Debbie Harry guesting as D.H. Lawrence jr on several tracks on the Gun Club's Miami. It was produced by Chris Stein and Jeffrey lee Pierce had been Blondie's fan club head.
― Stevolende, Friday, 30 November 2018 01:02 (five years ago) link
Chrissie Hynde (billed as “Mrs. Christine Kerr") on U2's "Pride (In The Name Of Love)"
― Elvis Telecom, Friday, 30 November 2018 01:17 (five years ago) link
Of all people, Joe Satriani is credited with backing vocals - vocals - on the first Crowded House record.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 November 2018 01:43 (five years ago) link
!
― My Ital Rival (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 November 2018 11:00 (five years ago) link
Pete Townshend sings backup (but doesn't play guitar, for some reason) on the Ramones' cover of "Substitute."
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 30 November 2018 15:56 (five years ago) link
Squeeze's Black Coffee In Bed has both Elvis Costello and Paul Young (No Parlez, not Sad Cafe guy)
― PaulTMA, Friday, 30 November 2018 17:22 (five years ago) link
EC is all over those squeeze records (the ones he produced, anyway)
― galaxy brian (voodoo chili), Friday, 30 November 2018 17:28 (five years ago) link
I know Eno does a lot of backing vocals on some of the albums he produced too
Maya Angelou on Herbie Mann's The Common Ground
― The Poppy Bush AutoZone (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 30 November 2018 17:29 (five years ago) link
Springsteen has an uncredited cameo on Lou Reed's "Street Hassle," but I think cameos like that are almost a totally different thing. Like, I dunno, Tom Waits popping up in "Tommy the Cat" by Primus or Iggy Pop popping in "New York City" by the Cult.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 November 2018 17:38 (five years ago) link
Back to Phil, "Take Me Home" has both Sting and Gabriel on backing vocals.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 November 2018 17:40 (five years ago) link
EC didn't produce Black Coffee In Bed, Phil Wainman did (it's on Sweets From A Stranger). The only other song he sings on is Tempted (from the album he did produce): "The people keep on crowding, I'm wishing I was well"
― PaulTMA, Friday, 30 November 2018 17:49 (five years ago) link
I mainly hear Eno in the Once In A Lifetime chorus, same for U2's Lemon
― PaulTMA, Friday, 30 November 2018 17:51 (five years ago) link
Talking of Paul Young and "No Parlez", Dagmar Krause provides backing vocals on his version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart".
― Monica Kindle (Tom D.), Friday, 30 November 2018 17:55 (five years ago) link
Just listening to it now and she actually does a spoken word section - a bit like Nico does on Tiny Tim's first album.
― Monica Kindle (Tom D.), Friday, 30 November 2018 17:58 (five years ago) link
Eno is all over the place on he albums he's produced. That's his thing. But, like, Joe Ely as part of the Spanish call and response in the Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?", yeah, that's a bit closer to the thread theme.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 November 2018 17:59 (five years ago) link
... talking of unlikely appearances by female German vocalists. (xp)
― Monica Kindle (Tom D.), Friday, 30 November 2018 17:59 (five years ago) link
Certainly Aimee Mann popping up on Rush's "Time Stand Still," that was always pretty random. "Girls," by Dwight Twilley, has Tom Petty on backing vox.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 November 2018 18:02 (five years ago) link
I thought about Mann, but that feels like a real "featured" guest vocal, as you (and I) both dissected upthread
― very legal & very cool (morrisp), Friday, 30 November 2018 18:03 (five years ago) link
Yeah, it's more a lead part.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 November 2018 18:04 (five years ago) link
(I apparently posted a lot in this thread y'day, and none of my answers were on-point, lol)
― very legal & very cool (morrisp), Friday, 30 November 2018 18:04 (five years ago) link
Neil Tennant on Boy George's 'The Crying Game' and Dusty Springfield's 'Nothing Has Been Proved'.
― Dan Worsley, Friday, 30 November 2018 18:08 (five years ago) link
Squeeze again, both Difford & Tilbrook not exactly hidden in the mix herehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArXL7uEQsEg
― PaulTMA, Friday, 30 November 2018 18:16 (five years ago) link
I'm not sure Tennant counts in those contexts. PSBs produced "The Crying Game" and "Nothing Has Been Proved."
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 November 2018 18:21 (five years ago) link
Fair point. So onto...
Liam Gallagher on Echo & The Bunnymen's 'Nothing Lasts Forever'.
― Dan Worsley, Friday, 30 November 2018 18:26 (five years ago) link
a few from the grandest listening thread of them all:
Billy Joel, "My Life" - Peter Cetera and Donnie Dacus of ChicagoBilly Joel, "Everybody Has A Dream" - Phoebe SnowBilly Joel, "Storm Front" - Richard MarxBilly Joel, "All About Soul" - Color Me Badd, and Frank Simms aka the Kool-Aid ManCyndi Lauper, "Maybe He'll Know" - Billy JoelMick Jones, "Just Wanna Hold" - Billy Joel
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Friday, 30 November 2018 18:32 (five years ago) link
and the alt-rock edition:
Dave Matthews Band, "Don't Drink the Water" - Alanis MorrissetteThe Wallflowers, "Sixth Avenue Heartache" - Adam DuritzThe Urge, "Jump Right In" - Nick Hexum
Steely Dan, "FM" - Frey, Henley and Schmitt of the Eagles
― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Friday, 30 November 2018 18:34 (five years ago) link
can't believe i misspelled "morissette," shame on me
Eagles (and others of the LA ilk) pop up all over Randy Newman's albums.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 November 2018 18:49 (five years ago) link
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
A Tom Waits song is the only possible context where Keith Richards would count as an "overqualified" backing vocalist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgG4rxq8DhY
― but also fuck you (unperson), Tuesday, 23 June 2020 02:15 (three years ago) link
David Crosby on "Another Day in Paradise" (phil colins)
James Taylor on "Back in the high life" (steve winwood)
Shannon Hoon on "Dont Cry" (gnr)
Liz Phair on "Work" (jimmy eat world)
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 24 June 2020 06:38 (three years ago) link
Liz Phair on "Soak Up The Sun" by Sheryl Crow.
― "...And the Gods Socially Distanced" (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 24 June 2020 12:31 (three years ago) link
apparently michele phillips and diane warren harmonize on the chorus of “heaven is a place on earth”
― voodoo chili, Wednesday, 7 April 2021 15:58 (three years ago) link
Billy Ocean on Scott Walker’s Track Three
― In on the killfile (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 16:05 (three years ago) link
Billy Ocean sings the high harmony for about 90% of the song, to be fair it's practically a duet.
― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 7 April 2021 16:13 (three years ago) link