George Martin’s piano solo in the Beatles In My Life. It absolutely makes the song a classic along with Lennon’s excellent lyrics.
Tony Peluso’s fuzz guitar on Carpenter’s Goodbye to love
Al Kooper is an amazing music producer. In case you have not heard it, pick up a copy of Super Session, Al Kooper, Steven Stills, and Mike Bloomfield
One of my favorites.
Clare Torry’s vocals on Pink Floyd’s The Great Gig in the Sky
Toots Thielemans’ haunting harmonica solo in Billy Joel’s “Leave a Tender Moment Alone” can give you chills. Likewise, Sugar Blue’s harmonica work on the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You.”
Love these.
Also, props for the Junior Walker nod, ChockFull.
…
Another one:
Chaka Khan driving the bus home during the vocal bridge in Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love”.
Speaking of Donvan, Jeff Beck’s opening riff on Barabajagal makes the song for me. (Donovan used the whole Jeff Beck Group to back him on the song, so I guess you could say he was the guest vocalist)
Dave also did a fine job on Pete Townshend’s Give Blood.
Ahem- Key To The Highway
Stevie Ray Vaughan on David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” is pretty sweet.
And on “First We Take Manhattan” (Jennifer Warnes did a whole album of Leonard Cohen). SRV’s guitar gives it a raw edge.
Layla was recorded by Derek and the Dominoes, of which Allman was definitely a member.
Frank Zappa on Grand Funk Railroad’s “Out to Get You.” Frank produced the album, which I always saw as an odd pairing.
Agreed. I did always think, though, that Vaughan was well underutilized on that album. I understand that Bowie probably wanted Vaughan for “flavor” more than anything else, and that SRV wasn’t yet a legend, but still.
My example is kinda obscure, but it’s one of my favorite outtakes ever to be released much later. It’s the Who’s Love Ain’t For Keeping with Leslie West on guitar, with an extended killer guitar coda from Leslie. I think it was first released in the late 90’s on the reissued and extended Odds And Sods rarities sampler. I’ve always thought if one guitarist can kill any track all by himself, it’s Pete, but this shows that even the Who could use a sidekick now and then.
West guest-starred on another track from that session, an incendiary cover of Baby Don’t You Do It.
Yeah, I saw the link to it when searching for “Love Ain’t for Keeping” as well as a version of “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. I just read Pete’s autobiography and remember from it that they recorded much for the album that became “Who’s Next” in New York with the help of West, only to dismiss these recordings later and rerecord them in London. But anyway, didn’t they record “Baby Don’t You Do It” on EVERY session from about 1965 to 1972 :D?
Joe Walsh on Michael Stanley Band’s “Rosewood Bitters”.
Tom Scott’s first take sax solo on Wings “Listen to What the Man Said.” He had just arrived and was warming up, but they were rolling tape. He told them he was ready to start, and they replied “I think we’re done.” The sax makes that whole tune.
Junior Walker’s sax solo on “Urgent” by Foreigner.
Apologies if someone already mentioned it.
Edit: ChockFullofHeadyGoodness beat me to it. Darnit…
John Popper on Dave Matthews Band What Would you Say.
One of my favorite songs by Triumph is not that well known. Headed for Nowhere has a guest shot where Steve Morse trades lead lines with Rik Emmett.
