Guest musicians give you so much more.

I was listening to the much-loved Talking Heads song This Must Be The Place. A simple song that oozes charm and benefits greatly from a wonderfully quirky performance by percussionist David Van Tieghem. His playing is one of the things I like most about this song.

It got me thinking about exceptional guest musician moments. I suppose another example is Shankar playing on Echo and the Bunnymen's Porcupine.

I'm not really thinking about the many well known session players associated with bands, e.g. Wrecking Crew/Beach Boys or auxiliary band members like John Bundrick/Nicky Hopkins, but something a little less expected.

I came up with Robert Fripp's awesome Wimshurst guitar solo on St.Elmo's Fire and Rick Wakeman's ornate piano on Hunky Dory. Neither of those musicians are under the radar; they're also pretty easy picks, and yes Rick was indeed a busy session musician during that time.......

Funny some bands/musicians never really brought in outside musicians, but others like Talking Heads, Talk Talk and Bowie used them to great effect. What are some of your outstanding guest musician moments?

 

Klaus Voormann opening You’re So Vain with that incredible bass line

 

There was that guest vocalist too

 

You probably think this thread is about you

 

During their heyday, the Stones got a lot of mileage from their friends.

 

Tracey Ullman couldn't hit the high notes to sing the word "Baay-bee" that leads into the final verse of Kirsty MacColl's "They Don't Know" when recording the song, so Kirsty showed up to sing it herself.

I'd post the clip, but YouTube seems to be having troubles at the moment...

 

Sterling Morrison guitar with Luna on PENTHOUSE.

 

That's one of my all-time favorite guitar solos, from anyone, not just Fripp. It takes the song to a transcendental plane.

My contribution: Herbie Hancock's synth solo on Simple Minds' 'Hunter and the Hunted'. It's mixed too far back, but nonetheless adds a lot to the song.

 

Wayne Shorter's solo on Steely Dan's Aja was the first that came to mind.

 

Would Clapton's solo on 'Gently Weeps' fall into this category, or Gilmour's on 'No More Lonely Nights'?

I would also put forward Ryuichi Sakamoto's synth work on Japan's 'Gentlemen Take Polaroids'.

 

Ian Hunter made a lovely duet with Genya Ravan... and that's Mick Ronson doing the lead break, too...

 

Good one, but Sterling played on Bewitched, on the songs Friendly Advice and Great Jones Street. I'd add Tom Verlaine on Luna's song 23 minutes in Brussels from Penthouse. Both great appearances by two of my favourite guitarists. Another great one for me is Robbie Robertson's solo on Clapton's Sign Language.

 

After Yes disbanded in 1981, following the Drama tour, bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White formed Cinema with guitarist and singer-songwriter Trevor Rabin and original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye, who had left in 1971, and began recording an album. They adopted a more commercial and pop-oriented musical direction as the result of their new material, much of which derived from Rabin's demos, with former Yes singer Trevor Horn as their producer. During the mixing stage former Yes singer Jon Anderson, who had left in 1980, accepted the invitation to return and record the lead vocals, and subsequently Cinema changed their name to Yes. The resulting album was 90125.

 

*Always liked Nicolette Larson on Neil Young's "Comes A Time" album.*

*Also Leo Kottke on Rickie Lee Jones' "Traffic From Paradise".*

 

I like Wayne Shorter playing on Milton Nascimento's album Milton. I think Herbie Hancock is on that record too.

 

Yes, you are correct! My mistake. BEWITCHED, not PENTHOUSE. I've been on a big Luna kick lately and mixed up the lps in my mind. Silly me!

"23 Minutes in Brussels" is one of my all-time faves.... Verlaine, Wareham, Eden..... Great combo!

 

I'll also add Wayne's appearance on Milton's "A Barca Dos Amantes"

 

There are some great guest musicians, on various tracks, on Peter Gabriel’s third album (aka “Melt”):

• Kate Bush – backing vocals (2, 7)
• Dave Gregory – guitar (4, 5)
• Robert Fripp – guitar (2, 4, 8)
• David Rhodes – guitar (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10), backing vocals (1, 4, 8)
• Paul Weller – guitar (6)
• Larry Fast – synthesizer (1, 2, 3, 7, 10), processing (2, 4, 8), bagpipes (10)
• John Giblin – bass guitar (2, 5, 6, 7, 8)
• Tony Levin – Chapman Stick (4)
• Jerry Marotta – drums (4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10), percussion (7, 8)
• Phil Collins – drums (1, 2, 6); drum pattern (1); snare (5); surdo
• Dick Morrissey – saxophone
• Morris Pert – percussion
• Dave Ferguson – screeches
• Steve Lillywhite – producer; whistle
• Hugh Padgham - engineer

 

Tom Petty on Dwight Twilley's - Girls

 

Wayne Perkins on Hand of Fate.

 

Ok let's get this over with.....Clapton on While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

 

Let's get this over with: Nicky Hopkins on, well, anything...yes, even his cheesy organ playing on "Cherry Oh Baby"

 

Phil Manzanera's guitar on John Cale's awesome Gun from his Fear album. Up there with Fripp's equally fearsome blitzing on Eno's Baby's On Fire from the same year (1974).

Eno's heartbreaking, swooping siren of a synth on Nico's awesome You Forgot to Answer (also 1974).

Inspiral Carpets featuring Mark E Smith on fire: I Want You (1994).

Phil Collins' fabulous drumming / percussion on Eno's Sky Saw (1975) and Mother Whale Eyeless (1974).

Peter Murphy's backing vox on his former Bauhaus colleague David J: Candy on the Cross (1992).

 

Roger McGuinn guesting in 12 string and harmonies on Aimee Mann’s 50 Years After The Fair and Could’ve Been Anyone works very well.

Elton John supporting Neil Sedaka on Bad Blood is a fave.

The all star band supporting Ringo on It Don’t Come Easy is Beatles worthy in playing and spirit.

Like it or not, Roy Bittans piano on Dire Straits Making Movies gets a lot of space.

 

Bittan occasionally steals the show on Bowie's Station To Station LP as well.