Nick Cave covers T. Rex's 'Cosmic Dancer' on Cordern

On September 4th, Angelheaded Hipster, a cover album honouring the music of the late Marc Bolan and T. Rex was released. On Wednesday evening, Nick Cave made an appearance on the Late Late Show with James Corden to perform his contribution to the record, a haunting cover of T. Rex’s 1971 track ‘Cosmic Dancer’ off Electric Warrior.

Spread across two discs, Angelheaded Hipster features covers of 26 Bolan classics, like ‘Jeepster’, ‘Life’s a Gas’, ‘I Love to Boogie, ‘Children of the Revolution’ and many more.

Artists from all corners of music came together to contribute to the Hal Willner-produced record, like Nick Cave, U2, Father John Misty, Elton John, Joan Jett, Kesha, Devendra Banhart, Perry Farrell, Sean Lennon, Lucinda Williams, and more.

Hal Wilner had spent several years chipping away at AngelHeaded Hipster for several years prior to his death in April this year. The album’s title is taken from Allen Ginsberg’s landmark poem, Howl.

“angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night.”

AngelHeaded Hipster was set for release this May past, to coincide with Marc Bolan’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In late March, Willner had already was diagnosed with coronavirus. He died on April 7th, one day after his 64th birthday.

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“There’s no one to replace him,” Todd Rundgren, an AngelHeaded Hipster contributor, told Rolling Stone of Willner. “We’re not going to have anyone who is able to do what he did — thinking the way did, building relationships with musicians and building that level of trust and making them go out on the tightrope and fulfill his crazy ideas.

“He was always fully aware that failure is on one shoulder and success is on the other. And if there wasn’t the possibility of failure, then there wouldn’t be the same possibilities for fun.”