Classic Rock Artists Butcher The Beatles

More than 50 rockers pooled their talents on 12 Beatles covers for a Restless Records compilation titled Butchering The Beatles that will hit the streets on Oct. 24.

The impressive contributor list includes singers Alice Cooper, Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister, Billy Idol, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Damn Yankees' Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw, Judas Priest's Tim "Ripper" Owens and Winger's Kip Winger. Among the guitarists are Steve Vai, John 5, Steve Stevens, Yngwie Malmsteen, Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell, Toto's Steve Lukather, Motorhead's Phil Campbell, Poison's C.C. Deville, Dokken's George Lynch and KISS' Bruce Kulick.

Bass duties were handled by the likes of Velvet Revolver's Duff McKagen, Toto's Mike Porcaro, Tony Levin, Jane's Addiction's Chris Chaney and Vanilla Fudge's Tim Bogert. And can we please have a drum roll for this partial lineup of skin-pounders: Gregg Bisonnette, Kenny Aronoff and Whitesnake's Aynsley Dunbar.

The album was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer/guitarist Bob Kulick (who also plays guitar on "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Hey Jude") and engineer Brett Chassen.

"Beatles songs are the Holy Grail," Kulick told Guitar Player magazine about the impetus behind the record. "They're the best rock songs ever written.

"These new recordings are totally faithful, yet completely different. Billy Gibbons singing 'Revolution' or Lemmy singing 'Back In The USSR' are not exactly Paul McCartney or John Lennon. And, of course, the guitar solo sections were lengthened to accommodate all the artists' solo styles."

Here are the tracks covered on the album:

"Hey Bulldog"
"Back In The USSR"
"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"
"Tomorrow Never Knows"
"Magical Mystery Tour"
"Revolution"
"Day Tripper"
"I Feel Fine"
"Taxman"
"I Saw Her Standing There"
"Hey Jude"
"Drive My Car"