Listen to Echo and the Bunnymen cover The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground were always ahead of the curve. Led by Lou Reed, the New York-born avant-garde aficionados blended genre experimentation with taboo themes to create one of the most enduring sounds in alternative music. Though they achieved minor commercial success during their career, their influence would be found within every generation of rock purveyors and enthusiasts that followed.
With lyrics spanning sexual revolution and heroin use, a sound that blended pop with garage rock, and an iconic piece of accompanying artwork by Andy Warhol, the Velvet Underground pushed the boundaries of pop and rock from the moment they unveiled their debut. The Velvet Underground and Nico may have been a commercial flop at the time of its release, but its influence persisted far beyond disappointing record sales.
“I was talking to Lou Reed the other day and he said that the first Velvet Underground record sold 30,000 copies in the first five years,” Brian Eno once stated. “I think everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band!” While this may be a slight exaggeration, there is some truth to the producer’s claim. Over half a century since the record was released, Reed’s songwriting stylings can still be found in almost every generation and subgenre of rock.
Ask any budding guitar band who inspires them, and the Velvet Underground are almost guaranteed to make the cut, perhaps second only to the Beatles. From David Bowie to Buzzcocks to the Bunnymen, admiration for the art-rock pioneers has never wavered. The latter once even paid tribute to the Velvet Underground with a live cover of a classic from their debut, ‘Run Run Run’.
An album track first penned by Reed on the back of an envelope, ‘Run Run Run’ was a prime example of the daring innovation and singularity at the heart of the Velvet Underground. Over agitated guitars, Reed tells the stories of a series of characters in his hometown, beginning with teenage Mary and uncle Dave, and their drug dependency. As the frontman repeats the titular phrase in each chorus, ‘Run Run Run’ becomes increasingly harrowing.
In 1985, Echo and the Bunnymen, alternative icons in their own right, paid homage to the track with a live rendition. “This is ‘Run Run Run’ by the Velvet Underground,” they declare to a welcoming crowd before launching into the track. The recording is slightly less lo-fi and gritty than the original, with brighter guitars and Ian McCulloch’s clean vocals, but it’s still a superb tribute to your favourite band’s favourite band.
Listen to Echo and the Bunnymen’s take on the Velvet Underground’s ‘Run Run Run’ below.
