Entertainment For Lively Minds
Duets with the Dead
Posted by Fraser Lewry on 7 August 2008 - 10:37am.
I read the news today. Oh boy. Sony BMG have announced the release of a new Elvis Presley Christmas album, recorded 36 years after his previous one.
The album will be a series of 'newly recorded' duets with country stars like LeAnn Rimes (Here Comes Santa Claus), Anne Murray (Silver Bells) and Wynonna Judd (Santa Claus Is Back In Town).
This obviously isn't the first time this kind of thing has happened: the dead Elvis has previously duetted with daughter Lisa Marie and Celine Dion, while Natalie Cole and Hank Williams Jr. have both 'performed' with long-departed parents.
Two questions: Can this ever be a good idea? And which impossible pairing would you like to see come to fruition?
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Frank Sinatra and Lemmy...
Dusty Springfield and Mark E. Smith...
Sam Cooke and Freddie Mercury...
PC has nailed it!
I want a duet between 2 artists both already dead.
Rod Stewart and Macca would be good.
How about two living ones?
Otis and Jimi.
Deceased and still with us - ever a good idea?
Well, I gather that - while it's a minority interest - some people do enjoy necrophilia.
No No No No NO!
No.
Why? Why would you want to listen to this? Why?
Not only duets between living and dead but Christmas duets? NOOOOOOO!!!!
ah but what about
Pogues and Kirsty's Fairytale?
Now you're being silly...
...you know they were both living when the track was recorded.
Although.....Shane.....
Sorry, I thought you were querying
xmas duets living or dead
Elvis
...nothing that wrong with Christmas songs, providing I can cope with the cringe factor. But add the whole thing of adding new performances with the dead thing...urg.
Meanwhile, we have to ask ourselves: is Elvis really dead? Is this not more further proof that Mr P is alive and well and living in Burnley?
Nothing wrong with Xmas suet.
I like a good ball of stuffing with my turk... Ah. I see.
Hat 'n' coat.
My duets from the dead would be
SRV and Jimi Hendrix
John and George, in case Ringo and Paul fancied joining them
The Copper Family (the original old boys I would love to see in concert)
Stéphane Grappelli & Django would be great
Eric Roche and (a) Arthur Russell or (b) Michael Hedges
Ian Dury and Kirsty McColl
Frank Sinatra and Julie London
Danny Fedreci with anyone as long as they could play with Bruce one more time....
Nick Drake and ummm....how about Sandy Denny
I would love to hear live a duo from any of the ole time folkies Sam Larner, Pop Maynard, Jeannie Roberton, Sarah Makem etc etc
In hindsight, some of my pairings duetted on record anyhow...so i could simply listen to the records....
Oh yes, I think it is a good idea subject to quality control
Is this
any different from people doing mash-ups using tracks from dead people??
Crappy
I just can't believe anything great will come of it. Every posthumous collaboration I can think of, particularly the Beatles' "Free as a Bird", has just felt like a crappy money-making exercise and a deeply unsatisfying musical experience.
Or can you prove me wrong? Any fantastic posthumous collaborative gems out there??
The best
comment I read about that at the time (although I don't remember where) was "Jeff Lynne spent his entire career trying to make ELO sound like The Beatles and ended it by making The Beatles sound like ELO". That nailed it for me, though the track did grow on me in a big way. I thought the video was a work of pure genius too.
excellent quote
entirely sums up my problem with the track. agree with you on the video, very wonderful.
Marley
Wasn't 'Buffalo Soldier' finished up a few years after he died? I liked that.
Roy Orbison
His "duet" with kd lang was quite good
Wasn't it just?
And how about this as an idea : Lucinda and Hank Williams Snr? She's sung plenty about the departed, so why not with one of them? (That's my question mark quota for the day all used up. Hope we don't get a blog on The Mysterians.)
Or with Gram?
This clip set me thinking, however much extra egg Elvis is emoting......
(Was really looking for Lucy sings Hank (no relation), which I couldn't find, but there is a wealth of recorded material
BTW, CMT (country music television) excels in pairing of artists in interesting ways like this clip.
Yes, yes. yes!
Great (even if neither is - I'm glad to say - dead yet!). (I think you're right about the emoting, too. Elvis was clearly making a pavlova. With custard. After a boiled egg starter and a souffle main course.) And thanks for the CMT tip. I shall be looking into this, to be sure.
Afterthought.
Incidentally, Retro, do you know when this was aired? I remember reading an interview with Elvis (in Word?) in which he said Lucinda had been on at him to collaborate, but that he was reluctant because "She always has boyfriend trouble...."
Could he be referring more to how she "medicates"....
...when he bassists mess with her? Have you heard how slurred she is on the Delivery Man CD of Elvis'?
From my list.....
.....though there's no guarantee that it's correct -
CMT Crossroads - Elvis Costello and Lucinda Williams
13 Jan 2002
Changed The Locks
Drunken Angel
Indoor Fireworks
Crescent City
Wild Horses
Blue
Poisoned Rose
Thank you, too, Stevie.
(Biggie? Cookie?) (Feel free to call me Baldie.)
I have the Costello/Lucinda CMT
Concert on CD if anyone wants a copy -replete with great in between song banter.By the way Lucinda duets with Costello on the Delivery Man album and he returns the favour on Lucindas new disc due in October.