Listen to Keith Richards’ cover of Lou Reed’s ‘I’m Waiting For The Man’ ahead of new tribute album

Keith Richards and Lou Reed. Credit: Cindy Ord and Robert Knight Archive via GETTY

Keith Richards has covered Lou Reed‘s ‘I’m Waiting For The Man’ ahead of the release of a new tribute album in honour of the NYC icon.

Richards’ cover of ‘I’m Waiting For The Man’ comes a day before Reed’s birthday on March 2. The track is one of Reed’s earliest works which appeared on The Velvet Underground’s 1967 debut, ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’.

Speaking about the former Velvet Underground frontman in a statement (per Consequence of Sound), Richards said: “To me, Lou stood out. The real deal! [He was] important to American music and to ALL MUSIC! I miss him and his dog.”

The cover of ‘I’m Waiting On A Man’ is the first song to be released from the forthcoming Lou Reed tribute album ‘The Power of the Heart’. The LP also features contributions from Angel Olsen, The Afghan Whigs, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Rosanne Cash, and Lucinda Williams and more.

‘The Power Of The Heart’ is set for release on April 20 via Light in the Attic (pre-save it here). It will be available on a limited edition sliver vinyl pressing for this year’s Record Store Day as well as on CD and all streaming platforms. All physical formats will include photos of Reed taken by Mick Rock and Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, as well as liner notes penned by the album’s producer, Reed’s close collaborator Bill Bentley.

The album was produced in partnership with Reed’s widow, Laurie Anderson, and the Lou Reed Archive. The archive series launched in 2022 with the Grammy-nominated release ‘Words & Music, May 1965’.

‘The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed’ track list is:

1. Keith Richards – ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’
2. Maxim Ludwig and Angel Olsen – ‘I Can’t Stand It’
3. Rufus Wainwright – ‘Perfect Day’
4. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – ‘I’m So Free’
5. Bobby Rush – ‘Sally Can’t Dance’
6. Rickie Lee Jones – ‘Walk on the Wild Side’
7. The Afghan Whigs – ‘I Love You, Suzanne’
8. Mary Gauthier – ‘Coney Island Baby’
9. Lucinda Williams – ‘Legendary Hearts’
10. Automatic – ‘New Sensations’
11. Rosanne Cash – ‘Magician’
12. Brogan Bentley – ‘The Power of the Heart’

In other news, The Rolling Stones are set to kick off their 2024 ‘Hackney Diamonds’ tour later this year. The tour will see Mick Jagger, Richards and Ronnie Wood visit 16 cities across the United States and Canada.

Tickets for the tour can be purchased on the Rolling Stones’ official website.

The post Listen to Keith Richards’ cover of Lou Reed’s ‘I’m Waiting For The Man’ ahead of new tribute album appeared first on NME.