Augie March and RVG have teamed up for a cover of the Nick Cave and PJ Harvey murder ballad, ‘Henry Lee’, in tribute to the song’s original producer, Tony Cohen. The cover arrives six months after the release of Cohen’s posthumous memoir, Half Deaf, Completely Mad: The Chaotic Genius of Australia’s Most Legendary Producer.
Cohen died in August of 2017, and has been memorialised with a series of covers, including Leah Senior taking on ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’ by Grant McLennan and Julia Jacklin putting her spin on ‘Shivers’ by the Boys Next Door.
Augie March and RVG – ‘Henry Lee’
“These recordings highlight unique Australian artists and are a continuation of Tony’s career supporting independent music,” says John Olson, the co-author of Half Deaf, Completely Mad, regarding the series of covers.
Cohen and Cave were frequent collaborators – the two first teamed up on releases from Cave’s punkish noisemakers, The Birthday Party. Cohen also worked with Paul Kelly, Frenzal Rhomb, Powderfinger and Augie March – the last album he ever produced was the latter’s 2018 LP, Bootikins.
Augie March and RVG’s cover of ‘Henry Lee’ sticks to the bare bones of the Bad Seeds’ original recording, with Glenn Richards and Romy Vager trading verses over the insistent, unsettling beat.
Further Reading
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A Guide to Every International Tour Coming to Australia in 2023/24
