The most unusual Musical Collaborations
10 September 2023, 16:00
Miles Kane and Professor Green? Elton John and Josh Homme? Nick Cave and Kylie? Let's take a look at some of the oddest get-togethers in music.
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Sir Elton John and Queens Of The Stone Age
They were a hard rocking post-grunge supergroup; he was a veteran flamboyant superstar. Elton appeared on the track Fairweather Friends on 2013’s …Like Clockwork after reportedly ringing up up Josh Homme and saying: “The only thing missing from your band is an actual queen!” ‘I said, Honey, you have no idea," replied Homme.
Fairweather Friends
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Linkin Park and Stormzy
The LA rockers’ 2017 track Good Goodbye featured a guest spot from British grime star Stormzy, so take that, Glastonbury haters. Not only that, but the track also featured New York rapper Pusha T. The band had frequently mixed up genres, having already collaborated with Jay Z on Numb/Encore.
Good Goodbye (Official Lyric Video) - Linkin Park (feat. Pusha T and Stormzy)
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Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones
He was the eternally young Green Day frontman and she was the jazz singing daughter of sitar-playing legend Ravi Shankar. Their collaboration was a collection of covers by the 1950s close harmony act The Everly Brothers. Who’d have thunk it?
Billie Joe Armstrong & Norah Jones - "Long Time Gone"
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Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue
She was the diminutive pop princess and star of Neighbours, he was the Dark Lord of Australian rock. Kylie appeared on Uncle Nick's 1996 collection of 'orrible stories, Murder Ballads.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds/Kylie Minogue - Where The Wild Roses Grow
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Metallica and Lou Reed
He was the grumpy former frontman of The Velvet Underground and the garage rock pioneer, they were Los Angeles’ biggest heavy metal band. In 2011, they collaborated on Lulu, an album based on two plays originally written by the German author Frank Wedekind. It's mainly made up of spoken word by Reed over the top of an instrumental track provided by Metallica and is not for the faint-hearted.
Lou Reed & Metallica The View (Official Video)
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Miles Kane and Professor Green
He’s the cheeky chappy from the Wirral and one half of the Last Shadow Puppets, he’s the rapper and actor from Hackney. Our Miles appeared on Green's 2013 track Are You Getting Enough? “Whenever I see Miles I see alcohol and the sun come up,” the Professor told MTV. Oof.
Professor Green - Are You Getting Enough? ft. Miles Kane
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Jack White and Alicia Keys
He’s the Detroit blues rocker, she’s the singer-songwriter from New York, that concrete jungle where dreams are made of. They were drawn together by Bond Theme-shaped dreams, but unfortunately for the two songwriters, that movie was Quantum of Solace. They got around the lyrically displeasing title by writing a song called Another Way To Die.
Alicia Keys & Jack White - Another Way To Die [Official Video]
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Queen and 5ive
When 5ive decided to cover/desecrate the Queen classic We Will Rock You, Brian May and Roger Taylor actually a) let them do it and b) joined in.
Five, Queen - We Will Rock You
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David Bowie and Bing Crosby
Whether it was Christmas sentimentality, or just because his “mother liked him”, the Thin White Duke performed with the ageing crooner on a Yuletide TV show in 1977. Rumours persist that the only reason Bowie’s Peace On Earth vocal exists on the track is because he hated Little Drummer Boy so much. Whatever the case, Bing died before the show had even aired. Bowie’s credibility remained rock solid. Amazing.
David Bowie & Bing Crosby - Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth (widescreen)
