address the catastrophe in Darfur, Sudan.

Yoko Ono has granted rights to John Lennon's entire songbook to Amnesty International so that all the publishing revenue goes to the campaign. The album is a double CD release with classic John Lennon tracks reinterpreted by 27 artistes renowned artists.

The Green Day cover of "Working class hero" is on here, and is about as good as you could want, their big guitars and simple approach suiting the song very well.

On the whole, good bands do good covers while others walk through with their eyes shut. REM's "#9 dream" is about the best, though Jackson Browne’s “Oh my love” is close, and is beautiful.

Other tracks: U2 do a lacklustre cover of "Instant karma", Aerosmith ("Give peace a chance"), Jakob Dylan ("Gimme some truth) and Big and Rich ("Nobody told me") do good jobs and Christine Aguilera does well, though she warbles a bit at the end of "Mother".

Others are more iffy: biggest disappointment was Flaming Lips "Just like starting over", though it might grow on me. Weirdest is The Cure's "Love". Snow Patrol, Postal Service, Regina Spektor and Black Eyed Peas are also on here, plus many others.

In a good cause and out now. Burn your favourites for one good album. 

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