I was listening to the new Sheryl Crow album today, and she’s got a lot of guest vocalists on there: Lenny Kravitz, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, Liz Phair and Gwyneth Paltrow(!).
It’s a relatively common thing in the pop/rock world, and it’s always fun to see who gets who to sing on what. What are some of your favorites? To get the ball rolling:
–Mick Jagger on Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain: Maybe the perfect marriage of guest vocalist and song. The irony of the subject matter and the choice of singer is delicious.
–Roy Harper on Pink Floyd’s Have A Cigar: Not just a guest vocal, a guest lead vocal! Harper’s dark, glottal voice lends the song a cynicism that neither Gilmour nor Waters could have given it.
–Flo and Eddie on the Psychedelic Furs’ Love My Way: The founders of the Turtles and longtime members of the Mothers of Invention, guesting on the first big MTV hit for one of the 80s’ most recognizable-sounding bands. Way cool.
–Yoko Ono on the Beatles’ Bungalow Bill: She gets one solo line on the song, but it’s so ridiculously goofy and appropriate. Maybe the best vocal Yoko ever did.
Johnny “Guitar” Watson on “San Ber’dino” by Frank Zappa. Fun and funny.
Elmer Gantry on “Psychobabble” by The Alan Parsons Project. Since they used so many studio musicians I’m not sure if he counts as a guest, but his voice is awsome on this song.
Peter Gabriel on “Hush, Hush, Hush” by Paula Cole. A nice transition to a male voice in a song about reincarnation.
One of Nanci Griffith’s songs off “Late Night Grande Hotel” has a great guest appearance by Tanita Tikaram…but I can’t remember which song it is exactly. Tikaram’s earthy, world-weary voice compliments Griffith’s very well.
Emmylou Harris has put in a number of nice background vocal appearances over the years. For a “big name performer,” I would think she’s done more guest appearances than anyone I’m aware of.
Like many metal fans in the 70s, I’d never heard of Fairport Convention before I bought “Led Zeppelin IV (aka “Zoso”)”. Sandy Denny added some eerily gorgeous vocals to “The Battle of Evermore.”
So, I’d have to say that’s my favorite guest stint ever- not just because Sandy sounded so great on that one track, but because that track familiarized me with Fairport Convention, whom I came to love also.
Elton John’s 1972 version of Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me featured Toni Tennille (of Captain & Tennille) and Carl Wilson and Bruce Johnston (of the Beach Boys) as backup vocalists.
(If you hadn’t limited it to vocals, I would have mentioned the tap dancing of “Legs” Larry Smith on I Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself.)
Don Henley and Glenn Frey on “Desperadoes under the Eaves” by Warren Zevon.
Bonnie Raitt singing “Angel from Montgomery” with John Prine.
Margo Timmons singing “If you were the woman” with John Prine. Or alternatively, John Prine singing it with the Cowboy Junkies. I’m not sure who the guest was.
Bette Midler on the final The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson*. That was a real tear-jerker. She sang One For My Baby (and One More For The Road), and when she finished, even Johnny was crying. Great show.
*Ever notice the Tonight Show now is “with” Jay Leno. I’d bet my eye teeth it’s in Carson’s contract that nobody else could be called the “star” of the Tonight Show. And, of course, he’d be right.
