2022 studio album by Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp

18 is a collaborative studio album by musicians Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp. Released on 15 July 2022 on Rhino Records, it is Beck`s final studio album released before his death in January 2023.

The 13-track collection features two Depp-penned originals and a selection of cover songs by Killing Joke, the Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, the Miracles, the Velvet Underground, the Everly Brothers and Janis Ian. Upon release, the album received mixed reviews from music critics.

Background and release

Beck and Depp first met in 2016 and quickly got along very well, forming a close friendship. According to Beck, he found a "kindred spirit" in Depp and the two bonded over "cars and guitars and spent most of their time together trying to make each other laugh". Beck was convinced they should record music together and began to do so in 2019.[1] Beck and Depp felt that them playing together "ignited their youthful spirit and creativity" and according to Beck, both of them would joke about how they felt 18 again, hence their decision for the album title.[1] Depp added: "It`s an extraordinary honour to play and write music with Jeff, one of the true greats and someone I am now privileged enough to call my brother."[2] In September 2019, Depp joined Beck on stage for some concerts of the latter`s US tour and they performed the song "Isolation" live for the first time.[3]

"Isolation" would later be officially released, as Beck and Depp`s debut single, on 16 April 2020.[4] Beck said in a statement that the decision to release this song early, before finishing the album, was made due to the fact that many people were still self-quarantining amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Beck stated: "We weren`t expecting to release it so soon, but given all the hard days and true `isolation` that people are going through in these challenging times, we decided now might be the right time to let you all hear it."[3]

On 29 May 2022, Depp, who was still awaiting a verdict in his highly publicised defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, made a surprise appearance at a Jeff Beck gig in Sheffield, playing guitar along with Beck to three classic songs from Lennon, Gaye and Hendrix.[5] Depp joined Beck for the rest of the shows in the U.K. and Europe during June and July.[6]

On 9 June 2022, the duo released the first official single from the album, the song "This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr", which has been described as an ode to Austrian-American actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr.[7] Ten days later, on 19 June 2022, another cover from the album was released, this time a cover of the Velvet Underground`s "Venus in Furs", followed shortly by an instrumental cover of the Beach Boys` "Caroline, No" on 24 June.[8][2] The last song to be released before the album`s release was a cover of Killing Joke`s "The Death and Resurrection Show" on 7 July 2022.[9]

On October 5, 2022, Depp joined Beck for a joint American tour which kicked off in Washington D.C. and ended in early November.[10]

Songs

We were going to call the album `Kitchen Sink` because we threw everything in it. The only game plan we had was to play songs we like and see where they took us. We suggested songs the other might not think of. It pushed both of us out of our comfort zones. Johnny got me excited about `Venus In Furs,` and I persuaded him to try `Ooo Baby Baby.` Interesting things happen when you`re open to trying something different.

— Jeff Beck talking about the song selection for 18, [11]

Critical reception

18 received generally mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 47, based on 8 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18]

In a positive review, Doug Collette of Glide magazine wrote that the duo`s alliance on 18 benefits both men creatively and otherwise. Collette found that, whilst this project has given Depp the chance to progress as a musician and vocalist, "he sounds like any fledgling musician still in the process of finding his own style."[19]

Neil McCormick of The Telegraph felt that 18, showcases Beck`s playing, who, according to McCormick, hadn`t played so well in decades. He wrote that Depp is back doing what he loves, singing and playing the guitar, and in doing so, he "conjures a crunchy lyrical psychodrama about the high price of fame."[20]

Plagiarism allegations and lawsuit

In August 2022, Bruce Jackson, an American folklorist, accused Depp and Beck of stealing an incarcerated African American man`s poem by incorporating the poem`s verses into the lyrics of "Sad Motherfuckin` Parade" without giving the man due credit.[21] Jackson outlined the similarities between the lyrics to this song and the contents of a toast poem titled "Hobo Ben" as recited to him by Slim Wilson, an inmate at Missouri State Penitentiary, and as written down in Jackson`s book "Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me": Narrative Poetry from Black Oral Tradition.[21][22] He concluded that:

The only two lines I could find in the whole piece that [Depp and Beck] contributed are `Big time motherfucker` and `Bust it down to my level.` Everything else is from Slim`s performance in my book. I`ve never encountered anything like this. I`ve been publishing stuff for 50 years, and this is the first time anybody has just ripped something off and put his own name on it.

— Bruce Jackson in a Rolling Stone interview, [21]

Henceforth, Jackson requested that Depp and Beck give due copyright credit to Wilson for the song. He also requested that if any profit is made from sales of the album, the two of them should donate some of it to any organization that aids African Americans.[21]

In response, Depp and Beck sued Jackson, claiming that "Sad Motherfuckin` Parade" is an "original work of authorship and creativity" while also adding that because "Hobo Ben" has uncertain authorship and was passed and shared freely within the African American community, Jackson cannot have any copyright interests with respect to "Sad Motherfuckin` Parade." Moreover, they alleged that Jackson`s accusation amounted to a cash grab.[22]

Jackson responded to these allegations by noting that he never made any "formal financial demands" from either Depp or Beck. While still maintaining that the two never wrote the lyrics to "Sad Motherfuckin` Parade," Jackson added that them suing the person who caught them stealing those lyrics is akin to "a burglar suing a homeowner because he cut his hand on the kitchen window he broke getting in."[22] The lawsuit is still ongoing.[when?]

Track listing

Personnel

• Jeff Beck – lead guitar (all tracks), rhythm guitar (tracks 8, 9, 13), acoustic guitar (track 5), bass (tracks 3, 8), drums (track 8), producer
• Johnny Depp – lead vocal (tracks 2–4, 6, 8–13), backing vocals (track 8), rhythm guitar (tracks 2, 4, 6, 10, 13), acoustic guitar (tracks 6, 10, 12), baritone guitar (track 11), bass (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 10–12), drums (tracks 6, 10), percussion (track 9), keyboards (track 4), producer

Additional musicians

• Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (tracks 2–4, 9, 11–13)
• Rhonda Smith – bass (tracks 7, 13)
• Pino Palladino – bass (track 9)
• Robert Adam Stevenson – keyboards (tracks 1, 3, 9, 11, 12), piano (tracks 11, 12), strings (tracks 1, 9, 11, 12)
• Tommy Henriksen – keyboards and strings (track 6)
• Ben Thomas – keyboards (track 3)
• James Pearson – keyboards (track 7)
• Jason Rebello – piano (track 3)
• Vanessa Freebairn-Smith – cello (track 1)
• Olivia Safe – vocals (track 5)

Additional personnel

• Barry Grint – mastering
• Shon Hartman – product manager
• Mike Engstrom – project manager
• Allison Boron, Hugh Gilmour, Jason Etzy, Kent Liu, Kevin Gore, Lisa Gilnes, Matthew Taoatao, Paul Bromby, Rachel Gutek, Sheryl Farber, Susanne Savage – project manager assistants
• Colin Newman – project manager supervisor
• Sandra Beck – album cover

Charts

Chart performance for 18