A star-studded The Velvet Underground tribute album is on the way

Kurt Vile, Sharon Van Etten and more will appear on a tribute album to The Velvet Underground’s 1967 album The Velvet Underground & Nico.

The Velvet Underground fans will soon find themselves in for a ride, for a tribute album dedicated to their landmark 1967 debut The Velvet Underground & Nico is on the way.

Titled I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico, the album comes boasting a star-studded lineup of artists with their own renditions of the tracks. Names include Kurt Vile & The Violators, Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, St. Vincent, Iggy Pop, Thomas Bartlett, Thurston Moore, Bobby Gillespie, Michael Stipe, Matt Berninger and others.

Arriving as a preview of the release is a cover of The Velvet Underground track ‘Run Run Run’, courtesy of Kurt Vile & The Violators. In a statement, Vile reflected on the band’s lasting legacy and the role the track played in his life.

“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.” he said.

“There is a direct connection to certain indie bands and beyond with the Velvets. That’s why the Velvets are a classic. You know it can have doo-wop in there and things like that, but it can also have this jagged noisy thing, and it immediately let me feel like I could do anything. The possibilities are endless. You’re completely free. Unapologetic and effortless.” he continued.

The album also arrives as the posthumous work of music producer Hal Willner, who died last year due to complications from COVID-19. This will be Willner’s second release after his death, the first being a T. Rex tribute album released last year.

You can read more about this topic over at the Classic Rock Observer.

Check out ‘Run Run Run’ by Kurt Vile & The Violators:

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.

Subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine

Subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine