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And on backing vocals…….

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At the gym this morning, the track “Ladykiller” by Nicky Holland popped up on my playlist. It’s from her debut solo album from 1992 (and is a rather good track). An artist that has been very much under the radar – she was originally in the Tears For Fears live band and co-wrote some of their tracks before releasing a couple of solo albums in the early 90s. Since then, I’m not aware of any further activity.

Anyway, the track in question (see video in first comments) has backing vocals from non other than Lloyd Cole which are very very distinctive (he’s actually in the video playing bass guitar also which kind of gives it away – but if you hear it “blind” to my mind its obvious). I think that the song is actually written by Lloyd Cole.

So , other examples of distinctive “guest” backing vocals that add to the song ?

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Comments

  6. On Dawes’ ‘Fire Away’ Jackson Browne is happily in the mix right up until he gets his own solo line of “Through each stumble, shift and sway”. In the olden days it would have been because they’d run out of tracks to bounce the BVs on, but I think they did it on purpose…

    • This came up in the Quiz League of London on Tuesday! It was paired with Nikita by Elton john – can you remember who did the backing vocals on that (I was completely unaware)?

        • There’s a scene in the recent Wham! documentary where Elton John is being interviewed after an Ivor Novello awards in the 80s where George had won. He’s being very complimentary and generous, but what you notice is that when he talks about his own songs he always says “Bernie and I”. Once you notice it, you see that he always gives credit to Bernie.

    • Kirsty provided backing vocals on Tracey Ullmans take on They Don’t Know (the cry of “Baby” was Kirsty as Tracey couldn’t reach the note)

      Also on The Smith’s Ask, and a shedload more.
      It seems when Stiff went bankrupt, Kirsty became the go-to bv-er

      • Among others, she pops up on Simple Minds’ Sparkle in the Rain, and Robert Plant’s Now and Zen.

        I was surprised to see her name in the credits for NaZ, but once you pick out her voice in the BVs, it’s unmistakeable.

      • Tracey’s version is very good, but it’s really just a carbon copy. Kirsty must have had mixed feelings about the song being a hit a few years after her version.

        • Kirsty wrote it and her version only got to number 62, Tracey’s number 2 hit got a BPI Silver award (200,000+ sales), so I’m sure the extra income helped cushion the blow.

          Kirsty also wrote the title track of, and sang BVs on, Tracey’s album You Broke My Heart In 17 Places. It’s not a bad pop record, but she should have stopped there as what followed was… not.

  24. I find celeb backing singers a bit distracting TBH. Emmylou Harris pops up all over the place and I always think “ah there’s Emmylou. Again.” I prefer great in tune backing vocals but otherwise anonymous, generally. Bonnie Raitt pops up a lot and she’s just too distinctive. A lead vocalist, not a backing singer.

  25. Pentangle’s Jacqui McShee did very few guest backing vocals, as far as I’m aware. In the 70s there was, I think, only Chilli Willi’s ‘Bongos Over Balham’ album. Her voice is obvious on the opening track’s refrain:

    • This is a hugely underrated album. It get’s played regularly here & if i had a pound for every time someone enquired who it was…… I’d have north of a tenner!

  28. Kate Pierson’s popped up a few times here and there – REM’s “Shiny Happy People” and Iggy Pops’ “Candy” (though she might have had equal billing on that one).

    Also Graham Nash, Trevor Burton and Roy Wood did backing vocals in Hendrix’s “You Got Me Floatin'”.

  31. Someone who deserves a mention is Van Halen’s Michael Anthony. He provides a lot of BVs that keep the song going while Diamond Dave is doing his thing (which is sometimes singing, but often not). “Dancing the Night Away” is the best example. Great song, and his “Oooh baby baby” BVs are the best thing about it.

    • Not really a ‘guest vocalist’, but you’re darn tootin’ right how great he is. A solid, unfussy bassist and an amazing BV merchant. After all the horrible thing DLR and the Van Halen brothers did to him, he’s still resolutely cheerful and carries not a scrap of bitterness. Sammy Hagar values him and gives him the props he deserves.
      Here’s a recent interview – chat starts at 3:35

  32. And in line with the post further down on the Rush reunion tour, there was Aimee Mann doing backing vocals on “Time Stands Still”

    (Plus also auditioning for a second career as a camera woman – although judging by the crap video, she should stick with the music)

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