SPECIAL GUEST Vol. 1 - Guest Artists On Record & On Stage!

SPECIAL GUEST Vol. 1

There are lots of ways that a SPECIAL GUEST makes a track worth a listen.

Sometimes the appeal hinges on the guest’s sheer star power, as with Eddie Van Halen joining John Waite onstage back when John was the seasoned pro, and Eddie was a white-hot, fresh-faced newcomer.  

Some pairings “could have gone either way” like Jerry Lee Lewis & Rory Gallagher—which yielded a singular version of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.  Joe Strummer playing live with The Pogues was also a coin toss.  A rudderless Strummer had just disbanded The Clash, and Shane MacGowan & the boys were known for being shambolic on their best day.  But it worked, & left us with a totally reinvented, accordion-heavy version of Brand New Cadillac.  

Joe Ely may lean more toward being a country artist these days—but like his special guest Bruce Springsteen, he was once known for his raucous & rocking live shows.  The more I listen to Odds Of The Blues, the more I love the way their voices blend together.  When you think of Foo Fighters, you don’t necessarily think “Texas Blues” but throw Jimmie Vaughan in the mix and you’re transported to a roadhouse on the outskirts of town. 

Other times, the appeal is that the duo are strange bedfellows.  I never expected to hear Alanis Morissette & Willie Nelson sing a duet, and I certainly didn’t expect their version of On The Road Again to become one of my favorite tracks on this collection.  Same with Nothing Else Matters by Miley Cyrus & Metallica.  

I didn’t even know of Delirium when I came across Matthew Sweet guesting on their Daylight, but I feel they should definitely work together again.  Same with Soft Boy Kimberley Rew & his wife, Lee Cave-Berry, and Alejandro Escovedo & Scott McCaughey.

Then there’s the “can’t miss” collaborations like brothers Johnny & Edgar Winter joining forces on Harlem Shuffle.  Nick Lowe with Wilco & The Doors fronted by Ian Astbury?  They're no brainers—like one of my favorite rockabilly bands, Cigar Store Indians teaming up with Brian Setzer.  And I can’t express how much I love Joe Lynn Turner, Brad Gillis, Rudy Sarzo’s version of All Day & All Of The Night.

Sometimes the attraction is the meeting of two legends—as in the case of Stevie Ray Vaughan & Jeff Beck who kick the living shit out of Goin' Down.  Or, former roommates Waylon Jennings & Johnny Cash showing the kids how it’s done.  Or, in the case of Elton John & John Lennon one legend convincing another to give the bread baking a break—and come out of retirement to sing Whatever Gets You Thru The Night live at Madison Square Garden.  Which wraps things up!