Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler, Duran Duran's Roger Taylor Contribute Music To Unique Peace Tracks Project

One of the signature lines from Black Sabbath's classic 1970 protest song "War Pigs" features lead singer Ozzy Osbourne howling "No more war pigs have the power!"

Some 45 years later Geezer Butler, Black Sabbath's bassist and lyricist, is still actively fighting against those war pigs. Butler, along with Philip Glass, Angélique Kidjo, Anoushka Shankar and Duran Duran's Roger Taylor, are taking part in a new initiative called Peace Tracks in which music makers from conflict zones around the world are being encouraged to remix and reinterpret works from these acts using Ohm Studio online.

"From the earliest Sabbath stuff, I've written lyrics about the grim reality of war," said Butler in a press release. "Peace Tracks can hopefully bring more people around the world to think about peace."

The Peace Tracks project is an initiative of International Alert, "one of the world's leading peacebuilding organizations, with nearly 30 years of experience laying the foundations for peace."

International Alert is active in 25 countries around the world promoting peace through issues like governance, economics, gender relations, social development, climate change and the role of businesses and international organizations in high-risk places.

"We believe peace is possible when people can live in safety, have fair and effective laws, participate in shaping political decisions, make a decent living and secure their wellbeing," says International Alert on its About page.

The opportunity to create songs with Peace Tracks music will go live starting Monday, Aug. 17. On Sept. 8 best resulting tracks will then be released to the public for further collaboration. The best of those will then be released throughout September in the leadup to the United Nation's International Day of Peace on Sept. 21.

The emphasis on collaboration between people around the world is intentional.

"Collaboration is key to music making, but it's also integral to peacebuilding," said International Alert's Ilaria Bianchi in the release. "Through this project, we hope to demonstrate the opportunities that music and technology open up for building new relationships across borders and cultures, and sparking conversations about important global issues."