The song appears on the upcoming 20th anniversary deluxe edition of the album
My Morning Jacket is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their acclaimed 2005 album, Z, with the premiere of the previously unreleased “The Devil’s Peanut Butter,” available everywhere now. The echo-laden romp heralds a special new expanded edition of Z, arriving via ATO Records on Friday, October 3rd. Remastered from the original master tapes by Grammy Award-winning engineer Emily Lazar (Beck, Jacob Collier), the Z 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition will be available digitally, on CD, and as a 3 LP set on pink, coral, and blue-colored vinyl, highlighted by 14 key outtakes from singles and film work, previously unreleased material, demos, and more.
“I remember the melody of ‘The Devil’s Peanut Butter’ popping into my head as I strolled across the harbor bridge in Sydney, Australia, near the Opera House,” says singer-guitarist-songwriter Jim James, “staring down at the eerie grinning entrance face to Luna Park. I worked on it some more while staying at Bondi Beach, walking amongst the graveyards and lawn bowling clubs that sit up high on the cliffs overlooking the beautiful coves of the Pacific Ocean. I have no idea why we called it ‘The Devil’s Peanut Butter,’ but our producer, John Leckie, absolutely did not like the title, and we laughed about it quite a bit. For some reason, it just didn’t seem to fit on Z, but we all loved it, then forgot about it for 20 years, and now here it is back to life again! We hope you enjoy!”
The new collection was first unveiled this summer alongside the rarely heard “Where To Begin,” available now on all DSPs and streaming services. Written especially for Cameron Crowe’s 2005 film Elizabethtown – set in Kentucky and partially shot in MMJ’s hometown of Louisville – the track was among the first songs recorded by the band with then-new members keyboard player Bo Koster and guitarist Carl Broemel, the latter on stone-country pedal steel guitar.
The band has slated several special shows that will see them performing the landmark collection. The Z – 20th Anniversary shows will take place as part of previously announced dates on the upcoming second leg of their My Morning Jacket Is On Tour through the fall.
My Morning Jacket will also return to the Austin City Limits TV stage on October 18th for a special hour-long episode, marking their first appearance on the program in nearly a decade. The occasion will honor their induction into the 11th Annual ACL Hall of Fame, with Oscar-winning filmmaker and best-selling author Cameron Crowe presenting the award.
