5 Amazing Musical Collaborations

Jack White/ image: Teresa Sedo via Flickr CC

Musical collaborations, although sometimes offbeat and seemingly random, have yielded some of the most highly acclaimed albums. Some critics call them “supergroups” – collaborations between members of already incredibly popular bands. Here are five amazing musical collaborations:

1.   The Raconteurs. Anyone who pays even the slightest bit of attention to contemporary rock music is familiar with Jack White. His first band, The White Stripes, is still ridiculous popular, and fans were beyond excited after he announced the creation of a side project, The Raconteurs. With the help of singer-songwriter Brendan Benson and some members of the Greenhornes, their debut album Broken Boy Soldier was greeted with tremendous acclaim.

Seattle "supergroup" Childbirth/ image: via Seattle Weekly

2.   Mad Season. Mad Season was the collaboration between Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley, Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, and resulted in the heavy, grungy, prog-rock awesomeness that was 1995’s Above. Mad Season only released the one album, much to the dismay of fans and grunge rockers everywhere.

3.   Childbirth. Childbirth is a feminist, lo-fi punk rock band made up of musicians from three Seattle-based bands: Bree McKenna of TacocaT, Stacy Peck of Pony Time, and Julia Shapiro from Chastity Belt. Together, the three bring an energetic, pro-woman sound to Seattle’s famous music scene, and their musical chemistry is obvious.

4.   Elvis Costello and Questlove. What seemed like the most unlikely pairing of all time actually turned out to be a phenomenal musical collaboration when Elvis Costello and Questlove recorded Wise Up Ghost together in 2013. Both Costello and Questlove have garnered enormous fame individually, and their mix of rock and hip-hop is an example of a cross-genre collaboration that really works. Wise Up Ghost was met with wide acclaim by fans and critics alike.

5.   Temple of the Dog. Another grunge-driven collaboration that wowed fans is Temple of the Dog, made up of Seattle’s Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Reportedly, the two bands came together after their mutual musician friend – Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone – died suddenly of a drug overdose. The band’s dark sound tackled issues surrounding drug abuse, death, and mortality, while simultaneously immortalizing the collaboration as one of the best of all time.

What are your favorite musical collaborations?

Unlikely Brilliance or Bizarre Mash-up: Elvis Costello and Questlove Collaborate on "Wise Up Ghost"

 

Over the last few decades, there have been many cross-genre collaborations between musicians that have ranged from genuinely fantastic to downright strange. One of the most anticipated September album releases is also a collaborative effort between rock and roll legend Elvis Costello and hip-hop heavyweight Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, the drummer and leader of the Roots.

The two performers are incredibly famous within their own musical genres, and neither of them are strangers to collaborations on records. Their own sounds have evolved and developed into deeply meaningful, technically remarkable records over the years, so perhaps their joining forces is simply the stuff of destiny. Costello and Questlove reportedly started collaborating on their album Wise Up Ghost after meeting on the set of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, where the Roots perform. The record was completed after a year’s worth of experimental sessions, and now we must wait in anticipation for the album’s release on the 17^th. 

What do the critics have to say? Ann Powers for NPR says “the album sounds like the best of Costello's stuff and like nothing he's done before. Working with musicians who've figured out how to apply hip-hop principles to a band dynamic, Costello locates himself within that framework to produce some of the most focused and visionary work of his later career.” The New York Times says that the album “underlines some of Mr. Costello’s bleakest imagery with stark, ominous funk,” and calls both Costello and Questlove “inveterate collaborators and musical encyclopedias.” One thing that critics can certainly agree on is that this album is technically remarkable, and that heavy, sinister themes are carried along by the sensual funk that Questlove employs. 

Costello and Thompson are now among the hordes of other seemingly unlikely musical collaborators like Coldplay and Rihanna, or Lou Reed and Metallica, just to name a few. When two seriously talented musicians join forces, the result has to be phenomenal, right? We’ll soon find out when Wise Up Ghost is released later this month.  

Image: milo43 via Instagram
Image: questlove via Instagram 

Rock and Roll Rebels of the Twentieth Century

In the twentieth century, Rock and Roll music was revolutionized by artists who pushed the boundaries of what that genre could be. Musicians often inserted radical politics into their songs, creating controversy by making important social commentary. Rolling Stone Magazine just released their list of 15 Rock and Roll Rebels , a sparse list, but an important one that highlights a few of the many powerful voices in punk, grunge, and folk rock. These often intersecting genres propelled iconic Rock and Roll musicians into infamy for their rebellious nature.

The magazine's list doesn’t honor rock stars who gained notoriety for trashing hotel rooms and being bawdy, eccentric musicians, but rather, those who weren’t afraid to challenge social norms through music. One artist who made the list is Elvis Costello, who once said, “My ultimate vocation in life is to be an irritant.” His musical style, originally formed from punk ideals, is what remains rebellious; Costello has mystified fans and critics by continuing to change his style of music.

Photo credit Flickr

The only female to make the list is Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor, who gained a rebellious reputation for her outspoken opinions about the government and organized religion. Rolling Stone wrote, “she will forever be remembered for shredding a photo of Pope John Paul II on the October 3, 1992 episode of Saturday Night Live...to protest the Catholic church's long suppression of evidence of sexual abuse among clergymen.”

Kurt Cobain of 90s grunge band Nirvana, also made the list. The magazine explains that “In his short life, the bandleader made it his duty to challenge beliefs – both his fans' and his own.” He often questioned society’s treatment of marginalized groups in lyrics and in interviews, which wasn’t always received well by fans. An artist who died young, Cobain is most rebellious for his beliefs, and his impact on the grunge rock genre.

Other notable names to make the list of Rolling Stone’s 15 Rock and Roll Rebels are: The Clash, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fela Kuti.