Best and/or favorite guest appearances

[jff]

I was thinking about this on the way into work today...Usually, a guest appearance on an album is pretty pointless, and sometimes damages the entire album. I can only think of a few examples of guests elevating a song to something the primary band/artist would not have been able to achieve by themself.

 

I'll start:

 

Battle of Evermore: Led Zeppelin with Sandy Denny

The Ox: The Who with Nicky Hopkins

Willie the Pimp: Zappa with Captain Beefheart

[PopTodd]

"Groove is in the Heart" - Deee-Lite with Bootsy Collins and Q-Tip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4D1HSL7P98

 

And, do duets count?

"Under Pressure" - Queen with David Bowie

"A Fairytale of New York" - The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl

[jff]

"Groove is in the Heart" - Deee-Lite with Bootsy Collins and Q-Tip

 

And, do duets count?"Under Pressure" - Queen with David Bowie

"A Fairytale of New York" - The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl

 

Yes duets count, as long as one person is not officially part of the main act.

[jff]

I'll add another one:

 

Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime, with Eno on backing vocals.

 

Eno's singing gives this song a character that I don't think they would have achieved if someone in the band, or some random session singer sang Eno's part.

[PopTodd]

"Streets of Bakersfield" - Dwight Yoakam with Buck Owens

"Where the Wild Roses Grow" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds w/ Kylie Minogue

[calvino]

David Grisman - mandolin on Grateful Dead's Friend Of The Devil and Ripple

Wayne Shorter - sax on Steely Dan's Aja

Sonny Rollins - sax on Stones' Waiting on a Friend.

[tinnitus photography]

Nick Salomon's guitar playing on Current 93's cover of 'Sad Go Round' by the Groundhogs.

[jff]

Nick Salomon's guitar playing on Current 93's cover of 'Sad Go Round' by the Groundhogs.

 

Did you just make up all those names?

[Sir Stewart]

Busta Rhymes on A Tribe Called Quest's 'Scenario' - maybe the best verse in hip-hop evers.

 

Ray Charles on Aretha Franklin's 'Ain't But the One'.

[PopTodd]

Jerry Garcia's pedal steel playing on CSN's "Teach Your Children"

[tinnitus photography]

Did you just make up all those names?

 

no.

 

Nick's better known as The Bevis Frond, a sadly underrated outfit that crosses brilliant Hollies-esque pop songs w/ Hendrix guitar freakouts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKDR7VN3SYA

 

Current 93 is the long-running project of David Tibet, which first started out as noisy industrial stuff but gave way to beautifully plangent apocalyptic folk. Will Oldham is a recent adjunct member of C93, along w/ others.

 

Groundhogs' Tony McPhee is a great guitar player. 'Cherry Red' is likely their best-known song. good stuff though can be a bit derivative.

[jff]

no.

 

Nick's better known as The Bevis Frond, a sadly underrated outfit that crosses brilliant Hollies-esque pop songs w/ Hendrix guitar freakouts.

 

Current 93 is the long-running project of David Tibet, which first started out as noisy industrial stuff but gave way to beautifully plangent apocalyptic folk. Will Oldham is a recent adjunct member of C93, along w/ others.

 

Groundhogs' Tony McPhee is a great guitar player. 'Cherry Red' is likely their best-known song. good stuff though can be a bit derivative.

 

 

 

Of all the names in your previous post, Nick Salomon was the one that seemed somewhat familiar. Bevis Frond is a group I've long intended to check out*, but whenever I see their albums they're always $20+. I'll try to listen to some of these groups.

 

*Actually, I used to have this one a long time ago, but I never got into it and I let it go. I might like it a lot nowadays.

[Lammycat]

Capt. Lou Albino's guest appearance in Cindy Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna have Fun" video.

[tinnitus photography]

 

Of all the names in your previous post, Nick Salomon was the one that seemed somewhat familiar. Bevis Frond is a group I've long intended to check out*, but whenever I see their albums they're always $20+. I'll try to listen to some of these groups.

 

*Actually, I used to have this one a long time ago, but I never got into it and I let it go. I might like it a lot nowadays.

 

i think a lot of Nick's work is sadly out of print, but you might be able to score cheapish copies via Amazon or ebay. i would highly recommend these:

 

Any Gas Faster (which is what Ear Song is from)

Son Of Walter

New River Head

 

 

he played here last year in a pretty rare appearance, a celebratory show for a friend of mine who's had a long-running DJ slot at the MIT radio station. here's a vid (~1 min of banter before the song starts)

[jff]

i think a lot of Nick's work is sadly out of print, but you might be able to score cheapish copies via Amazon or ebay. i would highly recommend these:

 

Any Gas Faster (which is what Ear Song is from)

Son Of Walter

New River Head

 

 

Cool, thanks for the info.

[LouieB]

Lucinda Williams dueting with Steve Earle on "You're Still Standing There" (I think it is called.)

EmmyLou Harris dueting with everyone....

 

LouieB

[Moss]

Merry Clayton on Gimme Shelter. When her voice cracks on "Murder" it kills me every time.

 

Larry Carlton guitar solo on Kid Charlemagne

 

Roy Harper on Have a Cigar

 

Tom Waits on Tommy the Cat

[PopTodd]

Tom Waits on Tommy the Cat

Say baby doyawannalaydownwithme? Say baby doyawannalaydownbyMYside?

SAY BABY!!!

 

EDIT:

I cannot believe that nobody has yet mentioned Eric Clapton's solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

[ih8music]

Tom Waits on Tommy the Cat

I never knew that was Tom Waits. lol.

[jff]

 

 

EDIT:

I cannot believe that nobody has yet mentioned Eric Clapton's solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

 

I was thinking about that one from the start, but when taking Harrison's beautiful solo on Something into consideration, I think While My Guitar... would have been just as good if they kept the solo duties in-house.

[PopTodd]

I'll add another one:

 

Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime, with Eno on backing vocals.

 

Or any of Bernie Worrell's keys, or Adrian Belew's guitar on some of those other records.

[GtrPlyr]

Billy Preston on the "Let It Be" record.

[jff]

I want to say Duane Allman with Derek and the Dominos, but since they only put out one studio album, one could argue that he was more than just a guest.

[moxiebean]

Pete Buck's guitar solo on The Replacements' "I Will Dare"

[Sir Stewart]

Beth Orton on any of her Chemical Brothers tunes.