Robert Plant's Now and Zen has both Kirsty Maccoll and future Curve vocalist Toni Halliday on backing vocals.
We could fill half a thread with Kirsty BV credits
Several in there that I had no idea existed like Robyn on a Britney song.
this is Piece Of Me, and it's not that surprising - it was written by her main songwriter & regular co-producer Klas Teddybear with Bloodshy & Avant, and it sounds to me like they had Robyn do a guide vocal for Britney to track to, then kept it in the track (& mixed her way up in the choruses).
nominating:Michael Hutchence on Motorcycle Baby by Ecco Homoand Bono on New York New York by Ecco Homo.
― sans lep (sic), Friday, 30 November 2018 18:50 (five years ago) link
xpost to Myself Eagles et al. singing all over Randy Newman *and* Warren Zevon records. And how did I not know McVie and Fleetwood were the rhythm section of "Werewolves of London," or that (other) McVie and Buckingham sing backup on "I Love LA?"
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 November 2018 18:52 (five years ago) link
"Girls," by Dwight Twilley, has Tom Petty on backing vox.
Twilley sings on Petty's first album, and Phil Seymour is on both "Breakdown" and "American Girl".
― The Greta Van Gerwig (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 30 November 2018 18:57 (five years ago) link
Yeah, but I think only Petty on "Girls" counts as overqualified!
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 November 2018 19:00 (five years ago) link
Twilley & Seymour were (arguably) more famous than Petty when they recorded with him in '76-77.
― The Greta Van Gerwig (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 30 November 2018 19:03 (five years ago) link
Kind of a shoe on the other foot thing.
Twilley don’t mind singin background vox
― calstars, Friday, 30 November 2018 19:49 (five years ago) link
Alison Moyet did backing vocals on Fad Gadget's Under the Flag. It was recorded just before Upstairs at Eric's but released a few weeks later. She's part of a chorus of backing vocalists and doesn't really stand out. Waste of Alison Moyet basically.
Not vocals, but Simple Minds are credited with handclaps(!) on Gary Numan's "The Aircrash Bureau", an album track from Telekon. Apparently they were the opening act for his tour and happened to be in the studio that day.
― Ashley Pomeroy, Friday, 30 November 2018 20:17 (five years ago) link
how have the Turtles not been mentioned yet
― Οὖτις, Friday, 30 November 2018 20:22 (five years ago) link
(well, Flo & Eddie specifically)
I thought about mentioning them but were they really “overqualified”? Thought guesting as backing vocalists was just one of their things.
― My Ital Rival (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 November 2018 20:42 (five years ago) link
Kind of a waste of Howard Kaylan, who is a fantastic singer, whereas Mark Volman was a backing vocalist in the Turtles.
― Monica Kindle (Tom D.), Friday, 30 November 2018 20:50 (five years ago) link
Fair enough
― My Ital Rival (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 November 2018 21:09 (five years ago) link
Ellie Greenwich on Blondie's "Dreaming" and "Atomic"
Lorna Luft on Blondie's "Accidents Never Happen" and "Slow Motion"
― Josefa, Friday, 30 November 2018 21:19 (five years ago) link
Mary Hansen tbh. she had impeccable pitch live
― flappy bird, Friday, 30 November 2018 21:29 (five years ago) link
Toni 'Captain and' Tennille along with Carl and Bruce from The Beach Boys on Elton John's 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me'.
― Chequers Plays Pop (snoball), Friday, 30 November 2018 21:48 (five years ago) link
Alison Goldfrapp on 'FYUZ', 'Oh Yeah Oh No', 'Revenge of The Black Regent' and 'Total All Out Water' by Add N to X.
― Chequers Plays Pop (snoball), Friday, 30 November 2018 21:50 (five years ago) link
More than 'backing vocals' but I was a big fan of the Knife and also liked First Floor Power yet it took me ridiculously long to work out that Jenny Wilson sings a fair bit of You Take My Breath Away. DESPITE THEM LITERALLY POINTING IT OUT IN THE LYRICS gah
― kinder, Friday, 30 November 2018 22:08 (five years ago) link
Joseph Arthur - Mercedes. Features Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno doing some harmonics in the background. You won't even notice it's them.
