One regular feature I hope will be covers. I first heard of The Velvet Underground around the time Bowie produced Lou Reed's Transformer. I bought the first album in 1976 (in Virgin records of the Tottenham Court Road, for Londoners of a certain vintage). I was blown away (still am); just as much though, a couple of years on I got into their third album, their neglected masterpiece (well along with Live 1969 - I feel a post coming). a difficult band to cover. From the first album, two of those delicate pop songs. Clem Snide turns I'll Be Your Mirror into a confessional love song; REM turn Femme Fatale into a retread of the Live 1969 version.
From the 'difficult' second album David Bowie turns White Light/White Heat from the junkie's love song in to rock'n'roll; from the BBC recordings Mick Ronson was in blistering guitar hero form.
The third album was quiet, ironic, meditative and beautiful. Antony & the Johnsons' version works because, simply, of that voice (and a bit of stringage).
The most startling cover is Cat Power, who turns a pastiche pop song from the fourth album into, well, another song entirely.
The best is the famous Cowboy Junkies' cover which, as you will hear, is based on the 1969 version.
And then, Bowie's Velvet's homage from '72 (as the album version said, 'some VU with thanks'): Queen Bitch, on youtube. And, the Velvet's on youtube doing Femme Fatale
And, as I said, that 1969 live album:
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