Artwork for War Child Presents Heroes featuring guns drawn by a child.
War Child Records

War Child Heroes

The ultimate covers album, music icons such as Blondie, David Bowie, The Clash and Iggy Pop pick a favourite track to be covered by their favourite artists.

The ultimate covers album. 

War Child Presents is an unprecedented coming together of music’s greatest ever legends and their favourite artists of the time to support children whose lives have been torn apart by war. The album concept sees the biggest heroes in music history select a personal favourite track from their own back catalogue and nominate an act from the next generation to create a modern reworking of that classic song. 
 
Legends supporting the album include David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, The Kinks, Roxy Music, Joy Division, The Clash, The Ramones, Blondie and Iggy Pop. And the artists taking on those covers includes Scissor Sisters, Elbow, Beck, The Kooks, Rufus Wainwright, Estelle, Hot Chip, The Hold Steady and Lily Allen. 
 
Some legends selected one of their all-time classic standards like Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’, covered by Estelle, and Blondie’s ‘Call Me’, covered by Franz Ferdinand. Others selected favourite tracks that deserve to be rediscovered as with Scissor Sister’s exhilarating version of Roxy Music’s ‘Do The Strand’ (not originally released as a single in the UK) and Lily Allen’s stunning take on The Clash’s ‘Straight To Hell’ featuring backing vocals and guitar from Mick Jones (originally the B-side of ‘Should I Stay, Or Should I Go’). 
 
The album was recorded over six months in studios in London, Manchester, Paris, Berlin, New York and Los Angeles. It was mastered at Abbey Road studios in London. 
 
Estelle got to record her track in the original studio where Stevie Wonder recorded Supersititon and used the exact same keyboards whilst The Kooks recorded their version of Victoria in The Kinks’ original studios Konk. TV On The Radio’s version of Heroes features Karen O from YYYs on backing vocals. 
 
War Child Presents Heroes is part of a series of four re-releases by War Child Records making the amazing music artists have donated to the charity available on DSPs and vinyl for the first time. All proceeds from these releases will directly fund War Child’s life saving work with children affected by conflict.

Buy War Child Heroes

 

Listen to the record

Check out the record and full track listing below or listen to the record on your favourite streaming service.

Full track listing: 

Side A 
Beck – Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat 
Scissor Sisters – Do The Strand 
Lily Allen ft Mick Jones – Straight To Hell 
 
Side B 
Elbow – Running To Stand Still 
TV On The Radio – Heroes 
Hot Chip – Transmission 
 
Side C 
The Kooks – Victoria 
Estelle – Superstition 
Rufus Wainwright – Medley From Brian Wilson’s Smile 
Peaches – Search And Destroy 
 
Side D 
The Hold Steady – Atlantic City 
The Like – You Belong To Me 
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Sheena Is A Punk Rocker 
Franz Ferdinand – Call Me 

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