Artist News Releases

Beck to release Song Reader album

By | Published on Thursday 10 July 2014

Beck

Beck has announced the release of an album of songs from his ‘Song Reader’ book recorded by artists including Jack White, Jarvis Cocker, Laura Marling and others.

As previously reported, ‘Song Reader’ was published in 2012 by Faber & Faber as a collection of previously unrecorded songs. Beck then invited other artists to perform their own interpretations of them, and later did so himself too.

Says Beck of turning the project into an album: “Like a kid getting a special package in the mail and opening it up with anticipation, these interpretations of songs from the ‘Song Reader’ book have surpassed what I could have imagined when putting the book together. The book addressed the idea of a song in its most elemental form, letting others give it a voice. It amazes me to hear how these musicians have made the songs their own and in the process revealed that the interpretation is the living breathing soul of the piece. These interpretations have made the book something new – something better”.

Released on 28 Jul through Universal/Capitol, proceeds from the album will go to the 826 National, a US charity which helps children through creative writing.

The full tracklist and line-up of guests looks like this:

Moses Sumney – Title of this Song
Fun – Please Leave A Light On When You Go
Tweedy – The Wolf is on the Hill
Norah Jones – Just Noise
Lord Huron – Last Night You Were A Dream
Bob Forrest – Saint Dude
Jack White – I’m Down
Beck – Heaven’s Ladder
Juanes – Don’t Act Like Your Heart Isn’t Hard
Laura Marling – Sorry
Jarvis Cocker – Eyes That Say “I Love You”
David Johansen – Rough On Rats
Jason Isbell – Now That Your Dollar Bills Have Sprouted Wings
The Last Polka – Marc Ribot
Eleanor Friedberger – Old Shanghai
Sparks – Why Did You Make Me Care?
Swamp Dogg – America, Here’s My Boy
Jack Black – We All Wear Cloaks
Loudon Wainwright III – Do We? We Do
Gabriel Kahane & Ymusic – Mutilation Rag



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