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Wednesday Coffee Break: You Performed with Who???

Posted at 7:58 AM on September 2, 2009 by Steve Seel (21 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break

(updated below)

So this morning we played the Grizzly Bear tune "While You Wait For the Others" featuring Michael McDonald on the lead vocals, the version that Bill DeVille blogged about yesterday. It's truly a thing of beauty - gob-smackingly surreal and (intentionally?) hilarious as it may be.

So, howabout odd and/or unusual collaborations for this morning's 9:30 Coffee Break? We bet you can think of a few down through the years.

Update: Boy-o, thanks for all the awesome requests, people! The handful that we played:

1) Bing Crosby and David Bowie, "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy"
2) Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, "Killing The Blues"
3) Hindu Love Gods (Warren Zevon backed by R.E.M. without Micahel Stipe), "Raspberry Beret"
4) Tom Jones w/ The Cardigans, "Burning Down The House"
5) Loretta Lynn w/ Jack White, "Portland Oregon"

Comments (21)

both obvious and not-obvious: eddie van halen's shredding on michael jackson's "beat it"

Posted by matt hubbs | September 2, 2009 8:14 AM

A great tune with great artists.
A Song for You-Leon Russell and Willie Nelson

Posted by Janis Frid | September 2, 2009 8:24 AM

another willie reference: "a foggy day" with frank sinatra?
[it's relatively heinous...]

Posted by Devorah Herman | September 2, 2009 8:32 AM

KLF w/ Tammy Wynette - Justified & Ancient

Posted by Tom | September 2, 2009 8:43 AM

a few ideas
"Say Say Say" with Micheal Jackson and Paul McCartney-Also Run DMC and Aerosmith-Walk this Way
David Bowie and Bing Crosby-Little Drummer Boy

Posted by Susan | September 2, 2009 8:45 AM

Cardigans w/ Tom Jones - Burning Down The House

Posted by Tom | September 2, 2009 8:45 AM

Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue "Where the Wild Roses Grow"

Posted by Annette | September 2, 2009 8:45 AM

One of the better "odd collaborations" that I can remember is the collaboration between Ben Folds and William Shatner that produced the much better than expected album "Has Been". A couple of the tracks that stood out for me were the cover of Pulp's "Common People" and the track "I Can't Get Behind That" which features Henry Rollin and my personal guitar god, Adrian Belew.

Posted by Jason | September 2, 2009 8:49 AM

Tusk - Fleetwood Mac with the USC marching band ..

Posted by Pat | September 2, 2009 8:50 AM

Bing Crosby & David Bowie - "Little Drummer Boy"

Frank Sinatra & Bono - "I Got You Under My Skin"

Gorillaz & Dennis Hopper - "Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head"

Tom Waits & Crystal Gayle - "One From The Heart"

Aretha Franklin & George Michael - "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me"

INXS & Ray Charles - "Please (You Got That ...) "

Also, maybe it's not THAT odd or unusual, but one collaboration that I have always thought didn't quite "work" was Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney's "Girl Is Mine," in my opinion, the least thrilling moment on "Thriller."

Posted by Stephen Kohlmann | September 2, 2009 8:51 AM

Nick cave and shane macgowan doing "what a wonderful world"

Truely a strange moment in music collaboration

Posted by twoslot | September 2, 2009 9:04 AM

Jack White with the Electric Six on "Gay Bar"

Posted by Annette | September 2, 2009 9:07 AM

Three odd collaborations that worked:

1) Public Enemy & Anthrax - "Bring Tha Noize" - Apocolypse '91: WAY before the rap/metal fusion genre reared it's ugly head, this blew your socks off.

2) Jello Biafra & Mojo Nixon - "Where Are We Gonna Work When The Trees Are Gone?" - Prairie Home Invasion: Why not just pair Henry Rollins w/ The Dead Milkmen? Because that would not be any good. This is.

3) Joe Henry & Madonna - "Guilty By Association" - Sweet Relief II (compilation): I actually like this much, much better than Vic Chesnutt's original -- which is high praise indeed.

One collaboration that did not work:

Tom Waits & Bette Midler - "I Never Talk To Strangers" - Foreign Affairs: I love me some Waits, and Tom (as a rule) does no wrong. This must be the exception that proves the rule b/c this song is like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Posted by Kevin | September 2, 2009 9:17 AM

Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and Daryl Hall (Hall and Oates) From Fripp's solo album "Exposure".

It's all good but "You Burn Me Up, I'm a Cigarette" is probably the most radio friendly track.

Posted by Eric | September 2, 2009 9:18 AM

if you have the album "pavarotti and friends" in your library, any track on it can be clasified as "odd", though the best would be pavarotti + duran duran doing "ordinary world"

another idea: danger mouse's gray album.

Posted by meg | September 2, 2009 9:25 AM

L7 with Waylon Jennings, performing WIllie Nelson's "Three Days" (from the Twisted Willie CD)

Posted by Lois | September 2, 2009 9:26 AM

"Raspberry Beret" - Hindu Love Gods (Warren Zevon + R.E.M. without Michael Stipe)

Posted by indyr | September 2, 2009 9:29 AM

Cher and Bevis and Butthead

Posted by Kathy | September 2, 2009 9:34 AM

Just thought of .. Joni Mitchell and Cheeh and chong - Twisted ... great song

Posted by Pat | September 2, 2009 9:46 AM

the daryl hall / robert fripp album. not only was that one strange collaboration it was/is strangly really good.

Posted by Jim Bjerke | September 2, 2009 10:47 AM

Prince & Madonna teamed up on a duet, Love Song, which was featured on her CD Like a Prayer - it was pretty bad...

My favorite collaboration that never happened - when Richard Branson of Virgin Records got the members of Devo stoned and then tried to talk them into letting Johnny Rotten (right after the breakup of the Sex Pistols) take over lead singing duties for the band. Of course, Devo refused but if only they'd done one song together!

Posted by Joe J | September 2, 2009 8:10 PM

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