# Favorite Guest Appearance by a Musician on a Record **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187 "2005-06-06T19:09:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/41 "2005-06-08T03:37:05Z")
Sorry for the double post, but speaking of Nicky Hopkins, it is generally thought to be him playing the honky-tonk piano on The Kinks’ B-side “Berkeley Mews.” I consider this to be one of their best records, and the piano playing is unbelievable! In the UK and Canada, it was the B-side of “Lola”, while it didn’t come out in the US until the LP “The Kink Kronikles.” Now it’s on several CDs as a bonus track. I think that’s a guest appearance worth noting, and definitely one of my all-time faves. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/42 "2005-06-08T07:31:06Z")
> [@NoCoolUserName](#): > > But that was back when he was a session player–he played on just about everything that came out of the UK. He is reputed to have said that he started LZ to get away from needing a wah-wah for every session gig. Yes, indeed, and one of my proudest possessions is a copy of Al Stewart’s 1969 LP “Love Chronicles,” which Page provided with wonderfully tasteful fills. Since the last verse of the title song contained the first use of the “f word” on a regular label released aboveground album, the version sent to radio stations also contained a letter from Epic Records which reads: > [@](#): > > Dear Program Director: > Due to the speacialized material contained in this album, “Love Chronicles”, BN 26564, please audition same carefully before airing. > > There might be passages on the album that some of your listeners may find objectionable. > > Thank you in advance for your consideration > > Sincerely, > Verdell Lawton > Manager, Promotion Services > Epic and Custom Labels I was fortunate enough to catch Mr. Stewart at a small venue in Napa, Ca. a year ago February, and got him to autograph both the album and the enclosed letter. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/43 "2005-06-08T12:58:59Z")
It was a live show, but how about Bill Bruford drumming with Genesis on the \*Seconds Out \* album? Check out him and Phil Collins together on _The Cinema Show_ ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/44 "2005-06-08T17:31:02Z")
Thomas Dolby did a lot of the keyboards on “Foreigner 4”. However, I believe this was before he hit it big with “She Blinded Me With Science”, I don’t think he was famous. Another one from the “before they were famous” file – Stevie Ray Vaughan was the guitarist on David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” album. ---
**Author:** ![ZeroGyro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47774/32.png) [@ZeroGyro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZeroGyro)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/45 "2005-06-08T22:05:50Z")
Surprised nobody has mentioned Robbie Robertson’s fun guitar guest appearance on Joni Mitchell’s “Raised on Robbery” off of _Court and Spark_. It’s my favorite song on the album in part because of his performance. ---
**Author:** ![Sassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/46 "2005-06-08T23:19:33Z")
Duane Allman, guitar, Loan Me A Dime, _Boz Scaggs_, Boz Scaggs. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/47 "2005-06-08T23:26:47Z")
Does Cheech & Chongs’s “Basketball Jones” count? Because then that whole band gets my vote… oooohhhh babeeeee ooooh-ooooh-oooooooooh ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/48 "2005-06-09T00:00:13Z")
Wayne Shorter on Steely Dan’s _Aja_. In fact, everyone who appeared on that album - Larry Carlton rules on that and all the drummers: Bernard Purdie, Paul Humphrey, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/49 "2005-06-09T00:51:14Z")
> [@buns3000](#): > > Wayne Shorter on Steely Dan’s _Aja_. For that matter Wayne Shorter ( and John McLaughlin ) on the underappreciated Santana album **Welcome** , in particular the instrumental track _Mother Africa_ ( with Carlos Santana playing bass ). McLaughlin and Carlos Santana, both at that time followers of guru Sri Chinmoy, had also teamed up to put out a very _loud_ guitar-centered album, with a couple of John Coltrane covers including the great _A Love Supreme_ ( the album also featured organ great Larry Young/Khalid Yasin and fusion drummer Billy Cobham among others ). - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/50 "2005-06-09T01:39:37Z")
> [@buns3000](#): > > Wayne Shorter on Steely Dan’s _Aja_. In fact, everyone who appeared on that album - Larry Carlton rules on that and all the drummers: Bernard Purdie, Paul Humphrey, etc. Agreed, but Steve Gadd’s drum work on the title track (supposedly recorded in one take) makes him first among equals on that album. Amazing work. IMHO of course ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/51 "2005-06-09T03:38:08Z")
> [@Kilvert's Pagan](#): > > Agreed, but Steve Gadd’s drum work on the title track (supposedly recorded in one take) makes him first among equals on that album. Amazing work. > > IMHO of course Concur totally. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/52 "2005-06-09T06:35:02Z")
Paul McCartney on Donovan’s _Mellow Yellow_ ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/53 "2005-06-09T06:37:26Z")
The Hooters on Joan Osborne’s “One of Us” ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/54 "2005-06-09T06:39:14Z")
Billy Preston on “Let It Be” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/55 "2005-06-09T06:41:51Z")
Two other great Pink Floyd guest spots: Dick Parry’s saxophone break on “Money,” and Claire Torry’s vocals on “The Great Gig in the Sky.” ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/56 "2005-06-10T00:22:02Z")
Got another one: Robert Fripp, Guitar, I Zimbra, _Fear of Music_, Talking Heads ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/57 "2005-06-10T04:32:03Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > That was gonna be mine. Good call. And I’m jealous because I didn’t know this. _Shotgun_, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/58 "2005-06-10T04:47:48Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Another one from the “before they were famous” file – Stevie Ray Vaughan was the guitarist on David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” album. I’m gonna nitpick this one. SRV was **HUGE** in Texas at the time: the rest of the world may not have discovered him to that extent, but screw 'em for their ignorance. When I heard the album for the first time, my thought was that it would have tanked without him. When SRV subsequently bailed from the tour-in-support, my reaction was, “Fine, you Brit-Glam rocker, see what happens now.” [IIRC, SRV felt like he wasn’t being the proper respect for carrying the album, and I don’t blame him one bit.] ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/59 "2005-06-10T04:52:38Z")
p.s. Outstanding thread, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187/60 "2005-06-10T05:12:49Z")
Roy Harper’s vocals on Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar” I think deserve an honorable mention. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-guest-appearance-by-a-musician-on-a-record/307187.md?page=4)