Mark Knopfler’s new guest-packed charity single has arrived. Listen to their update of 1983’s “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)” below.
Featured performers include Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Peter Frampton, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Iommi, Joan Jett, Ringo Starr, Slash, Brian May, Joe Walsh and Sting, among others. Perhaps most interestingly, the single also includes the final recording by Jeff Beck before he died in January 2023.
Proceeds from “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)” go to the British charity TeenageCancer Trust, and its U.S. equivalent Teen Cancer America. The single is available for purchase now in compact disc, vinyl and digital formats.
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Once Knopfler decided to put together this benefit song with producer Guy Fletcher at West London’s British Grove Studios, the former Dire Straits star said famous friends suddenly flocked to the project. In all, some 60 guests ultimately participated. Knopfler’s update of “Going Home” kept getting longer and longer, to the point where the finished version now stretches to almost 10 minutes.
“I really had no idea that it was going to be like this,” Knopfler said in a news release. “Before I knew where I was, Pete Townshend had come into my studio armed with a guitar and an amp. And that first Pete power chord – man, I tell you. … And it went on from there. Eric [Clapton] came in, played great, just one tasty lick after another. Then Jeff Beck’s contribution arrived and that was spellbinding. I think what we’ve had is an embarrassment of riches, really.”
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The update opens with Beck’s historic final turn. “It was absolutely meant to be,” Fletcher added, “and what he did with it, it just brings you to tears.” The remaining running order of guests won’t be confirmed until the official video is released next week.
“Going Home” was originally the closing track from the soundtrack for Local Hero, a Bill Forsyth-directed film starring Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert, and served as the debut solo single by Knopfler. It wasn’t originally much of a hit, stopping at No. 56 in the U.K., but later became the club anthem for Newcastle United.
Knopfler previewed his new version of “Going Home” on March 2 before 50,000 fans at St. James Park before Newcastle United’s Premier League match against Wolverhampton.
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Gallery Credit: UCR Staff
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