Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and System of a Down’s Serj Tankian have joined forces for a cover of Gang of Four’s classic ‘Natural’s Not in It’. Their rendition appears on an upcoming Gang of Four tribute album called The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four, which is due out in May. Listen to Tom Morello and Serj Tankian’s version of ‘Natural’s Not in It’ below.
The cover was released in honor of what would have been late guitarist Andy Gill’s 65th birthday. The legendary Gang of Four guitarist passed away in February 2020 from pneumonia brought on by a respiratory illness.
“Andy Gill was one of a handful of artists in history who changed the way guitars are played,” Morello told Spin in December when the tribute compilation was first announced. “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.”
In a press release, Gill’s widow Catherine Mayer said: “Andy loved what Tom and Serj did with this song, the fierceness of their attack and the jet-engine scream of feedback. This was a track Andy always enjoyed performing. He said their version brilliantly captured all the explosive, danceable energy Natural’s Not In It can create in live performance.”
Serj 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.”
