Bonnie “Prince” Billy has unveiled a cover of the Ramones‘ ‘Outsider’, featuring contributions from the late David Berman. Originally released in 1983 on the Ramones’ seventh studio album, Subterranean Jungle, ‘Outsider’ was written by the band’s bass player Dee Dee Ramone.
The new version of the track sees the ’80s power-pop-punk sheen of the original supplanted by lonesome slide guitar, hushed vocals, and tender acoustic guitar. The track also includes contributions from William Tyler, Chris Scruggs and drummer Pete Townsend.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy – ‘Outsider’
The most notable inclusion on the track is Berman, who passed away in 2019. As BrooklynVegan points out, the cover was recorded back in 2016. This wasn’t the first time that Berman and Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s Will Oldham had crossed paths, having previously collaborated in 1997 and 2004 on ‘Apocalypse, No!’ and ‘No More Workhorse Blues’.
Berman, who rose to fame as the front person for the indie rock band Silver Jews (alongside Pavement members Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich), passed away at the age of 52 in 2019. Following the dissolution of Silver Jews ten years earlier, he had spent the intervening years as something of a recluse, emerging from his musical hiatus sporadically to record with the likes of The Avalanches.
Berman’s final release was the debut self-titled album for his Purple Mountains project, which arrived in July 2019, one month prior to his untimely passing.
Further Reading
David Berman (Silver Jews, Purple Mountains): 10 Essential Tracks
