Jam of the Day – Long Long Long Animal Love

As a fan of both My Morning Jacket and George Harrison, when I heard about the first Jim James solo EP where he covers some of George Harrison’s best songs, I was intrigued. James (the singer, songwriter and guitarist of My Morning Jacket) initially recorded the songs after George Harrison’s death in 2001 as a way of coping with his passing and paying tribute to his music. The resulting EP, Tribute To, is an intimate, beautiful homage that features simply James’ voice over acoustic guitar, and it does not disappoint.

James says that he wasn’t sure that the songs would ever be released until he was approached at a restaurant by animal rights activist, Jenny Brown, who asked him if he could perform a concert to benefit her animal sanctuary in Woodstock, NY. A few months later he decided to release the EP and donate a part of the proceeds to Ms. Brown’s Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. James saw a clear connection to the work of the sanctuary and the life that Harrison, an animal-lover and vegetarian, lived. As he told the Times, “George was one of those people that always seemed to be a good inspiration for other humans, seemed like he was a very socially conscious person, a very responsible person.”

The 6 song EP, released on Tuesday, includes covers of two songs that Harrison wrote for The Beatles, “Long Long Long” and “Love You To,” as well of four songs from Harrison’s critically acclaimed album All Things Must Pass, which was released after The Beatles broke up. You can preview and buy the whole EP here and listen to the original version of “Long Long Long” off of The Beatles White Album here. “Long Long Long” is, in my opinion, one of the great Beatles love songs and it’s often overlooked in their extensive catalog of hits. This cover is sure to remind people how beautiful Harrison’s lyrics really were.

Yim Yames – Long Long Long:

The above spelling is not a typo, by the way. Jim James decided to go by the moniker “Yim Yames” for his solo projects, I guess as a joke or something? Whatever makes you laugh dude…

-Melissa