IN THE MIX 80's Edition Vol. 2 - Trivia you can dance to!

The IN THE MIX series bops back into the collective unconscious with Volume 2 of The 80's Edition!

Hidden in the mix are some of the biggest music stars of the era!  Some are well documented; Eddie Van Halen lending guitar to Beat It, Prince playing the guitar intro on Madonna’s Like A Prayer, or Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, & Mike Campbell backing Roy Orbison in the sessions that first brought together three of The Traveling Wilburys.

But you may have forgotten that The Everly Brothers supplied backing vocals on Paul Simon’s Graceland, or that Suzanne Vega assists with The Smithereens’ Cigarette.  Even further “on the down low” are a young Jon Bon Jovi backing Ratt, and Freddie Mercury helping out Billy Squier.  Johnny Marr & Kirsty MacColl contribute guitar & vocals for Talking Heads’ (Nothing But) Flowers.  And, in between fist-fights, Richard Ashcroft (of The Verve) laid down vocals on Oasis’ All Around The World.

The problem with being a part of Robin Trower’s band is you’re often almost anonymous—even if you’re the lead singer!  So I’m shining a light on one of Davey Pattison’s best vocal performances on Caroline.

And in the “once you hear it, the bell can’t be un-rung department”, that’s David Crosby singing in the background of Phil Collins’ Another Day In Paradise.  Collins guests on Mike Oldfield’s Sheba, & the other reigning drummer of the 80’s Stewart Copeland pounds away on Peter Gabriel’s Red Rain.

In a display of good-naturedness, Mark Knopfler agreed to allow Weird Al Yankovic to parody one of his songs—one of the biggest songs of the era—on the condition that he played guitar on the track!