Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp released their instrumental rendition of The Beach Boys‘ “Caroline, No” on Thursday, June 23rd along with its accompanying visual.
The guitar-heavy take on the 1966 Pet Sounds closer is the latest offering from the duo’s upcoming joint album 18, following last week’s “Venus in Furs” by The Velvet Underground. They also shared a live performance clip as the track’s official music video.
Slated for release July 15th, the 13-song collection will also include renditions of tracks made famous by Marvin Gaye (“What’s Going On”), The Miracles (“Ooo Ooo Baby”), The Everly Brothers (“Let It Be Me”), and more, as well as two originals written by the embattled Hollywood actor (“Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade” and “This Is a Song For Miss Hedy Lamar”).
“When Johnny and I started playing together, it really ignited our youthful spirit and creativity. We would joke about how we felt 18 again, so that just became the album title too,” Beck said in a statement, while Depp added, “It’s an extraordinary honor to play and write music with Jeff, one of the true greats and someone I am now privileged enough to call my brother.”
The Yardbirds guitarist was also quick to rave about the one-time Pirates of the Caribbean star’s talents as a musician following his drawn-out and extremely public defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard. “I haven’t had another creative partner like him for ages,” the English musician stated. “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.” Stream the music video for Beck and Depp’s take on “Caroline, No” after the jump.
In May, the Edward Scissorhands star made a surprise guest appearance at his pal’s show in Sheffield, UK just two days after his legal team made their closing arguments against his ex-wife. He’s now tagging along on the remainder of Beck’s ongoing summer tour of Europe as a special guest, with tickets available here. On June 22nd he announced a reunion of The Hollywood Vampires, his supergroup with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. They’ll be touring in 2023.
