This week In One-Off Collaborations 04/52

1 . Ann-Margret & Tina Turner – Honky Tonk Women

Ann-Margret’s 1975 TV special serves as a time capsule of flamboyant energy and unexpected collaborations, not least her duet with Tina Turner on “Honky Tonk Women.”

Originally a raucous hit penned by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song transforms in their hands into a swaggering, gender-flipped celebration of playful bravado.

Ann-Margret, ever the performer with a wink, introduces Tina Turner as her best friend—a detail as endearing as it is unexpected, given Turner’s stage-dominating persona.

Their version reimagines The Rolling Stones’ bar-hopping grit with a touch of theatricality, leaning into Turner’s powerhouse rasp and Ann-Margret’s polished charm.

Though undeniably compelling, the arrangement trades the original’s raw edge for something more rehearsed, a clash of authenticity versus TV-friendly sheen.

For Turner, whose live performances during the Ike & Tina Turner years often bristled with untamed energy, this duet feels like a restrained moment, albeit one that lets her vocal dynamism shine.

Ann-Margret counters with a slickness that occasionally veers into camp, fitting for a variety-show format but distant from the beer-soaked atmosphere the Stones captured back in 1969.

There’s an odd tension in this partnership, with Turner’s grounded intensity brushing against Ann-Margret’s Technicolor world of sequins and smiles, yet this friction adds intrigue to the performance.

For fans of musical history, the duet becomes a cultural flashpoint—not just a collision of styles but a reaffirmation of Turner’s indomitable presence, even within the restrictive confines of mid-’70s network television.

It’s a curiosity more than a definitive rendition: enjoyable for its quirks, reflective of its era, and a reminder that even the glossiest acts can still let a flicker of rawness break through.

Lifted from : On TV today , Tina Turner meets Ann-Margret (1975)

2 . Stevie Ray Vaughan, Maria McKee , David Sanborn & Van Dyke Parks – Sailing Shoes

In 1989, an eclectic pairing of musical heavyweights came together to reimagine Little Feat’s “Sailin’ Shoes” on the boundary-pushing television program *Night Music*.

Stevie Ray Vaughan brought his ferociously dynamic guitar work, proving that even in a collaborative setting, his Stratocaster remains a conversation-dominating voice.

Maria McKee’s vocals oscillated between soulful grit and a high-octane wail, painting emotional textures that both complemented and pushed against Vaughan’s intense blues riffs.

David Sanborn’s saxophone offered a piercing, jazzy counterpoint, its sharp timbre cutting through the rock-heavy arrangement like a shimmering thread.

Van Dyke Parks, meanwhile, anchored the cacophony with kaleidoscopic keyboard runs, balancing the soulful frenzy with his eccentric sense of harmonic structure.

The performance walks a tightrope—a fusion of blues, rock, and jazz that dabbles with cohesion but thrives on its edges of chaos.

“Sailin’ Shoes” in this form is less a polished rendition and more a high-wire act, where tension and stylistic clashes become part of the thrill, highlighting each artist’s refusal to fade into the background.

Lifted from : On TV today, Stevie, Pharoah, Rahsaan et al at ‘Night Music’ (1989)

3 . Jeff Beck & Beth Hart – Goin’ Down

Jeff Beck and Beth Hart bring ferocious energy to their rendition of “Goin’ Down,” a blues-rock standard laced with gritty textures and relentless drive.

Beck’s snarling guitar riffs mesh seamlessly with Hart’s raw, powerhouse vocals, crafting an atmosphere that feels both untamed and meticulously orchestrated.

One memorable take comes from Beck’s 2006 USA tour, where the interplay between his laser-sharp solos and Hart’s raspy command rips through the conventional blues framework.

The band, featuring heavyweights like Vinnie Colaiuta and Jason Rebello, doesn’t merely provide backup; they fortify the song’s urgency with tight rhythm and bursts of improvisational flair.

The duo’s performance at Crossroads 2013 ups the ante, injecting the classic tune with a live-wire tension that fills Madison Square Garden with a weighty, infectious stomp.

Beyond “Goin’ Down,” their Kennedy Center Honors tribute to Buddy Guy in 2012 showcases their versatility in tackling another blues gem, “I’d Rather Go Blind.”

In this performance, Hart’s emotive phrasing pairs with Beck’s poignant, almost vocal-like guitar lines, creating moments of quiet devastation and volcanic release.

The finale, a group rendition of “Sweet Home Chicago” alongside Bonnie Raitt, offers a looser but no less compelling glimpse into Beck and Hart’s ability to thrive in a shared spotlight.

