Last month, we heard the gorgeous orchestral cover of 1980s synth-pop cut “Tarantula” that Beck recorded for the soundtrack of director Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma. On February 5th, Beck visited The Late Late Show With James Corden to perform the song — and he brought along the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a few of his best singer-songwriter pals for good measure.
It’s a lovely performance of the song, which was originally recorded in 1982 by 4AD band Colourbox and later popularized through a cover by This Mortal Coil, the band led by 4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell. On record, Beck takes that slice of U.K. indie history and gilds it in a style that’s reminiscent of the Sea Change/Morning Phase side of his catalog. (Like both those albums, Beck’s “Tarantula” features an orchestral arrangement by his father, David Campbell.) It sounded even grander on The Late Late Show, thanks to an all-star indie-pop backing vocal group including Feist, Bat For Lashes’ Natasha Khan and the Bird And The Bee’s Inara George, and the L.A. Phil, led by conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
Roma has been widely acclaimed as one of 2018’s best movies, winning two Golden Globes and earning 10 nominations for this year’s Oscars, which take place February 24th. The soundtrack, which is out on February 8th, also features songs from Billie Eilish, Patti Smith, Jessie Reyez, Laura Marling and more.