Lead guitarist, preening vocalist? Nah. All I ever wanted to be was a backing vocalist, a Detroit Spinner or a Pip doing a tight shuffle whilst woo woo-ing the Midnight Train to Georgia.
Apart from the aforesaid ‘Train’ what are the songs with the best backing vocals? More recently, I reckon ‘Stacy’s Mum (Mom?)’ has got it going on in a similar fashion.
Mott The Hoople – Roll Away The Stone
“Sha la la, push push”
Merry Clayton on Gimme Shelter
Maggie Bell on Every Picture Tells A Story
Margie Hendricks performance on this is beyond words. You’ll notice her name is missing from the artist credit. That makes her ‘backing’.
I love a tight, crisp rhythm section, especially when it is topped with a heart-meltingly gorgeous backing vocal. I give you Carolyn Leonheart on Steely Dan’s Pixeleen.
https://youtu.be/V6OrUOPn1zw
Luther Vandross arranged the vocals on Young Americans. It helped he had Ava Cherry & Robin Clark to work with. Right is heavenly.
Tigger’s going off on one – but I’m loving it. Keep ’em coming!
All four members of the original 10cc could sing. Their backing vocals were tremendous. The Worst Band In The World, indeed!
The album with the best group backing vocals ever is Revolver, especially McCartney’s higher register behind Lennon. As an example, listen to many people’s worst Revolver track, Dr Robert. You’ll find the backing vocals are brilliant.
He took a bad song and made it better.
Actually I don’t think it’s the worst or even bad. It’s better than Harrison’s contributions. It’s better that the cloying Here, There And Everywhere.
I refer you to a Feature last year:
It never occurred to me the Doctor Robert would be anyone’s ‘skip’ track on Revolver.
@ipesky the last but one Word in Your Ear podcast was a look at the world of the backing singer http://wordpodcast.co.uk/2017/03/29/word-podcast-264-tessa-niles-and-gina-foster-talking-bvs/
Well worth a listen.
A heads up for the Kokomo “girls”: Dyan Birch, Paddy McHugh and Frank Collins, who as well as their sterling work with that band, were a staple session BV troupe in the 70s and 80s. (Indeed, still go strong, albeit minus Dyan, who has been extremely ill with respiratory issues, get well soon.)
And Londonbeat, whose vocalists, Jimmies Helms and Chambers, with Myles Kane, were all over other records in the 80s.
Here they are with Deacon Blue:
You left out Tony O’Malley from the Kokomo lineup.
A very classy outfit indeed, well worth checking out if you see they’re playing near you anytime. Original lineup intact, with 3 substitutions. Jennifer Maidman on bass to replace the late Alan Spenner, former Muffin Man Andy Treacey on drums and an excellent new female vocalist, Helena-May Harrison in place of Dyan.
Dyan Birch seems to be doing a bit better now and is back home after an extensive hospital stay where she caught pneumonia and came close to dying. Fingers crossed.
I didn’t count him, as he is the keyboard player as well. But I was thinking of (and I think it was him who called the other 3 the “girls”) their sessional work. This was as one, two or all 3 with the likes of Terence Trent D’Arby, Bryan Ferry and, um, Alvin Lee.
As I said in my recent thread (https://theafterword.co.uk/singing-along-with-the-bvs/) , I like this one…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZMcVuBg9D4
I can’t think of anywhere better to park this:
Caravan of Love is a song which always seems to have fine backing vocals (and just what I need today after yesterday’s events in Stockholm! Hope you are OK @Locust.)
Let’s go for the Isley Brothers version.
Sadly, I don’t think I could get away with wearing the lead singer’s magnificent outfit.
I’m fine @Kaisfatdad, just had a very strange day yesterday…
The thing that stood out for me the most, however, was how extra nice and friendly people were to each other as soon as the news started to come in, and all through the day.
As if to say “No – that’s not Stockholm, this is Stockholm!”
I heard you were close to the eye of the storm, was it the same there or did the panic make people behave differently?
How do know I was right in the eye of storm? Are you working a deep cover op for SÄPO, Locust?
No I agree with you. People were friendlier as they trekked home across Skanstull and there a lot of spontaneous acts of kindness and thoughtfulness.
