Tenacious D guitarist Kyle Gass has revealed that he and Jack Black have a 30-song cover album in their vault, but that they’re unlikely to ever release the collection to the public.
Gass, who co-founded The D with Black in 1994, explained in a new interview with Loudwire Nights that issues with copyright led to the project being scrapped.
“I was really pushing for a covers project,” said Gass, “and we started going crazy because we have so many ready.
“We went into the studio and just knocked off, no exaggeration, 30, but kind of short versions just to see how we liked them.”
However, he added, “We had some trouble getting the rights to one or two and then we got frustrated and said the hell with it. We’ll just do our own thing.”
It seems that snippets of this aborted LP have been heard, as The D released an abridged cover of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game in 2023.
The band also put out a cover of Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time earlier this year as part of the soundtrack to Kung Fu Panda 4, which starred Black.
In more promising news, Gass also said that The D are hoping to release their long-awaited fifth album this year.
It will be their first full-length studio release since Post-Apocalypto in 2018.
“We have to finish the new record,” said Gass.
“We’ve been working on it, we have a very strict six-year cycle.”
He continued: “We gotta do it this year. We can feel the heat, but you know, it’s gotta percolate. We got to fit in between Jack’s very busy film schedule.
“But we’re going to do it. We’re going to get it. Publish or perish.”
Until then, Tenacious D plan to tour prolifically in 2024. Dates and tickets are available via the band’s website.
