13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol's Screen Tests

13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests

From Nico to Sonic Boom, or what black-and-white silent film has to do with pop art.

In 2008, the Andy Warhol Museum commissioned ex-Luna band members Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, now performing as Dean & Britta, to write and record 13 original scores and classic covers for Warhol’s little-known silent films, black-and-white portraits of cultural icons like Nico, Lou Reed, Edie Sedgwick, Ann Buchannan, Freddy Herko and Dennis Hopper, shot between 1964 and 1966. Dean & Britta promptly complied and, for the next 18 months, toured the world, performing the pieces in more than 50 venues, from New York’s Lincoln Center to the Sydney Opera House to a 15th-century cathedral in Paris.

This week, Dean & Britta are finally releasing their masterpieces as a two-disc record. 13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests is a deluge of rich guitar strums and dreamsome, melodic honey-vocals, with a kick of head-bobbing beats in just the right places. The album also features a handful of priceless covers, including The Velvet Underground’s Not a Young Man Anymore, and instant-classic remixes by Sonic Boom, Scott Hardkiss and My Robot Friend.

And while the music itself is already an absolute treat, the ultimate cherry on top is the accompanying limited-edition DVD, where you can ogle Warhol’s original screen tests — a haunting record of a cultural era that shaped modernity.

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 5:00 am in art, culture, film, multimedia, music and was tagged art, collaboration, cool, culture, film, history, music.

13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests – superb work by @deanandbritta http://bit.ly/c8urSd

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

brainpicker on July 30th, 2010 at 7:14 am

Just wonderful RT@ brainpicker 13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests – superb work by @deanandbritta http://bit.ly/c8urSd

nicholasbordas on July 30th, 2010 at 7:21 am

13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests – superb work by @deanandbritta RT @brainpicker: http://bit.ly/c8urSd

vianow on July 30th, 2010 at 7:22 am

RT @brainpicker: 13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests – superb work by @deanandbritta http://bit.ly/c8urSd

nadine_lee on July 30th, 2010 at 12:22 am

13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests http://bit.ly/ceH2Rl

tatorandtots on July 30th, 2010 at 2:42 am

Did you catch this? ? 13 Most Beautiful – a music masterpiece for Andy Warhol’s black-and-white silent film portraits http://bit.ly/c8urSd

brainpicker on July 30th, 2010 at 6:01 am

RT @brainpicker: Did you catch this? ? 13 Most Beautiful – a music masterpiece for Andy Warhol’s black-and-white silent film portraits http://bit.ly/c8urSd