Ill-conceived collaborations

A more recent one - if you thought that Tricky w/ Ed Kowalczyk from Live was bad, how about Live w/ Tricky? Oh, damn, that's REALLY bad (in that bomastic, pretentious, unaware fashion). Payback is a bitch.

Any smart-asses want to offer up "Lady Marmalade"? Someone's probably doing it as I submit this post.

I have NO idea what the creative fuel was behind the Live/Tricky collaborations, but those P. Diddy braintrusts seem to be fueled primarily by the all-mighty dollar, which is just not kosher.

The Alanis Morrissette / Dave Matthews Band collaboration ("Don't Drink the Water") was utterly pointless, since Alanis' voice is hidden on the final 30 seconds of the track (which is awful in the most bombastic, pretentious, unaware fashion). And I STILL can't hear Q-Tip on "Sucka Nigga".

U.N.K.L.E. - Thom Radiohead's track is decent but the rest . . . boring. Mike D's track is especially awful

Is that the Q-tip/Korn one? Dud. Also The Busta/Ozzy collab, in that vein.

The Spawn Soundtrack. Sort of... neat.. at first but none of it left an impression. Too contrived and at that, miscalculated. Although I'm glad a metal+electronic movement never took off a lá rap-metal. Imagine a world where nu-metalists and ravers are synonymous.

LFO feat. MOP... i have not heard this but the idea seems offensive enough. Is this supposed to be "interesting"?

Perhaps somebody will mention Beck and Air, but this bone isnt mine to pick.

The beck/timbaland contribution to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack was v. disappointing.

Almost all of them - these days most collabs are more amusing for the spectacular value they provide.

It's all about marketing (of course) - hip hook-ups are the way product is cut-through the media mob. What we have is an arms race of collaboration - more fun than the music, which is incidental in any case.

Can I just note that hip-hop singles tend to be collaborations v.v. often? And that for the most part, the result is smashing? And that when you think about it, the producer/rapper dynamic (along with, duh, sampling) means that hip-hop tends to be a sort of more collaborative medium to begin with?

I don't think the Ziggy and Diddy are THAT far apart, do you, really? And you KNOW it'll be better than 'Dancing in the Street', but maybe not as good as the Bing Crosby one or 'Under Pressure'. Where Freddie kicked his ass.

Hey! That's true about Freddy Mercury being better than David Bowie on that song! Does that mean Freddy Mercury is good? My world is crumbling and an abyss opens before me! I am afraid!

I think that David Bowie needs to rein in this impulse to whore himself out to every half-assed collaboration opportunity that rears its head. I mean, come on!

Mariah and Jay-Z. What the fuck was he thinking?

He was probably thinking, "$$$$$$$$$$!" I've never seen a talented person more willing to sell himself to ANYONE for a few bucks.

An awful collaboration that I would love would be Jay-Z/Aphex Twin.

I think ODB blew that door down re: collaborating w/ Mariah. Now, it seems like every one of her songs is an excuse for some HOT MIKE ACTION. At least she's not collaborating with "singers" like Boyz II Men anymore. Yeah, work those scales, hit that high C all around the edges, right on.

But where else has Jay-Z put out? Am I missin' something?

Okay, I've been called out and after doing some research, I've discovered that the vast majority of the things I thought Jay-Z had guested on were actually his own singles with other artists guesting. Oops.