In this thread post either collaborations you would love to see, but would most likely never happen or collaborations you never thought would happen, but did.

I would have loved to see Captain Beefheart do something with the Miles Davis Quintet backing him as odd as it would sound.

For the second part, I was pretty surprised when I found an "ultra-rare" track of Jimi Hendrix with Jim Morrison called F*** Her In The A**. By the way, it was a terrible track.

Jack Black and Jack White

Brian Eno producing Paul Simon was pretty damn unlikely...

Incidentally, Jack Black and Jack White were both in WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY -- Black as Paul McCartney (alongside Paul Rudd as Lennon, Justin Long as Harrison and Jason Schwartzman as Ringo), White as Elvis Presley (one of the funniest scenes).

Nice
Another cool one is the Toronto 60's group The Mynah Birds with Neil Young on guitar and Rick James on bass.

You guys aren’t taking advantage of this thread. Exploit it!

I’ve often had this conversation with friends, although it usually takes the form of "put together your dream band/group, using any artists in history, past or present".

Here’s mine:

The foundations of any great band lies in the rhythm section – a bass and drum tandem that can not only compliment one another, but can add to the overall aesthetic and when it’s called for, step to the forefront and show off.

DRUMS: John Bonham (Led Zeppelin). A versatile drummer who possessed one of the greatest drum sounds in rock history.

BASS GUITAR: Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers). Funky and flashy – a bit strange, but talented as hell. Not afraid of melody and has the unique gift of being able to play from the shadows while still being able to make his presence felt.

Next, the first melodic component: piano/keyboards. History has shown that great bands exist (and thrive) without them, but some of the greatest bands have had someone on board to tickle the ivories.

KEYS: Rod Argent (The Zombies). A jazz and classically trained near-virtuoso on the piano, Hammond, Mellotron, etc. If it has keys, he can play it. (An outstanding harmonist as well).

My favorite member of any band – the lead guitarist. This is the toughest choice since I’m a guitarist, but also because there are so many whom I admire. However, there are only three guitarists who have been hugely influential to my personal style: Noel Gallagher (Oasis), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) and Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead).

My "look" as a guitarist is owed to Gallagher, right down to the way I stand with a guitar and how I hold a guitar pick, but Gallagher wasn’t the most talented (even by his own admission), so he’s out. Gilmour wins big on tastefulness and guitar tone, but his look wasn’t anything remarkable, and his technical range was limited. He’s out. That leaves...

LEAD GUITAR: Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead). Virtuosity and sheer innovation on the instrument win; his guitar makes sounds that other guitarists only dream of. Classically trained, superb at arrangements and orchestral composition, and a multi-instrumentalist, Greenwood is not only an extraordinary all-round musician, but his style/look basically created the template for indie guitarists. (Plus, he’s there when the song calls for an Ondes Martenot).

Last is vocals – the cornerstone of rock. Again, versatility, control and range are the defining abilities here. Plus, the vocalist is typically the frontman – the image of the band and the emotional conduit, so I need someone with a gift for showmanship and performance, and a bit of mystique doesn’t hurt either. Oh, and did I mention that they should be able to belt it out with glass-shattering power?

VOCALS: Jeff Buckley. Bono circa ’91 comes damn close, but I’m trading calculated irony for pure, natural talent here. A rarity, Buckley had a voice box that contained equal parts songbird and lion. When he wasn’t unleashing a potent hard-rock growl, he was making the gods weep with his heavenly pipes, capable of reaching notes in upper scales usually reserved for female sopranos. Often joking with his audience, Buckley performed covers of Edith Piaf, Leonard Cohen, Nina Simone, Van Morrison – not only with stunning execution, but often turning the song into something entirely new. He was no slouch on the guitar either. Apart from talent, Buckley possessed model-esque good looks (as Blender magazine quipped, "your girlfriend probably finds him more attractive than you."), and he had an aura of mysteriousness – which perhaps was the result of his premature death. At any rate, he was a one-of-a-kind performer, vocalist, musician, and presence.

Now, the band just needs a name...

What style are they gonna play, Anthony?

I'll give that dream band a think.

One cooperation too unlikely for me to have even thought of it before I came upon a recording of it was Lou Reed and Bruce Cockburn duetting on Cockburn's near-tacky Christmas hymn "Cry of a Tiny Babe". And it actually sounds great.

Brian Wilson with Sean O'Hagan. It would be great.

Musical composition - (TOM WAITS)
Lead Vocals - (PJ HARVEY - Stories from the city esque)
Lead Guitar (JACK WHITE)
Bass - (JOHN PAUL JONES)
Drums - (DAVID GROHL)
Specialities - Tambarine, Beat Boxing, Back up Vocals, and a whole lot of ugly stompin and howlin - (TOM WAITS)
lyrics - (BOB DYLAN) New blues songs special written for the album.

Well for Dream Bands...

First of all they would play sort of upbeat rock in a sort of Queen power with Dire Straits catchy-ness. They've got Earl Palmer so we got some really strong drumming, and same with Entwistle.

Lead Vocals: Freddie Mercury (Queen)
Lead Guitar: Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)
Drums: Earl Palmer
Bass: John Entwistle (The Who)

The most unlikely Norwegian collaboration has already been done. Queen Sonja (then Crown Princess Sonja) recorded a record with children's tv puppet Titten Tei.

See the cover here: http://images.qxlricardo.com/ImgUsers/5/526/52691/5269185/526918500_Big.jpg

so true, Rune, sometimes things just happen and so...

Does anyone remember Samantha Fox with Hawkwind?

Snusmumrik -

Whatever it is, it'd probably be absolute shite.

As a friend points out, chemistry is huge. Otherwise mediocre musicians can, together, make for an amazing band. Great individual musicians, together, doesn't necessarily equal greatness.

I basically just wrote that huge post because I'm bored as f**k today. schleuse - this upcoming game of yours had better require some serious commentary, because the office is going to be dead during the summer.

And awwwe my god, how could've I neglected this german piece of miracle...

Katharine McPhee/Madlib: They both try to modernize jazz in their own way
Christina Aguilera/Steely Dan: They share the same manager Irving Azoff, and they're both pop/jazz
Other combinations between these artists could also work
Dumbangel, I read somewhere that Brian Wilson and Sean O'Hagan were going to collaborate one time, but I forgot what happened after. Maybe you know the story.

I agree that collaborations of handpicked superstars often don't work out to prove that the total is more than the sum of the parts. Often considerably less, actually.

What often has worked fine, on the other hand, is an experienced singer getting together with an experienced band that you wouldn't expect him or her to play with.

Examples:
Warren Zevon with R.E.M. on "Sentimental Hygiene" (even their outtakes issued as "Hindu Love Gods have something going for them)
Bob Dylan with Petty & Heartbreakers during '86-'87 tour
Neil Young's tour with Booker T & the MG's (I did enjoy it, although my friend the HM & Jazz drummer called it "karaoke Young")
Neil Young's album AND tour with Pearl Jam

Example of it NOT working: Bob Dylan's tour with The Grateful Dead (Bob either uninspired or awed by his surroundings, and the Dead reduced to noodling out accompaniment, rather than playing as themselves).