When Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp met in 2016, they found a kindred spirit in one other. They rapidly became fast friends, bonding over cars and guitars, and spending the majority of their time together attempting to make each other laugh. Beck’s admiration for Depp’s serious songwriting skills and musical ear developed at the same time. Beck was persuaded by their talent and chemistry to collaborate on an album.
They began in 2019 once Depp agreed. They recorded a combination of Depp originals and a wide range of covers throughout the next three years, ranging from Celtic and Motown to the BEACH BOYS and KILLING JOKE. They teased their collaboration with a well-timed cover of John Lennon’s “Isolation” in 2020, amid the epidemic.
On July 15, the duo’s 13-track album, titled “18,” will be released. Beck explains the title of the album: “It truly sparked our youthful enthusiasm and imagination when Johnny and I started playing together. We’d make jokes about feeling 18 all over again, so that became the record title as well.”
“18” will be released on CD and digitally on September 30, as well as on 180-gram black vinyl. Beck and Depp as 18-year-olds are depicted on the cover, which was sketched and designed by Beck’s wife Sandra. Pre-save/pre-add is supported for all formats.
Beck has begun a European tour with Depp as a special guest in advance of the release of “18,” which will end on July 25 at L’Olympia in Paris.
Depp has been recording and touring with the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, a band he co-founded with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry, for the past 12 years. Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and Joe Walsh have all made guest performances on the supergroup’s two studio albums, which contain guest appearances from some of rock’s biggest stars. Beck is also on the list, having performed guitar on “Welcome To Bushwackers,” a song from the VAMPIRES’ second album, “Rise,” which was released in 2019.
Soon after, Depp requested Beck to play lead on a song he’d composed, “This Is A Song For Miss Hedy Lamarr,” the album’s first single and a tribute to the actress/inventor. It was the impetus for the collaboration, according to Beck, and it’s one of his favorite tracks on the new album. “It completely blew me away,” he says. “One of the reasons I invited him to collaborate on an album with me was because of that song.” The song, as well as an accompanying music video, is available digitally today. You can see it in the video below.
“It’s an incredible honor to play and make music with Jeff, one of the true greats and someone I am now blessed enough to call my brother,” Depp says of Beck.
Beck claims that he and Depp challenged one other in the studio to get out of their comfort zones with the songs they chose to cover. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had another creative partner like him,” Beck says. “He was a significant force on this record; I just hope people take him seriously as a musician since some people find it difficult to believe Johnny Depp can sing rock and roll.”
On tracks like THE VELVET UNDERGROUND’s “Venus In Furs,” THE EVERLY BROTHERS’ lament “Let It Be Me,” and Marvin Gaye’s soul classic “What’s Going On,” Depp confirms Beck’s faith in the new album by demonstrating his amazing emotional range. With magnificent interpretations of Davy Spillane’s “Midnight Walker” and two songs from the BEACH BOYS’ masterwork “Pet Sounds” — “Caroline, No” and “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)” — Beck displays why he’s internationally acclaimed as a guitar god on the instrumentals.
“18” track listing
01. Midnight Walker (Davy Spillane cover)
02. Death And Resurrection Show (KILLING JOKE cover)
03. Time (Dennis Wilson cover)
04. Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade (Johnny Depp original)
05. Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) (BEACH BOYS cover)
06. This Is A Song For Miss Hedy Lamarr (Johnny Depp original)
07. Caroline, No (BEACH BOYS cover)
08. Ooo Baby Baby (THE MIRACLES cover)
09. What’s Going On (Marvin Gaye cover)
10. Venus In Furs (THE VELVET UNDERGROUND cover)
11. Let It Be Me (THE EVERLY BROTHERS cover)
12. Stars (Janis Ian cover)
13. Isolation (John Lennon cover)*
* Available on digital and CD version only
