Jun 272008
Most of us would agree that Neil Diamond‘s appearance in The Last Waltz – and Robbie Robertson‘s production of his 1976 album Beautiful Noise – constitute an unlikely rock collaboration. Excluding completely staged, novelty collaborations, like Pat Boone dueting with Ozzy Osborne, what unlikely rock collaborations are really worth our tracking and discussion?
Holiday television special duets are acceptable.
Allman and Woman – Two the Hard Way
Oh, would that we could all turn back time…
I was shocked when Paul Weller appeared on one of those early Peter Gabriel records. Others from the punk era I could have seen, but Weller and Gabriel never seemed to make sense. Maybe they met at a Fogerty Syndrome support group.
Mark Lanegan seems to pop unexpectedly as a singing partner a lot these days. The Isobel Campbell and Lanegan collaboration comes to mind the most.
At the time, I was also surprised Damon Alburn was collaborating with Ibrahim Ferrer for the Gorillaz project.
And, I don’t know if it was completely unexpected, but Joe Strummer’s collaboration with Cash on the cover of Redemption Song is pretty great.
Here’s a stab: How about Eddie Van Halen playing on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It?” Those are never seen at parties together.
TB
Mac and TB, EXCELLENT contributions, EVH/MJ and Lanegan/Campbell in particular.
Here’s a stab: How about Eddie Van Halen playing on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It?” Those two are never seen at parties together.
TB
Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach
Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth on the current tour.
If holidays are acceptable, then for sure we have to include the immortal Bing Crosby and David Bowie. A classic in every sense.
TB
Another E.H.V appearance is on Thomas Dolby’s Astronauts and Heretics album, which also features a guest spot from Jerry Garcia.
Eminem and Elton John, less of a collaboration, and more of an arranged marriage.
More recently, how about Def Leppard with Tim McGraw?
TB
Run DMC pairing with Aerosmith was a big deal in the “rock n rap” circle. It certainly ressurrected Aerosmith’s career. The Beastie Boys and Slayer’s Kerry King pushed the envelope a little further, but I attribute all of that to Rick Ruben.
However, how about the pairing of Anthrax with Public Enemy?
TB
Elvis Costello and Diana Krall.
Dusty Springfield and the Pet Shop Boys.
Keith Richards and Waddy Wachtel.
Tammy Wynette and the KLF.
prince and sheena easton
Loretta Lynn and Jack White was odd.
Maybe not unlikely, but unlistenable was Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash.
Rod Stewart and Jorge Ben.
Steve Earle and Will Rigby.
tom jones and art of noise
U2 and Luciano Pavarotti
Ornette Coleman and Pat Metheny
Bryan Ferry and Robin Trower
Hmmm… post went into the ether, so trying again: Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue.
Brian Wilson and Solomon Burke
Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle?
Dolly Parton and Roger McGuinn?
Jimmy Page and P Diddy or Puff Daddy or Puffy or whatever his name is.
Ringo Starr and Buck Owens.
“Excluding completely staged, novelty collaborations, like Pat Boone dueting with Ozzy Osborne.”
I’m so tempted to wade into Shatner waters, but I must hold off based on the criteria…but…Shater and Henry Rollins is pretty great. But…perhaps staged.
TB
I’ve got to throw out the Starr/Owens and Costello/Bacharach nominations because in both cases the student had already covered a song by the master. Otherwise, good stuff!
Ornette Coleman and Jerry Garcia.
Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias
I like Willie, but that dude will record with just about anybody. If I called him tomorrow, he’d jam with me. I guess that’s why everybody likes Willie. Just give the man some weed and he’ll sing/play with you.
TB
There’s alot of Van Halen here, but how about our boy David Lee Roth doing “California Girls” with The Beach Boys?
Come to think of it, The Beach Boys seem weird with just about everybody. They did that record in Nashville with all of those country people. They also did “Wipeout” with The Fat Boys.
The Beach Boys and Willie Nelson (TOGETHER on that Nashville Beach Boys album): America’s Musical Whores.
TB
Bob Dylan and Carole Bayer Sager
Rosemary Clooney and Wild Man Fischer
David Johansen and Buster Poindexter
not songs, but rocker related movies:
Ringo Star & Peter Sellers in “The Magic Christian”
Dennis Wilson & James Taylor in “Two Lane Blacktop”
Brian Eno and Coldplay.
