Like it or not, Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck have a collaborative album on the way, and now, they’ve dropped the latest preview, a cover of “Venus in Furs” by The Velvet Underground.
Whereas the original is notable for John Cale’s electric viola and Moe Tucker’s bass drum and tambourine shake backbeat, Depp and Beck’s take is more straightforward and sludges forward with fuzzed-out guitar and bleary vocals. Listen to it below.
In addition to their Velvet Underground cover, Depp and Beck’s upcoming album, 18, will feature them taking on songs by The Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, and The Everly Brothers. It will also contain two Depp originals, including the previously released “This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr.”
“I haven’t had another creative partner like him for ages,” Beck said about Depp in a statement accompanying the album’s announcement. “He was a major force on this record. I just hope people will take him seriously as a musician because it’s a hard thing for some people to accept that Johnny Depp can sing rock and roll.”
Although this new endeavor comes after the conclusion of Depp’s defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, the actor has actually been a rock musician for years, most famously as a member of The Hollywood Vampires with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. Along with his latest foray into music, Depp is currently in pre-production for a film in which he’ll play King Louis V, but it’s yet to be seen if Hollywood views him as too much of a liability for tentpole blockbusters.
However, this isn’t the last we’ve heard of the trial. Heard, who won $2 million in her own countersuit, reportedly can’t afford to pay the $10.35 million in compensatory and punitive damages awarded to Depp and intends to appeal the decision.
Beck is currently on tour through Europe with Depp in tow; grab your tickets via Ticketmaster.