Stereoboard Take A Look At Music's More Unusual Collaborations (Metallica, Slipknot, Slash Feature)
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Written by Heather McDaid
In a world where the music can readily expect a mash-up of both Slipknot and Justin Bieber to create ‘Psychosocial Baby’, it’s fair to say that some odd collaborations will manifest into genuine musical offerings. While they’re not as stark in contrast as the aforementioned example, there have been quite a few creations that brought together artists of various backgrounds. Some like it, some don’t, but they’re still out there regardless.
The idea sprung to mind one lengthy drive where a track from Slash’s self-titled solo debut came on shuffle. Alongside rock veteran Alice Cooper, they released the track ‘Baby Can’t Drive’ as an added bonus to the record. The surprise came from the fact that the female vocalist taking the rock reins was no other than the Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger. This – at face value – caused a lot of raised eyebrows, but both Slash and Alice Cooper stepped out to defend her vocal capabilities on a rock ‘n’ roll track. Love or hate the track, it’s a great one to crank up to eleven on a winding road. However, being in an accident with this blasting may prove a little ironic.
Nicole isn’t the first person to collaborate with these two legendary gents that caused a few questions. On the very same album, Slash called up Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas to use her vocals on two tracks. The one that provoked the sterner response was their cover of Guns N’ Roses classic ‘Paradise City’ alongside Cypress Hill. They even dabbled with a ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ cover as part of the Black Eyed Peas’ Super Bowl half-time stint. Seemingly having Fergie taking on lead vocals on classic Guns N’ Roses numbers didn’t sit well for everyone.
One that did sit better was their collaboration ‘Beautiful Dangerous’. The track, an early addition to his self-titled release, was one of the few chosen for a music video. For those looking to see Slash stalked by the obsessive fan Fergie and eventually tied to a bed (spoilers!), then you’ll most likely enjoy it. The song itself is pretty good, the video is pretty funny. Once people got past the initial “Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas?” stigma, the collaboration was welcomed more warmly.
Returning to horror-rock legend Alice Cooper, he surprised the masses with his 2011 release ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ with the announcement that pop sensation Ke$ha was to appear on his track ‘What Baby Wants’. The album itself featured more of a dark disco vibe to be ironic – with Alice deeming that the characters nightmare would definitely involve disco – so having pop stars featured wasn’t too farfetched.
Around the time of the release, Alice spoke to Billboard to explain his choice for a collaborative partner, saying, “I immediately looked at her and went, 'This girl is not a pop diva. She's a rock singer.' She would much rather be the female Robert Plant than the next Britney Spears. There's a little bit of defiance in me. Nobody’s going to expect Ke$ha on my album so, great, let's do it. I like the idea you still can't put me in a corner and say, 'This is what you're gonna sound like’.”
This isn’t the first time he’s stepped over the expected lines of his genre, this just happens to be the most recent – and presumably not last – questionable collaboration he’s wholeheartedly leapt into.
A recent collaborative album split the masses greatly. ‘Lulu’ – the brainchild of The Velvet Underground’s Lou Reed and thrash metal legends Metallica. While their genres aren’t the most distant for a smooth collaboration, the result was – well – a tad bemusing. If you take one look at the album’s Wikipedia page, there’s a mash-up of just a few of the negative reviews it received. While this was by most accounts a complete flop, the album still had its fans out there. It goes to show that everything will appeal to someone; the beauty of the random mixes.
An upcoming release that’s been stirring an interesting response is to be Limp Bizkit’s first offering via Cash Money Records. The band are set to release a collaborative single with world renowned rapper Lil’ Wayne any time now and, to be honest, no one’s quite sure what to expect. Fred Durst – again, talking to Billboard – has been discussing the track ‘Ready To Go’. So far, this is all we have to go on...
“The song is already done for the most part. I've got a couple little things I might poke around or punch in on my verse. And I want their guys to take a crack at the mix. I mixed it myself; I think it sounds very big, but I really love the way their guys are mixing stuff, so I want to see what they can do with it.”
Another artist who has been dabbling with rappers – albeit a little more peculiar than Limp Bizkit – is the legendary Meat Loaf. Known for his famed rock opera styling, it was evident that this was a step in unchartered territory. For his new record ‘Hell In A Handbasket’ he enlisted the help of Chuck D of Public Enemy, who features on the lengthily named track 'Mad Mad World/The Good God is a Woman and She Don't Like It Ugly'. While the track works overall for some and feels a little disjointed to others, Meat Loaf has been open in saying he wanted to try something new. He still maintained an essence of the sound he’s loved for, so a little experimentation is always a welcome thing.
Mixing genres is hardly a new phenomenon. Heading back over 25 years, the famed Aerosmith/RUN DMC collaboration for ‘Walk This Way’ occurred. The video made for this track was played heavily on MTV and, well, the track still hasn’t been forgotten. Featuring both Steve Tyler and Joe Perry, this still stands as a celebrated work over two and a half decades later. It features on countless iPods of people I know, at least.
While these aren’t necessarily ‘weird’ collaborations, they certainly cross over certain musical genres that can raise a few eyebrows. We are however, as a musical community, adjusted to the fact that experimenting outside of your genre’s parameters is usually a good experience in one way or another.
Now, turning to flat out weird – one collaboration kept rearing its head: Ozzy Osbourne and Miss Piggy. The Muppets have starred alongside quite a string of famous faces, but there’s something about that version of ‘Born To Be Wild’ that sets it apart from the rest. Perhaps it’s the Prince of Darkness doing a duet with a puppet, perhaps it’s not... Either way, it’s pretty weird.
Look anywhere today and you’ll see mixing of genres. Some aren’t too surprising or farfetched given their sounds – the likes of Jay Z and Linkin Park and Korn and Skrillex – and some are a little bemusing. Music would be boring if everyone stayed wholeheartedly within one genre, so as long as there’s overlaps and experimentation there’ll be something new out there for people to love or complain about.
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