[Music] Famous Singers on others' records

[Stato]

In fairness, Kirsty was on TOTP lyp-synching to it so I hope people can see why I thought she sang on the tune.

The Bob Holness myth was apparently a Stuart Maconie joke in NME. As an aside, Bob Holness did have a claim to fame as the first person to portray James Bond. A radio play from the 50s.

Getting back to Chris Farlowe/Mick Jagger- I read somewhere years ago that they are related, cousins or somesuch. If true then that's one hell of a talented gene pool.


And a question regarding Kirsty MacColl. Did she ever record any songs with her mum and dad?

Dave Robinson certainly got as much work out of Kirsty as he could. She is on quite a lot of Stiff releases, so combined with the ToTP appearance, it is a natural assumption to make. Cher had a similar relationship with Phil Spector and is believed to be on, amongst other things, Da Doo Ron Ron, Be My Baby and You've Lost That Loving Feeling. I don't know how much of that is true, Spector often didn't even use the credited artists on their records. You'd die happy just being on one of those three, let alone having a six decade career of your own.

I love that, when the NME's spoof was reported as fact in The Mirror and a journalist subsequently asked Bob Holness if it was true. He said 'Sadly not, but I did play guitar on Layla.'

I agree with you about Farlowe's version over Jagger's. Following Lemmy's death Farlowe must also now stand unrivalled as British rock music's premier collector of Nazi war memorabilia.

Kirsty mum was a dancer, not a singer. She isn't Peggy Seeger's daughter. Without Googling, I don't know whether Kirsy ever sang with Ewan. I doubt it though. He was very fundamentalist in his opposition to pop music. I read a story in a book about politics in song that tells how MacColl collected terrible cover versions of 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' and was happy to tell how he even hated Roberta Flack's version despite being interviewed in a room that had just been decorated from the resulting royalty money.

 

[Trufflehound]

That John Peel reference reminds me... There's a famous BBC sessions recording of Pink Floyd. I think it was them playing Atom Heart Mother at a London venue and would have been around 1970, maybe earlier. John Peel was there introducing them and I've been told - although I'm very sceptical of the veracity - that Peel also played with them on one of the tracks.

According to Peel himself (allegedly), this is the only record he's appeared on (reluctantly), in the rather tuneless backing choir:

[yt]OppywKlMomo[/yt]

Cut 'n' paste job:

Peel related the story of this recording session a few years later to John Walters: "I think I did a gig with them at Leicester Polytechnic. They were very very good. I can say this now: I was very smitten by Clare Grogan, the only time I’ve ever felt infatuated by a pop star…She was almost the only person, apart of course from my wife, who could have persuaded me to go into a recording studio and sing! Her and the drummer [Michael 'Tich' Anderson] came and collected me after a programme. They hadn’t warned me about it beforehand, which is probably a very good idea, because I would have found excuses not to go. They took me out to a recording studio. On the way out there, I was horrified to find that the drummer and Clare, put together, weighed the same as me, which is a very depressing statistic. We got out there, and they wanted me to sing on 'Song Sung Blue', the Neil Diamond song." Transcribed from Peeling Back The Years, Part 5.

 

[Stato]

Rick Wakeman plays piano on Bowie's' Life On Mars , Changes , and Oh You Pretty Things .

As well as 'Grandad' by Clive Dunn. He appeared at the behest of the composer, Sussex's own Herbie Flowers who also almost as impressively knocked off the double tracked bass on 'Walk on The Wild Side'.

 

[tinycowboy]

More Kirsty: backing vocals on the still thrilling "Speed Your Love To Me" by Simple Minds. Check out the 12" mix....

 

[pearl]

probably doesn't count, but the drummer is Budgie ... and I just love this video
The Slits - Typical Girl
https://youtu.be/ZyXGblps64M

 

[Buzzer]

I agree with you about Farlowe's version over Jagger's. Following Lemmy's death Farlowe must also now stand unrivalled as British rock music's premier collector of Nazi war memorabilia.

I had heard about this "hobby" of Farlowe's too. To be honest, it upsets me a lot. I did once have a landlord with a similar interest and I met a few of his like-minded friends. To put it diplomatically, all had a rather more sympathetic attitude towards the Nazis role than your average person.

I'm hoping it's just an historical interest with Lemmy and Farlowe rather than anything more.

Kirsty mum was a dancer, not a singer.

Fair enough. I wasn't aware her mum had not recorded. I did see her sing once with Ewan at the Ram Cider House near Guildford once when they had a folk music evening although by the sounds of it, it may well not have been her and I misheard the introductions.

 

[Jam The Man]

Dave Robinson certainly got as much work out of Kirsty as he could. She is on quite a lot of Stiff releases, so combined with the ToTP appearance, it is a natural assumption to make. Cher had a similar relationship with Phil Spector and is believed to be on, amongst other things, Da Doo Ron Ron, Be My Baby and You've Lost That Loving Feeling. I don't know how much of that is true, Spector often didn't even use the credited artists on their records. You'd die happy just being on one of those three, let alone having a six decade career of your own.

I love that, when the NME's spoof was reported as fact in The Mirror and a journalist subsequently asked Bob Holness if it was true. He said 'Sadly not, but I did play guitar on Layla.'

