With covers from Kurt Vile, St Vincent, Courtney Barnett & more!
Since their iconic ’60s self titled album, The Velvet Underground have been an influential force in alternative music. Their legacy continues through the release of a new record, I’ll Be Your Mirror, a ten track tribute record featuring the likes of Iggy Pop and Kurt Vile.
What you need to know:
- Verve Records are releasing a tribute album for The Velvet Underground due for release September 24, 2021.
- The record was overseen and executively produced by Hal Willner, the last record he worked on before his death.
- Iggy Pop, Kurt Vile, St Vincent and Courtney Barnett are among the star studded roster on this release.
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Kurt Vile and his band the Violaters cover ‘Run Run Run’ which is the lead single on this release. Vile, who has recently signed with Verve Records The guitar charged cover shows Vile’s appreciation for The Velvet Underground, on which he says:
“I literally covered ‘Run Run Run’ when I was a kid. In my late teens with my band at the time. So it was pretty cosmic, let’s say. There is a direct connection to certain indie bands and beyond w/ the Velvets. That’s why the Velvets are a classic.”
Hal Willner who was Lou Reed’s friend and producer oversaw this record before he passed away last year. Willner viewed himself as the primary curator for Reed’s legacy, and fittingly, this tribute album was the last thing he worked on before his death.
Verve Records was created as a home for Ella Fitzgerald and went on to release records from Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Frank Zappa. Jamie Krents, head of Verve Records says, “The VU are a fundamental part of Verve’s history, and their fearless approach and musical integrity continue to inspire all of us at the label. We were so lucky to partner with the late Hal Willner to pay tribute to the band’s iconic first album.
I’ll Be Your Mirror is a track-by-track tribute to their debut record and features Michael Stipe, Matt Berninger, Sharon Van Etten with Angel Olsen, Andrew Bird, Lucius, Kurt Vile & The Violators, St. Vincent & Thomas Bartlett, Thurston Moore, Bobby Gillespie, King Princess, Courtney Barnett, Fontaines D.C., and Iggy Pop & Matt Sweeney releasing September 24, 2021.
Check out Kurt Vile’s cover of ‘Run Run Run’ below.
Kurt Vile’s track is out now and you can preorder the release through Verve Records.
