This Cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “The Needle and the Spoon” Has Some Lamb of God and Clutch In It

What happens when you take Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton and put him in a room with Clutch frontman Neil Fallon? You get a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover, obviously. Earlier today, the duo unveiled their cover of “The Needle and the Spoon”, a song off of the iconic southern rock band’s 1974 album Second Helping.

Released apropos of really nothing other than wanting to share some music, the two put together a kind of gruffer, dirtier version of the song. Fallon naturally kills it on vocals, while Morton offers the much appreciated heft.

Speaking of the importance of Lynyrd Skynyrd in his life, Morton said southern rock basically plays in his childhood memories.

“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. It’s hard to pick a favorite Skynyrd song, but ‘The Needle and the Spoon’ is certainly on the list. Allen Collins’s 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.”

Lamb of God and Clutch have toured all over the place together, so it makes sense that these two would work on something together. As for Fallon’s thoughts on the recording, even if he was a little nervous.

“I was flattered when Mark asked me to sing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘The Needle and the Spoon.’ I won’t lie, though, I was nervous, because, well… Ronnie Van Zant. No one is going to equal his delivery. But 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!”

You can check out the stream below.