I agree with you about Farlowe's version over Jagger's. Following Lemmy's death Farlowe must also now stand unrivalled as British rock music's premier collector of Nazi war memorabilia.

Kirsty mum was a dancer, not a singer. She isn't Peggy Seeger's daughter. Without Googling, I don't know whether Kirsy ever sang with Ewan. I doubt it though. He was very fundamentalist in his opposition to pop music. I read a story in a book about politics in song that tells how MacColl collected terrible cover versions of 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' and was happy to tell how he even hated Roberta Flack's version despite being interviewed in a room that had just been decorated from the resulting royalty money.

Cher and Sonny Bono definitely both sang backing vocals on Be My Baby. I have the backing vocals track and clear as a bell it's them, plus possibly one other.

A monstrously good song if ever there was one.

Edit: Darlene Love may have been another one involved.

 

[marlowe]

Elton John, piano and backing vocals on John Lennon's "Whatever Gets You Through the Night"

https://youtu.be/eUqvZqaCrzo

 

[marlowe]

David Crosby on Phil Collins "Another Day in Paradise" and also with Graham Nash on Jackson Browne's "Doctor My Eyes"

https://youtu.be/Qt2mbGP6vFI

https://youtu.be/qsM7qCulsRM

 

[The Large One]

The Bob Holness myth was apparently a Stuart Maconie joke in NME. As an aside, Bob Holness did have a claim to fame as the first person to portray James Bond. A radio play from the 50s.

In the same series of 'Believe It Or Not' in the NME written by Stuart Maconie, he also stated David Bowie invented Connect Four.

 

[The Large One]

Michael Caine sung backing vocals on 'Get A Bloomin' Move On' (better known as 'Self Preservation Society') from The Italian Job.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

One of the backing singers on the Chiffons " He's so fine " was Aretha Franklin. Gene Pitney couldn't hit the final note in " Im gonna be strong " and it was provided by Al Martino. " Telstar " by the Tornados, includes Hank Marvin, who stood in at the last minute for a band member who went sick. Big Dee Irwin's hit " Swinging on a Star " included Little Eva, who had a subsequent hit with " The Locomotion "
Eric Clapton played with the Small Faces on " Itchycoo Park " and the spoken intro on the original version of " Eve of Destruction " by Barry McGuire is Yoko Ono.

 

[Buzzer]

In the same series of 'Believe It Or Not' in the NME written by Stuart Maconie, he also stated David Bowie invented Connect Four.

Good trivia knowledge.

I said earlier that Farlowe is the greatest blue-eyed soul singer from these shores. What do you reckon?

 

[The Large One]

Good trivia knowledge.

I said earlier that Farlowe is the greatest blue-eyed soul singer from these shores. What do you reckon?

Dusty Springfield.

Farlowe is a good shout; Eric Burdon isn't too shabby - though his is more raw blues and soul, mind.

 

[The Large One]

One of the backing singers on the Chiffons " He's so fine " was Aretha Franklin. Gene Pitney couldn't hit the final note in " Im gonna be strong " and it was provided by Al Martino. " Telstar " by the Tornados, includes Hank Marvin, who stood in at the last minute for a band member who went sick. Big Dee Irwin's hit " Swinging on a Star " included Little Eva, who had a subsequent hit with " The Locomotion "
Eric Clapton played with the Small Faces on " Itchycoo Park " and the spoken intro on the original version of " Eve of Destruction " by Barry McGuire is Yoko Ono.

Have you got a reliable reference for that? Can't find anything.

The Shadows did their own version not long after the original, but everything points to it being Alan Caddy. Besides, there's a good chance Hank Marvin would've been under contract, and therefore not available.

 

[Buzzer]

Dusty Springfield.

Farlowe is a good shout; Eric Burdon isn't too shabby - though his is more raw blues and soul, mind.

Good call with Dusty Springfield. When Evie Sands was referred to as The "American Dusty Springfield" it shows how highly regarded Dusty was.

Edit - another female singer I'd add to the list is Elkie Brooks. Not quite the same sort of singer though.

 

[Trufflehound]

Dusty Springfield.

Farlowe is a good shout; Eric Burdon isn't too shabby - though his is more raw blues and soul, mind.

Does Spencer Davis count?

 

[The Large One]

Does Spencer Davis count?

He may do - if you consider him a vocalist.

Steve Winwood was the lead singer in the Spencer Davis Group, and is in with a shout being considered for that accolade - though more as having a fine voice rather than a soul-laden voice.

 

[The Large One]

Good call with Dusty Springfield. When Evie Sands was referred to as The "American Dusty Springfield" it shows how highly regarded Dusty was.

Edit - another female singer I'd add to the list is Elkie Brooks. Not quite the same sort of singer though.

Elike Brooks' forte ended up being ballads. There were many decent British female pop/soul singers back then - Jackie Trent, Elkie Brooks, Kiki Dee...

Dig this rarity from the latter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9C4VVgd8No

 

[Trufflehound]

He may do - if you consider him a vocalist.

Steve Winwood was the lead singer in the Spencer Davis Group, and is in with a shout being considered for that accolade - though more as having a fine voice rather than a soul-laden voice.

Doh!

Of course you are right. Steve Winwood was who I was thinking of...







*Morons. I got morons on my team...*