April 2, 2001 10:39

BEN HARPER IN 'DRUGS' SHOCK

The retro rocker covers the Number One classic 'The Drugs Don't Work'...

BEN HARPER has released a cover of THE VERVE's 'THE DRUGS DON'T WORK'' on his new live double-CD, 'LIVE FROM MARS'.

The Richard Ashcroft-penned classic is one of three covers featured on the release, which hit shelves in the US last week. Also included are Harper's takes on Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' and Marvin Gaye's 'Sexual Healing', the latter of which previously appeared a B-side on the single for 'Please Bleed', a track off the 1999 Ben Harper And The Innocent Criminals album 'Burn To Shine'.

Harper's version of 'The Drugs Don't Work' is a stripped-down acoustic affair, highlighted on the second disc of 'Live From Mars', which features a collection of solo Harper performances, while the first disc sees him joined by his full band, the Innocent Criminals.

The release spans the entire length of Harper 's career, including live versions of tracks from all four of his albums, as well as some of his rarer b-sides.

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals kick off a string of North American dates later this week in support of the new release, beginning with a solo show on April 6 in Claremont, California, at the Bridges Auditorium, and continuing until May 27, when the band winds up back in California, at the County Bowl in Santa Barbara.

The full North American dates, according to www.pollstar.com,
are as follows:
Claremont Bridges Auditorium (6 April)
Universal City Universal Amphitheatre (7)
Philadelphia University Of Pennsylvania (20)
Providence Brown University (21)
Albany Palace Theatre (24)
Durham University Of New Hampshire (25)
Fairfield Fairfield University (28)
Towson Towson State University (30)
Norfolk NorVa (1 May)
New Orleans State Palace Theatre (3)
Memphis Beale St. Music Festival (5)
Atlanta Music Midtown Festival (6)
Louisville Palace Theatre (7)
Cleveland Palace Theatre (8)
La Crosse Center (11)
Cedar Rapids Paramount Theatre (13)
Ames Stephens Auditorium (14)
Jackson Snow King Resort (17)
Salt Lake City Delta Center (18)
Spokane Fox Theatre (21)
Vancouver Plaza Of Nations (23)
Seattle KeyArena at Seattle Center (24)
Santa Barbara Bowl (27)