Eh, did Clooney and Fischer actually record together? Now that would have been an unlikely collaboration!
Speaking of the Beach Boys, one of the top picks in the NBA draft last night is the nephew of Mike Love. The kid’s dad, Stan Love, played in the NBA in the early ’70s. I’d forgotten about him and his Beach Boys connection. Seeing Stan in the audience at MSG last night the resemblence to Mike was clear. Although it goes without saying that Stan didn’t look like half as much of a dick.
Good point TB made about Willie Nelson. It never occurred to me that Julio Iglesias was a stoner.
Eno and Coldplay make a lot of sense, don’t they? Coldplay’s all about their U2 fixation. Eno will accept a big paycheck now and then.
Dennis Wilson and Charles Manson
Mr. Mod – re: Eno and Coldplay – yes, I was being snarky.
Did Neil Young and Devo ever actually collaborate on anything?
Neil Young and Devo:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=740771
I think this is from the Human Highway movie.
The Ramones and Phil Spector
what about “Tom” dolby and foreigner?
Elvis Costello and George Jones. Odd pair, but anyone notice how many times E.C. pops up? I think I’ll disqualify this suggestion myself because has paired up with just about everybody. Everybody except Willie Nelson and The Beach Boys. He cut a Beach Boys soundalike and has never hidden his love for Brian, but I don’t think they’ve ever recorded together.
So, I’ll get it out my system right here:
Elvis and Allen Toussaint
Elvis and Johnny Cash
Elvis and Sofie von Otter
Elvis and anyone that’s ever played/sung with Elvis.
I hereby disqualify all of the above entries.
TB
Ray Davies and The Turtles
Sandy Pearlman and The Clash
Thomas Dolby has some definitely strange collaborations, including those above. His contributions to “I wanna know what love is” were crucial to the sound of the tune – for what it’s worth. Also, his production work with rappers Whodini, George Clinton, Joni Mitchell and Prefab Sprout
Oh, the elephant in the room:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36w-CyqCO1A
That is the elephant. It kept popping in my head. But should it count?
I was a little frightened by Japanese Michael. He may be a tad scarier than real Michael.
TB
Cher, consider my mind fully blown. I thought that was going to be a link to “Say, Say, Say”!
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley. I suppose marriages don’t count. It has to be a collaboration.
I got it!
Gregg Allman and “Woman.”
TB
Yes, Clooney and Fischer indeed recorded one song together. Via Wikipedia:
“In 1986, Barnes and Barnes also wrote and produced “It’s A Hard Business”, a duet featuring Fischer singing along with Rosemary Clooney. The song was the result of a bizarre telephone friendship that began after Clooney heard Fischer’s song “Oh God, Please Send Me A Kid To Love.””
It’s available at least on a comp, but I’m not sure it was released at the time.
Sorry, CDM, you mentioned Allman and Woman in the very first response! Long thread…
TB
Jeff Lynne and Randy Newman
Geddy Lee and the McKenzie Brothers!
fred astaire and a vaccuum cleaner.
How about Dave Navarro and Christina Aquillera? Those are two weird people individually. Put them together and watch out Nellie.
Daryl Hall & Robert Fripp
Frank Zappa & Nicholas Slonimsky
Not rock, but a freebie:
Duke Ellington & Mae West
Also, Benny Goodman & Bela Bartók
Confused and faulty memory submission: Didn’t Mae West also do an album with The Ventures or the Surfaris. Falls into the campy Ozzy/Pat Boone category. I know I’ve seen an album photo of her in her 70s or 80s standing in front of a bunch of guys in Hawaiian shirts.
I’m familiar with this album. She does a version of “Day Tripper.” I have it on the Golden Throats Beatles celeb collection.
In addition to West, this collection also features Telly Savales doing “Something” and the immortal Shatner version of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.”
Unlikely collaboration (and obscure): Johnny Cash and One Bad Pig. I heard it on a cassette.
TB
Frank Zappa/The Monkees
Frank Zappa and Flo and Eddie (Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan) of The Turtles.
Paul McCartney/Lenny Kaye/Allen Ginsberg
TB
Was (Not Was) and Mel Torme.
