Free the West Memphis 3 is a compilation album released in October 2000 by Koch Records as a benefit for the legal defense of the West Memphis Three, three men who, while teenagers in 1994, were tried and falsely convicted of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. The album was organized by guitarist Danny Bland (of the bands Cat Butt, Best Kissers in the World, and the Dwarves), Eddie Spaghetti of the Supersuckers, and Scott Parker, who served as executive producers of the project.[1]
The liner notes, written by Burk Sauls, assert that the conviction of Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr., and Jason Baldwin was a miscarriage of justice: "There is no physical evidence against them. No witnesses. Nothing aside from coerced statements and the vague, incomplete testimony of children", he wrote, stating that the three were limited by poverty to inexperienced public defenders and that "everything about the trials was biased against them, but it didn't matter to the jury because Damien, Jason, and Jessie looked 'evil' to the locals. They were teenagers who liked the kind of music that's on this [album]. They wrote poetry and read Stephen King and Shakespeare and wore black concert T-shirts. That was enough for the judge and jury."[1] The notes advertised the Justice Project's Campaign Against Wrongful Executions and directed readers to wm3.org, a website devoted to freeing Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin.[1]
The album includes fifteen tracks recorded exclusively for the compilation, eight of which are original compositions while the rest are cover versions. Several tracks are collaborations between artists: Joe Strummer teamed with the Long Beach Dub Allstars for a cover version of Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come"; the Supersuckers featured Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder on their cover of X's "Poor Girl"; Tony Scalzo of Fastball was joined by Joey Schuffied and former Scream and Foo Fighters guitarist Franz Stahl for his song "Indicted"; and Mark Lanegan teamed with former Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd, former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, former Dinosaur Jr. bassist Mike Johnson, and industrial rock musician Bill Rieflin (then of KMFDM) for his song "Untitled Lullaby".[1] A portion of Jello Biafra's spoken word piece "The Murder of Mumia Abu-Jamal" (from his 1998 album If Evolution Is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Evolve) follows Rocket from the Crypt's song "Wrong and Important".[1][2]
^ abcdeFree the West Memphis 3 (CD liner notes). New York: Koch Records. 2000. 33384-2.
^Salmon, Jeremy. "Review: Free the West Memphis 3". allmusic.com. Allmusic. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
and 20 Related for: Free the West Memphis 3 information
FreetheWestMemphis3 is a compilation album released in October 2000 by Koch Records as a benefit for the legal defense of theWestMemphis Three, three...
"Holding On" / "Steady Customer" (2017) "Somewhere" (2023) FreetheWestMemphis3 – "The Harder They Come" with Joe Strummer and Tippa Irie. Montgomery...
the Peanut Gallery" (2011) 18 Wheels (1998) Idle Hands (2000) Technology (Remix of "Dance Hall Music" by DJ Ropstyle) (2000) FreetheWestMemphis3 (Cover...
cameo in the second episode of the second season of the IFC television show Portlandia. He also appears in the 2012 documentary West of Memphis, protesting...
Band 2000, Live at the Showbox, and Live at the Garden. On Touring Band 2000, Vedder adds the lyrics "freetheWestMemphis3!" to the song. Stone Gossard –...
"Skip" Spence". Amazon.com. Retrieved July 28, 2008. "Allmusic - FreetheWestMemphis3". Allmusic. Retrieved July 14, 2008. "Amazon.com: Sing a Song for...
played in two bands, the Vultures and the 101ers, but when the Sex Pistols supported the 101ers in west London in 1976, Strummer saw the possibilities open...
The discography of the American rock musician Tom Waits spans five decades. It consists of 17 studio albums, 3 live albums, 7 compilation albums, 23 singles...
TheMemphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete...
convicted murderer. He best known as one of theWestMemphis Three, a group of teenagers convicted of a triple murder; the verdicts were upheld on multiple appeals...
TheMemphis Tigers football team represents the University of Memphis in college football in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Tigers...
southeast of Downtown Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. It is the primary international airport serving Memphis. It covers 3,900 acres...
Eights/Sub Pop Records 2000, Amy Nelson, The Gift Soundtrack, on Will Records 2000, Zeke, FreeTheWestMemphis3, on Kotch Records 1999, Zeke, Dirty Sanchez...
of the three Grand Divisions. Its largest city is Memphis, the state's second most populous city. West Tennessee was originally inhabited by the Chickasaw...
3 followed that same year, and Reis plans to eventually release a fourth, final installment in the series. In October 2011 the band reunited for the children's...
released on the compilation album FreetheWestMemphis3 in 2000. "Chariots on Fire" was recorded with Chris Prescott on drums and appeared on the Vagrant...