Immediately after it happened I think people were first confused and then rather frightened. I think it took 5-10 minutes for the penny drop to drop and for me to realize that there had been a terrorist attack.
Scary.
A friend on Facebook told me (which is probably the way SÄPO find most things out these days too! 😀 )
There is someone we both know who is my FB friend??
I can’t say I am surprised.
Primal Scream’s Movin on up
From 1991 – one lass doing all the work
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=primal+scream+movin+on+up
On Later (with a slightly larger budget and six backing singers!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ikregMe3NY
REM – Near Wild Heaven. Channelling The Beach Boys, as they also did on At My Most Beautiful, amongst others.
The Boys’ own backing vocals go without saying (he said).
The Who had some lovely harmony vocals on some of their recordings.
(Tattoo)
Not sure that this counts but it is an exquisite piece of vintage Italian psychedelia.
https://youtu.be/UVBfnEs7GI8
This.
(The Congos – Fisherman)
Positively sumptuous BVs on this.
(Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – O Children)
Afrodiziak (Caron Wheeler & Claudia Fontaine) – almost compulsory to have them as backing vocalists in the early/mid 80’s.
Like @ipesky I’ve always fancied myself whoo-ing, coo-ing and spinning around… Well, sort of.
Aretha Franklin songs are always good in the backing vocals department.
“I Say A Little Prayer” is my favourite: “Make-up!” “Forever, forever!” “Break time, break time” and so on.
See also “Chain Of Fools” and “Don’t Play That Song For Me”.
Aretha’s records usually had her and her sisters on BVs. All gospel-trained and her sisters were good solo artists too.
I love the guitar sound on Aretha’s version of “Chain Of Fools”. Takes it right out there.
By the usual criteria, on “I Say A Little Prayer”, the BVs and main vocals in the chorus are actually swapped around, i.e. the backing singers get all the words, while Aretha in the foreground gets all the “whoos” and “whoas”, an typicially clever Bacharach touch…
Dionne Warwick’s is superior.
I have a soft spot for some of the backing singers who would pop up on several British 80s bands albums and tours – for example Joneice Jamieson with Eurythmics, D C. Lee with Style Council, and the great Helen Terry with Culture Club
Leonard Cohen had some wonderful backing singers.
Jennifer Warnes of course
And then the Webb Sisters in recent years
His voice is wonderful. Monumnetal. Still sends shivers down my spine.
You wanted to be a Detroit Spinner? Almost the definition of ambition as a backing vocalist. Thom Bell’s masterpiece Games People Play isn’t their best example of backing vocals so here is Ghetto Child.
And another beautiful Philly soul ballad which was featured in the Tarrantino film Jackie Brown:
The Delfonics – Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time
There are hundreds more Philly tracks with fabulous backing vocals, come on people!
Sam Cooke was a gospel singer with the Soul Stirrers before he went solo. This is their classic Jesus Gave Me Water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d1jvP8FG1E
I think another gospel group the Swan Silvertones provided superb backing on Paul Simon’s Loves Me Like A Rock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3BJl5Zy7HQ
Which has a remarkable similarity to their version of Oh Mary Don’t You Weep
Bliss! Detroit Spinners You Tube clips show off the Spinners to fine effect. However, tonight Matthew I want to be a Dreamer behind Freddie: ‘You were made for me…’
And the Sgt Pepper thread reminds me that ‘She’s Leaving Home’ would be right there in a BV Top Ten.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Donna Summer’s State of Independence had Quincy pulling in a few favours for backing vocals : Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Michael Jackson, Brenda Russell, Christopher Cross, Dyan Cannon, James Ingram, Kenny Loggins and Stevie Wonder.
Love the backing vocals at 1:18 –
“Ooooh, la la la la
Ooooh, la la la la
Ooooh, la la la la
Cir-cum-cised!”
Probably too commercial for words (or this forum) but every cover I’ve ever heard of this song has always missed the point about how essential the backing vocals are…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ4QoCskBN4
It’s a ton of fun doing that gig in a pub band. I was on acoustic guitar (including the solo) and backing vocals. Backing vox was the hardest, but by far the most fun to nail.
Of course, with BVs it’s often a matter of pouring on the harmonies – here’s an ideal example
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWU_qNqABKI