Hits We Didn't Play On
Posted by David Wright on 12 May 2008 - 8:03pm.
Was thinking about Was (Not Was) the other night and their biggest hit to date, which was Shake Your Head, featuring Kim Basinger and Ozzy Osbourne. I don't think any of the band even played on it, yet such is the power of a dance remix, it brought them a few weeks of fame. Any other artist/ bands you can think of in similar circumstances?
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Um..
Not to be picky, but wasn't 'Walk The Dinosaur' pretty big? Besides which Don Was is, when all's said & done, a producer.
Having got that out of my system, Cher was uncredited on her duet with Meatloaf and Cornershop did fine out of Fatboy Slim's remix of 'Brimful of Asha' - promptly disappearing afterwards.
And then there's the whole 'curse of the successful advert' thing. Just ask Stiltskin, Babylon Zoo, The Caesars etc
Walk The Was
Walk The Dinosaur was pretty big for them, but it had most of the band playing on it. Agree re Babylon Zoo but I think Stiltskin all played on the record.
Ike Turner
I think I'm right in saying he had nothing to do with Ike & Tina Turner's River Deep Mountain High. he boot was on the other foot with Rocket 88 which was credited to Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats, rather than Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm.
Are we talking...
...no instrumental involvement in a finished product here? If so, then I believe some of The Monkees' earlier hits were all played by session musicians and they only contributed vocals, something which Michael Nesmith was very against. What about some Beach Boys records- weren't some of those from the 'Pet Sounds' era largely played by session musicians?
Yes
Yes indeed, no actual musical contributions on the record from the artist/band involved.
Milli Vanilli and Boney M come to mind....
The latter, at least from the point of view of the miming side parting afro behaired fella.
Re the original thread, what is this "Shake Your Head"? I know "Walk the Dinosaur", which tends to support spikeyboys thesis.
What about all those awful songs that lift a chunk of something else, destroy it and then claim "credit" for it. That godawful Valerie (as in Steve Winwood, not a dig at Ronson)abomination that seemed to be big on't'radio is the exemplar. Did that sell any copies of the original template for Little Stevie? Somehow I doubt it, but I suppose he got a fat whack of royalties.
I believe Roger McGuinn (still Jim at the time)was the only Byrd on Tambourine Man, and only vocally at that.
Rhubarb
I think. I believe McGuinn, Crosby & Clark are all on there vocally. Think you're getting confused with instrumentation as I'm pretty certain that McGuinn's 12 string Rickenbacker is the only Byrd playing on Tambourine Man.
Squeeze - Annie Get Your Gun
Squeeze last single before they split up in 82 was put together by the producer Alan Tarney and Glenn Tilbrook whilst the rest of the band went to the pub. I think Chris Difford sang backing vocals but Don Snow,John Bentley and Gilson Lavis didn't play on the track.
In a similar vein...
...McCartney is the only Beatle on Eleanor Rigby and The Ballad Of John & Yoko is just Lennon and McCartney.
similarly 'within you without you' only has
Beatle George on it....
Of the ones could have chosen...
... you missed off 'Yesterday', the ultimate 'solo Beatle' tune!
Annie Get Your Gun
My favourite Squeeze tune. But never knew that about it.
But returning to the q in the thread,
hits with none of 'em on. (I know I have contributed to this diversion, but there are loads and loads of songs on LPs by groups where one or other, or all but one, are surplus to requirements, such as Verdi Cries, nominally by 10k Maniacs, but featuring only Natalie Merchant. So lets mention no more like that.)
James Brown
Several of his albums have instrumentals on, and he didn't play an instrument.
Also there's a song on an advert and being played on Radio One at the moment by Sharon Shannon called Galway Girl but the singer is quite clealry Steve Earle.
the sharon shannon thing i can clear up
i think...
Steve Earle wrote and recorded it; Sharon shannon guested on it..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Shannon
is it on a Magners advert in the UK, then?
Au contraire, Niks...
The Minister of The New New Super Heavy Funk was in fact a demon on the Hammond organ. To hear just how good he was, check out Soul Pride: The Instrumentals (1960-69).
(According to Wikipedia, he also knew his way about "guitar, harmonica, bass, keyboards, drums and other percussion instruments".)
Magners ad.
Yes it is.
cool - the stuff is known as
Bulmers over here in Ireland where it's been on sale since God was a nipper. Wasn't too sure if the adverts both here and there were the same. Seems they are.
*looks outside window*
and jesus - they sorta work don't they!
Did you know?
That Jack Nicholson made a fortune from the second Batman film and he wasn't in it?
That's because his deal to play the Joker in the first one involved a percentage of any sequel.
The Joker
You must joking! Can this be true?
When Will I Be Famous (and able to play my instrument?)
Apart from their singer, did any other members of Bros play on any of their records, I doubt it. A Bros revival is not something the world wants yet either.
The Crystals' He's A Rebel...
...is actually by Darlene Love. The Crytals were on tour when it was recorded.
Smashing Pumpkins / Manics
I think I read that Billy Corgan played all the bass and guitar parts on Siamese Dream, leaving two of his band-members on the artwork (and miming in the videos) for an album they didn't actually feature on.
And let's not forget the Lord Lucan of rock, Richie Edwards from Manic Street Preachers. Yes, I appreciate what he actually did do, but they did have his guitar turned off most of the time.