Their collaborations channel the restless spirit of the blues, equally reverent of its roots and unafraid to wield its power in unorthodox, searing ways.

Lifted from : Happy Birthday Beth Hart. ‘Hart Of Class’

4 . The Corrs & Bono – When The Stars Go Blue

“When the Stars Go Blue” by The Corrs featuring Bono is a curious example of alchemy in pop music—a track that takes Ryan Adams’ 2001 original and thrusts it into a realm of glossy, orchestral sentimentality.

Performed live at Ardmore Studios in Ireland for a VH1 special in early 2002, the setting was intimate: a room filled with friends, family, and arguably too much Irish charm.

This version lands on the “VH1 Presents: The Corrs, Live in Dublin” album, where it glows with layered harmonies and orchestral flourishes courtesy of the Irish Film Orchestra.

Bono’s involvement, hot off U2’s Elevation tour, brings a touch of rock royalty to the track, though one wonders if his distinctive style feels slightly out of place alongside The Corrs’ polished delivery.

Producer Mitchell Froom elevates the production to cinematic heights, while Bob Clearmountain’s mixing offers a balance between soft pop balladry and arena-scale drama.

The track charted modestly in the U.S. but found its true success on Spanish airwaves, where it hit number one, prompting a 2006 remix for their compilation “Dreams: The Ultimate Corrs Collection.”

While this rendition is undeniably lush and radio-ready, some purists might feel the emotional rawness of Adams’ original is sacrificed for polish and mass appeal.

This collaboration underscores the enduring chemistry between The Corrs and Bono, though at times, it teeters on overindulgence as it sways between earnestness and theatricality.

Whether it’s a reinvention or a softening of a beloved tune depends on your tolerance for orchestral embellishment and seamless production.

Lifted from : Bono & Ron Wood sit in with The Corrs (2002)

5 . Sting & Cheb Mami – Desert Rose

“Desert Rose” by Sting, featuring Cheb Mami, glides through boundaries with an eclectic fusion of English pop and Algerian Raï.

Sting’s restrained but emotional delivery contrasts elegantly with Cheb Mami’s soaring Arabic vocals, crafting a soundscape steeped in tension and allure.

The melody leans heavily on Arabesque influences, threaded together during an improvisational jam session that birthed its hypnotic contours.

Its global success speaks less to formulaic pop conventions and more to the sheer audacity of blending two disparate traditions into something that feels both contemporary and timeless.

The track found broader cultural penetration when linked to a Jaguar commercial—a pairing that somehow amplified its cinematic sweep.

The accompanying music video, set in the Mojave Desert, indulges in noirish aesthetics as Sting leans into his brooding, enigmatic persona while chauffeured by an anonymous, masked driver like a mirage on an endless highway.

If the remixes—chiefly Victor Calderone’s interpretations—inject nightlife gloss, the original thrives on unhurried mystery, resisting definition in favor of immersion.

Even amidst its expansive aspirations, “Desert Rose” avoids ostentation, allowing its quiet ambitions to speak louder than any genre classification.

Lifted from : On British TV , Sting & Cheb Mami at ‘Top Of The Pops’ (2000)

6 . Milva & Aaron Neville – Ave Maria

Aaron Neville’s version of “Ave Maria,” a cover of Franz Schubert’s classical composition, dances between solemnity and soul, showcasing his voice in full, trembling glory.

Featured in the closing credits of the 1993 survival drama *Alive*, the song pairs an emotional narrative with a performance dripping in vulnerability—a fitting match for a movie that thrives on the unbearable weight of existence.

This track finds its home in Neville’s album *Warm Your Heart*, weaving itself into a collection already thick with his signature genre-blurring delivery.

His voice, famously described by producer Allen Toussaint as one that could “send shivers down your back,” finds a curious balance here: part devotional, part secular gospel.

For a song that’s been performed and reimagined countless times, Neville delivers a performance that doesn’t mimic; instead, it amplifies his eclectic lineage—a career that insists on straddling lines between gospel, R&B, and pop.

And yet, this isn’t Schubert’s “Ave Maria” in its purest spiritual tradition—Neville’s bluesy phrasing injects something intimate, though paradoxically a little less sacred.

If you’re after precision, this performance may feel indulgent, but if you approach it as a meditation on emotion itself, it occupies an unexpectedly profound space.

Negotiating the tension between classical reverence and contemporary personal anguish, Neville’s rendition is both strangely universal and undeniably his own.

It’s not perfect—at times, the vibrato threatens to become a caricature of the hymn’s tranquil nature—but that imperfection lies precisely in what makes this recording linger beyond the first listen.

