What Are You Listening To?

[Ruby]

Big Harvest, by Indio (aka Gordon Peterson). The album was released by this Canadian artist in 1989 and sank into relative obscurity at the time – so much so that it is now a rare and highly collectible item with a hefty price tag. Despite having had a small but loyal following, by all accounts, the real reason for its resurgence and popularity is that Eddie Vedder covered the song “Hard Sun” on his 2007 soundtrack for Sean Penn’s movie of Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild.
 
Peterson’s album, I feel, is in all likelihood, his carefully crafted work of art, his magnum opus and his crowning jewel, so that when Vedder changed the lyrics to his song (slightly, it must be said) without having first obtained his express permission to do so (although having obtained the right to use the song from the publishing company - allegedly, lol!), he reappeared in litigious mode and instituted a lawsuit, which he lost. The judge ruled that Vedder had not committed copyright infringement and that there are allowances made, in law, for alterations to lyrics when songs are covered by other artists. Any thoughts? I don’t know all the ins and outs of the case as it’s all a bit obscure, but on the one hand I know I’d be more than a little put out if someone came along and changed what I perceived to be critical lyrics to a song from my heart, even if it was just a few words, and on the other, I may be grateful for the royalties which may not otherwise have been forthcoming – one never knows when ones circumstances might change. I guess if I really wanted to protect the integrity of my work, I’d tie it up as tight as possible from the get go, but hey – I’m quite sure there is plenty of sketchiness, skulduggery, and teeny tiny fine print about the music industry.  
 
This is a good album – I’m sure it was made directly from the soul and obviously expresses subject matter close to Peterson’s heart; he deals with our treatment of the earth and the fragility of our environment and in its less spiritual moments, it is reminiscent of U2 or a hybrid of U2 and Hunters & Collectors, both of which are far more gung-ho, but still – there are similarities. It’s littered with a few well-known names, Joni Mitchell and Vinnie Colaiuta, for example, and incidentally, I prefer Indio’s original “Hard Sun” for the actual music, as much as anything else. For interest, Eddie’s version here … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFequU2oycs
 
The original ...