A classic tribute album of Western music. A highly recommended pick.
What comes to mind when you hear the term “tribute album”? Generally, a tribute album focuses on a legendary artist or band—sometimes a lyricist or composer—with multiple artists performing covers of their classic songs.
In this article, I’ve chosen a timeless, highly recommended tribute album in Western music featuring contributions from various artists and bands.
Tribute albums aren’t often introduced in this way, so please enjoy this opportunity!
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A classic among tribute albums of Western music. A recommended pick (1–10).
Like A Rolling StoneBob Dylan
In 2021, even at the age of 80 and with a new tour announced, Bob Dylan remains a living legend and a fully active musician.
Since his debut in 1962, Dylan has consistently stayed at the forefront of the scene, earning admiration not only from his peers but also from artists and creators beyond the world of music.
Several tribute albums have been released themed around Bob Dylan, and the one we’re looking at here, Chimes of Freedom, is a relatively recent release from 2012.
It’s a tribute album commemorating the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International, notable for its massive scope: a four-CD set with a total of 73 tracks.
The diverse lineup, spanning genres and generations, is evident just from scanning the credits.
For example, it’s rare to see an artist like Patti Smith— a singer-songwriter representing 1970s New York punk and also a poet—listed alongside a band like Rise Against, who bring politically charged, melodic hardcore-to-alternative rock.
Listen through the entire set, and you may find yourself realizing that Bob Dylan’s songs are, in essence, the very history of American music and culture.
SuperstarCarpenters
Speaking of the Carpenters, they were a brother-and-sister duo who achieved worldwide success and produced many songs so famous in Japan that they appear in textbooks as English-learning material.
During their peak, they were harshly criticized by reviewers who failed to grasp the Carpenters’ musical essence; however, from the 1990s onward they were reevaluated by subsequent generations of musicians.
As a result, their songs have come to be regarded not merely as hits but as standard numbers, forever etched into music history.
Released in 1994, If I Were a Carpenter is an unconventional tribute album that clearly shows how the Carpenters influenced the alternative rock generation of the ’90s.
Some of you may recognize its Japanese title, “If I Were a Carpenter—A Tribute to the Carpenters,” and the album jacket featuring a comical illustration.
The collection of Carpenters covers—each a distinctive interpretation by artists who don’t take the straightforward path—is truly fascinating, including Sonic Youth’s Superstar, by the progenitors of alternative rock, which even had a music video made.
While American musicians form the core of the lineup, from Japan, Shonen Knife contribute a cover of Top of the World in their own style, with rough-hewn guitars and a pop sensibility.
Stone FreeJimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix, the greatest guitarist in rock history and a legendary musician who passed away at the young age of 27.
It’s impossible to capture how innovative Hendrix was in a short text—even though music media’s recurring features like “The Greatest Guitarist of All Time” often rank him at number one.
But if you listen to the masterful tribute album covered here, Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix, you’ll get a glimpse of his overwhelming influence.
Released in 1993, it was given a Japanese title referencing Hendrix’s classic Purple Haze.
The lineup is truly fascinating: it includes superstar guitarists who were his contemporaries like Eric Clapton, as well as pioneers from an even earlier generation such as Chicago blues icon Buddy Guy, the unconventional violinist Nigel Kennedy, and Temple of the Dog—Pearl Jam and Soundgarden’s alt-rock supergroup—participating under the alias M.A.C.C.
The Cure’s take on Purple Haze might divide opinion, but perhaps the key to enjoying a tribute album is to listen with an open mind to how these idiosyncratic, strong-flavored artists reinterpret Jimi’s songs.
Break On ThroughThe Doors
The Doors, led by Jim Morrison—the legendary vocalist and poet who continues to captivate listeners with his dangerously alluring charisma—still cast a long shadow today.
Countless musicians cite The Doors as an influence, and the band has continued to shape various facets of culture, from director Oliver Stone’s 1991 film The Doors to the well-known 2000 tribute album Stoned Immaculate: The Music Of The Doors.
What makes this tribute particularly noteworthy is that the surviving members of The Doors participated in the recordings of every track in some form.
As a result, the album maintains a cohesive atmosphere without compromising The Doors’ world, avoiding the scattershot feel that tribute albums often have.
It’s a joy to hear artists from different eras unleash their love for The Doors and for Jim Morrison, and the ’90s alternative rock contingent—like Stone Temple Pilots and Creed—deliver performances where the Morrison influence is unmistakable, right down to their vocal phrasing.
Especially the former’s late vocalist, Scott Weiland—perhaps because he, too, embodied the self-destructive frontman archetype—fits the role so perfectly it’s almost frightening.
Under PressureQueen
In recent years, Queen—the world-famous rock band born in the UK—has drawn renewed attention from young music fans thanks to the blockbuster success of Bohemian Rhapsody, a film that focuses on their once-in-a-generation frontman, Freddie Mercury.
Naturally, there are countless musicians around the world who openly cite the band as an influence, and their songs are frequently covered.
Surprisingly, though, there aren’t that many tribute albums.
Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen, which I’m discussing here, was released in 2005 and is notable for featuring many then up-and-coming artists and bands who debuted in the 2000s and beyond.
It’s intriguing that SUM 41, a pop-punk band that was on a meteoric rise at the time, covered Killer Queen not in an overtly punkish style but in a very faithful, straightforward rendition.
Likewise, the newly debuted Jason Mraz performs Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy in a way that preserves the spirit of the original.
Personally, I find Joss Stone’s Under Pressure—recorded while she was still in her teens—to be truly beautiful, and her powerful vocals are absolutely overwhelming!