But it's awesome!
I got to know Joe's music because of this song, which was miscredited when I once found a supposed collection of Peter Gabriel rarities on-line. It said that it was by Peter, with Joseph Arthur and Eno on backing vocals. I had no idea who Joe Arthur was but I loved the other two so I checked it out. I was initially quite dismayed to hear those unique American vocals instead of what I expected, was about to instantly delete it, but then I thought... I might listen to it again, it's not bad!Not long after, I dug up more and more of his stuff, started to collect everything the man released and he became one of my most favourite artist ever, which he still is now, 15 years later.
― Valentijn, Friday, 30 November 2018 22:30 (five years ago) link
Sting is also on Arcadia's 'The Promise'.
― Valentijn, Friday, 30 November 2018 22:32 (five years ago) link
Oh and not quite exactly 'backing vocals', but I love the story of how the Super Furry Animals got Paul McCartney to guest on their album and then they had him eat carrot and celery in the background of 'Receptacle for the Respectable'.
― Valentijn, Friday, 30 November 2018 22:35 (five years ago) link
That Joseph Arthur album was on Real World, iirc, so there's your Peter Gabriel connection.
I've brought it up on the Eno thread, but Eno pops up as backing singer (but not producer) on a track on the Walkabout's "Scavenger," which fits this thread's criteria: obscure sort of folk-rock band on Sub Pop snags vox from Eno? That's not expected.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 November 2018 22:42 (five years ago) link
Joni Mitchell specializes in extremely qualified backing singers. Apart from the usual suspects, there’s Chaka Khan on “The Tenth World” and “Dreamland” on Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter and, new to me, Lionel Richie on “Ladies Man” and (more of a feature) “You Dream Flat Tires” on Wild Things Run Fast.
― breastcrawl, Friday, 30 November 2018 22:43 (five years ago) link
Scarlett Johanssons ’Fannin Street’ and ’Falling Down’ features David Bowie. Makes both tracks immensely better!
― mathiasa, Friday, 30 November 2018 23:09 (five years ago) link
I’m a Bowie fan though...
Björk on Ólöf Arnalds' "Surrender".Thom Yorke on Björk's "Náttúra".PJ Harvey on Sparklehorse's "Piano Fire" and "Eyepennies", as well as on Marianne Faithfull's Before the Poison record.
― ˈʌglɪɪst preɪ, Friday, 30 November 2018 23:37 (five years ago) link
No one has mentioned JT and Linda R on young Neil’s “old man?”
― calstars, Saturday, 1 December 2018 00:09 (five years ago) link
take it to the controversial music opinions thread
― sans lep (sic), Saturday, 1 December 2018 02:16 (five years ago) link
Emmylou
― banjoboy, Saturday, 1 December 2018 02:50 (five years ago) link
Toni and Bruce are also on Pink Floyd's "The Show Must Go On."
Al Jardine, Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson on Chicago's "Wishing You Were Here." Both groups were recording at Caribou Ranch at the time.
The choir at the end of Squeeze's "The Day I Get Home" includes Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Michael Penn.
― Hideous Lump, Saturday, 1 December 2018 03:36 (five years ago) link
Oh yeah, and Dusty Springfield sings backup on Elton John's Caribou and Tumbleweed Connection albums.
― Hideous Lump, Saturday, 1 December 2018 03:42 (five years ago) link
Al Jardine, Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson on Chicago's "Wishing You Were Here." Both groups were recording at Caribou Ranch at the time..
― calstars, Saturday, 1 December 2018 03:48 (five years ago) link
How many of these are a case of somebody dropping in from the studio down the hall?
