Mark Morton’s having himself a particularly collab-heavy 2024. Coming off Lamb of God’s recent “Floods of Triton” team-up with Mastodon, the beloved metal shredder has now unveiled a new Lynyrd Skynrd cover alongside Clutch frontman Neil Fallon. Together, the heavy-music masters have delivered their personal spin on the Southern-rock legends’ powerful “The Needle and the Spoon.”
Morton and Fallon’s take on the song, an addiction-contemplating piece from Skynyrd’s Second Helping record from 1974, was released to streamers today (October 24th). It’s a reasonably faithful take on the classic-rock song, with Morton leanin’ deep into swamp-thick, yet soaring guitar tones and a fully raging guitar solo. Fallon hits his croon with maximum twang.
“As a small kid in the Seventies and Eighties, Southern-rock bands were the soundtrack of my youth. None of them resonated any deeper with me than Lynyrd Skynyrd. Their signature guitar driven blues-rock has had a profound influence on my playing,” Morton said in a statement. “It’s hard to pick a favorite Skynyrd song, but ‘The Needle and the Spoon’ is certainly on the list. Allen Collins’ grimy, swaggering riff paired with Ronnie Van Zant’s dark depiction of addiction are every bit as relevant and captivating today as they were when they were released 50 years ago.”
He added of the collab: “Having toured with Clutch for many years and having been a fan of their music for even longer, I’ve long wanted to work together with Neil. Covering ‘The Needle and the Spoon’ was something we were both excited to do together and we’re thrilled with how it turned out. I hope you dig it!”
Fallon added that he was nervous to take on Van Zant’s vocal parts. He noted: “I hope I did it some measure of justice. And if that doesn’t convince you, then Mark’s guitar solo surely will. It rips!”
Prior to the release of “The Needle and the Spoon,” Morton had spent the summer out on Lamb of God’s joint “Ashes of Leviathan” tour with Mastodon. He also delivered his touching Desolation: A Heavy Metal Memoir, which hit on the musician’s battles with addiction, the death of his newborn daughter, and his path to recovery.
While “The Needle and the Spoon” currently seems to be more of a standalone single, a press release notes that more non-LOG music is on the way from Morton. His last solo collection was 2020’s Ether EP.