Marianne Faithful and Metallica
TB
William S. Burroughs and Laurie Anderson
Not so much a collaboration per se, but I remember it being pretty weird the first time I saw/heard it:
Van Morrison doing “Comfortably Numb” at Roger Waters Berlin Wall show.
That guy stuck out like a sore thumb on that gig.
TB
Jeff Beck and Lulu
Robert Plant and Allison Krauss
TB
not an album but a failed tour:
The Sisters of Mercy with Public Enemy
called the: Tune in, Turn on Burn out Tour
it lasted 5 shows.
should have been called: Black Planet Tour
Also remember the “Judgement Night” soundtrack that was a set of uneven pairings most notable for presaging Rap Rock. Teenage Fanclub + De La Soul both escapes my memory and sounds possibly interesting.
http://www.discogs.com/release/612384
krusty the klown and bette middler.
Barry Tashian and Emmylou Harris
Rick Rubin and Neil Diamond
TB
More Elvis:
Elvis Costello and The Beastie Boys.
Elvis Costello and Chet Baker
Elvis Costello and Daryll Hall
I will, of course, not submit these. But of all the rock artists, we can probably all agree that Mr. MacManus has probably worked with just about EVERYBODY in any genre. Heavy metal and rap may be the only two things he hasn’t dabbled in. I’ll recant my previous statements about The Beach Boys and Willie Nelson and say that Elvis Costello will work with anyone, anywhere, anytime. That guy pops up more times than Mattew Sweet on a compilation.
TB
hey eh,
here ya go!
“Just Another Victim” – Helmet and House of Pain
“Fallin'” – Teenage Fanclub and De La Soul
“Me, Myself, & My Microphone” – Living Colour and Run DMC
“Judgment Night” – Biohazard and Onyx
“Disorder” – Slayer and Ice-T (Medley of 3 Exploited songs: “War”, “UK ’82”, and “Disorder”)
“Another Body Murdered” – Faith No More and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.
“I Love You Mary Jane” – Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill
“Freak Momma” – Mudhoney and Sir Mix-A-Lot
“Missing Link” – Dinosaur Jr and Del tha Funkee Homosapien
“Come and Die” – Therapy? and Fatal
“Real Thing” – Pearl Jam and Cypress Hill
just look at that!
I Love You Mary Jane was fuckin DOPE!
the rest…not so much.
If you ever need more proof of the ubiquity of Elvis Costello, check out Will Ferrell’s Talladega Nights now showing on Encore. Whore.
Pass the scepter!
Good to have you back, man. I know we’re all looking forward to more pithy observations about what goes on inside the vacuum-sealed cathode ray tube.
Fountains of Wayne and Neil Sedaka:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNY3E3gNMtA
TB, it takes a big Townsperson to disqualify himself/herself as you have done re: Costello. The Hall appreciates your dedication.
Speaking of Hall, the Hall and Fripp collaboration may be the most unexpected one that I recall experiencing upon its release.
By the way, I cannot accept “collaborations” with Rick Rubin or other producers. Rubin would collaborate with the corpse of Elvis if I could get passed the Memphis Mafia.
True enough, Mod. And thanks. (A side note: I pulled out my trusty copy of Ooh La La today amidst all the Faces/Stones talk lately. “Silicone Grown.” Good, God, Rod. What happened?)
Okay, since we can’t count Rubinisms, what if he put together an album starring Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, and The Beach Boys? For good measure, he’ll throw in the wax Elvis Presley corpse for harmony vocals.
To get back into the game:
Alicia Keyes and The White Stripes
TB
TB wrote:
Musically, yes, but I find nothing unlikely about almost any man wanting to collaborate with Ms. Keyes. I’ll let this answer stand; I may have too much personal stake in her to see clearly.
Even Dylan gave a “shout out” to her on his last record.
I remember seeing this and thinking it was cool/funny:
There was a show that came on VH1 about ten years ago called The A-List (I think?). Anyway, the show featured a panel of four celebrities/musicians and they would list their three favorite albums, videos, songs, artists, etc. Then the audience would vote on the TOP THREE based on thosed submitted by the panels. Anyway, one of the episodes had Spinal Tap. Since they needed to be four (and we know the history of Spinal Tap drummers), they enlisted Mr. Mick Fleetwood. They even performed together. So there:
Mick Fleetwood and Spinal Tap.
TB