My friends and I went camping this weekend, about two hours away. On the ride home, through Radio Void USA, I cajoled my friend into putting in a CD, which turned out to be a mix CD he’d made. It was all 80s songs and the first six or so could have all been linked to Prince, oddly enough. There was a Sinead O’Connor song, Sheena Easton, Shelia E. and a couple others. Finally, an artist came on that made me think, gee…
Two of the most influential musical icons of the 80s – that I can think of – Madonna and Prince, have never collaborated and worked together. We think the product of such a team would be cool, but we realized quickly that there’s no way Madonna’s ego and control freakishness would ever fit into the same room as Prince’s and he probably thinks she has no talent because she can’t play 57 instruments like he can. The collaboration will never happen.
And Rick James and Prince. Did they ever work together? Maybe they should have.
I think George Clinton and Prince would put out a hell of a record.
We thought Eminem and Elton John worked out okay. Eminem should do more of that. Elton John should not.
So whaddya think, wise Dopers? What musicians should team up, but never have? We can also do the flip side: What musicans should never have collaborated because the product of their work was less than stellar?
Bowie didn’t do anything with The Beatles (his career never really took off until after they broke up) but he did co-write “Fame” with John Lennon who sings back-up on the record. That may be not exactly what you’re looking for but it’s pretty damn close.
Also, Warren Zevon and Elvis Costello. I’m still surprised those two masters of sardonica never collaborated on a project or covered each other’s songs. (Although, it still isn’t too late for Costello to do a Zevon cover.)
I’m seriously into NC ATM, haven’t got the new album yet. But I don’t think he’d go well with yer man Tom. He needs something lighter that can still fit within the Gothic parameters - like the Corrs. And ye may laugh, but a man who duets with Kylie will do anything.
Nah, the two are thematically very similar. Tom Waits has more than a smidge of Gothic in him as well, and Nick Cave can be extremely fierce. They’d go well together.
Or the Beatles, the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, and Monty Python, as George Harrison suggested in I Me Mine as the alternative to the Beatles’ having broken up.
I think some kind of artistic collaboration between Frank Zappa and Salvador Dali would have been great. The closest think I know of is Dali’s hologram of Alice Cooper.
Tom Waits and Neko Case
Nick Cave and Neko Case
Ben Folds and Tori Amos (although I know they toured together last year, I’m not sure if they ever collaborated musically.)
Ben Folds and Nellie McKay
Queen and The Darkness (although I hear this is in the works.)
Spinal Tap and Tenacious D
Neil Innes, one of the two main songwriters for the Bonzo Dog Band, worked with Monty Python for years, writing “We Love the Yangtzee,” “Brave Sir Robin” (and singing it in the movie), and “Knights of the Round Table.”
And while the Beatles and the Bonzos didn’t perform together, the Bonzos did perform in “Magical Mystery Tour.”
He also wrote songs for The Rutles. I was able to fool a couple of people into thinking some of the songs from the soundtrack were actually Beatles’ songs.