― Hideous Lump, Saturday, 1 December 2018 04:17 (five years ago) link
Linda Ronstadt sang backup on Nicolette Larson's "You're Running Wild"
all five members of the Byrds backed Jackie DeShannon on "Splendor in the Grass" around the time they were recording Mr. Tambourine Man (I'm guessing this was a "dropping in from the studio down the hall" scenario)
― ghood ghravie (unregistered), Saturday, 1 December 2018 04:42 (five years ago) link
Billy Ocean on Scott Walker's 'Track Three'
― Gavin, Leeds, Saturday, 1 December 2018 08:36 (five years ago) link
Mercury, May and Taylor on BVs (was never listed as "featuring Queen")https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJeBctbw7kc
― PaulTMA, Saturday, 1 December 2018 16:40 (five years ago) link
Don't know about overqualified but I want to include the Jesus & Mary Chain shouting "guilty" on Drama! by Erasure
wow, I didn’t know this!!
― crüt, Saturday, 1 December 2018 16:40 (five years ago) link
Wild! was the first album I owned and for years wondered why the guilty's sounded so Scottish. Think they were recording Automatic in the same studio.
― PaulTMA, Saturday, 1 December 2018 16:45 (five years ago) link
― Valentijn, Friday, November 30, 2018 2:35 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
he'd done this on "vegetables" by the beach boys.
I just went round to the studio because they invited me. I just thought it would be fun to sit there and watch them record, ‘cause I’m a big fan. And so I was there, and then it was, I think, Brian who came over and said, ‘Oh Paul, got a favor to ask: would you mind recording something?’ I thought, ‘Oh, no! But great, I could do that!' Oh God, I’m gonna be singing on a Beach Boys record or something, you know! I got a bit kind of intimidated and thought, 'Okay, here goes nothing'. And they said, ‘Well, what we want you to do is go in there and just munch!’ … Well, I can do that! So, if you hear somebody munching celery, that’s me![10]
― visiting, Saturday, 1 December 2018 16:59 (five years ago) link
"Rockwell - "Somebody's Watching Me" - Michael Jackson"
what's weird about this is when this came out everyone assumed it was Michael Jackson but I believe it was denied so I assumed, for many years, until, like, seriously, last year, that this was NOT him.
― akm, Saturday, 1 December 2018 17:08 (five years ago) link
wait MJ actually does sing on "Somebody's Watching Me"????
― flappy bird, Monday, 3 December 2018 18:42 (five years ago) link
Yes.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 3 December 2018 19:58 (five years ago) link
Jermaine Jackson is on it too, iirc.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 3 December 2018 19:59 (five years ago) link
IMO the presence of Michael and Jermaine on 'Somebody's Watching Me' actually rescues the track - Rockwell was not one of Motown's great talents. I guess his dad being the label's founder went a long way to explaining why he was able to put out music.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 3 December 2018 20:07 (five years ago) link
Chaka Khan on "Higher Love."
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 3 December 2018 20:09 (five years ago) link
somebody's watching me is hilarious because it's a talking heads song
― galaxy brian (voodoo chili), Monday, 3 December 2018 20:47 (five years ago) link
Can't believe nobody has mentioned Stevie and Lindsey on Bob Welch's "Sentimental Lady." Or David Crosby and Graham Nash on "Doctor My Eyes."
― Plinka Trinka Banga Tink (Eliza D.), Monday, 3 December 2018 21:03 (five years ago) link
guest harmonies from Carl & Dennis Wilson and Al Jardinehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41s69oNimZg
― PaulTMA, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 00:16 (five years ago) link
Rob Halford on QOTSA's "Feel Good Hit of the Summer".
Elton John, Mark Lanegan, Trent Reznor, Jake Shears and Alex Turner provided backing vox on various "...Like Clockwork" songs too.
― Vernon Locke, Tuesday, 4 December 2018 02:48 (five years ago) link
the jackson 5 sing background on stevie's you haven't done nothin
― Jeff the grown man (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 11 June 2019 17:52 (five years ago) link