Lifted from : Happy Birthday Aaron Neville. ‘Brother Aaron’

7 . George Duke & Anita Baker – God Bless The Child

“God Bless the Child” by George Duke and Anita Baker takes a venerable classic and reshapes it with a blend of reverence and personal artistry.

Originally penned by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. in 1939, the song has carried its weight as a musical landmark ever since Billie first recorded it in 1941.

Its Grammy Hall of Fame induction in 1976 and inclusion in the lofty *Songs of the Century* canon prove its enduring resonance as both a cultural artifact and an emotional outcry.

George Duke, an accomplished jazz maestro whose collaborators span from Stanley Clarke to Barry Manilow, pairs his seasoned touch with Anita Baker’s signature contralto.

Baker, the self-assured voice behind enduring albums like *Rapture* and *Compositions*, maneuvers through the track’s layered instrumentation with a controlled intensity.

Their version doesn’t try to outshine its predecessor but instead situates itself as a reflective homage, weaving delicate piano strains with a quieter boldness in Baker’s delivery.

The rendition steps carefully, avoiding the gaudy overemphasis of many modern covers, yet it may lack the raw ache of Holiday’s voice that gave the original its power as a battle cry and a prayer.

Still, the collaboration acts as a dialogue between eras—Duke and Baker’s jazz heritage conversing with Holiday’s era of struggle and defiance.

While the song’s canonical timelessness means it will forever invite interpretation, this version feels less like a risk and more like an admiration written in the margins of a historic page.

Lifted from : Happy Birthday Anita Baker. ‘Enraptured’

8 . Elis Regina & Michel Legrand – The Summer Of 42

“The Summer Knows,” an emblematic tune from the 1971 film “Summer of ’42,” drips with the bittersweet nostalgia that its title suggests.

Michel Legrand’s intricate composition finds a lyrical counterpart in Marilyn and Alan Bergman’s poetic musings, together constructing a theme steeped in longing and transient warmth.

This isn’t just music; it’s a snapshot of emotion rendered audible, with the Grammy win for Best Instrumental Composition at the 14th Grammy Awards in 1972 acting as validation, if awards are your thing.

Barbra Streisand leads the cavalcade of artists who’ve dipped into this melancholic reservoir, a list that veers wildly from Ray Conniff’s chorale-heavy approach to Sarah Vaughan’s sultry rendition—with Legrand himself orchestrating her interpretation.

The song’s pull extends to the instrumental realm, where Peter Nero’s chart-climbing single in 1971 and the Biddu Orchestra’s global disco-tinged hit in 1975 show its versatility, though one wonders how much of its essence gets diluted in these reimaginings.

And while Elis Regina, Brazil’s voice of cool fury, isn’t directly tied to this piece, her association with Legrand hints at a cross-cultural flirtation worth imagining.

Far from fading as cinematic ephemera, this theme sneaks into corners of pop culture, including an early ‘70s Südwestfunks TV special where Brazilian brilliance met German formality—because why not?

Its persistent revivals across formats and interpretations speak less to its universality and more to its ability to wear different musical cloaks without losing its emotional core: wistful yet hopeful, tender yet aching.

Lifted from : We remember French composer & conductor Michel Legrand

9 . John Hiatt & Lyle Lovett – Hide Your Tears

“Hide Your Tears” has the kind of unvarnished intimacy that comes when two seasoned songsmiths, John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett, share a stage in Vermont back in 2017.

The song unspools with a melancholy ease, carried by Hiatt’s gruff vocals and Lovett’s understated harmony.

What makes this track intriguing is not just the craftsmanship but the tension between their contrasting styles: Hiatt’s raw Americana grit brushing up against Lovett’s polished, genre-hopping versatility.

Hiatt arrives at the moment wearing the weight of a career that spans over 20 albums, his songwriting a vessel for everyone from Dylan to Emmylou Harris to Willie Nelson.

And yet, even in this intimate setting, there’s a restraint, a refusal to overreach, letting the simplicity of the performance stand on its own.

Lovett’s input is no less textured—his 14-album trajectory, which zigzags through country, jazz, gospel, and blues, lends its own quiet richness to the collaboration.

But there’s no fanfare here, only a sense that two artists with substantial mileage know when to get out of their own way.

Guitars strummed with a delicate balance, voices weaving familiarity and pain, the track leans more on emotional resonance than innovation.

You’re neither floored nor indifferent—you’re simply drawn in, as if overhearing something never meant to go beyond that Vermont gathering.

Lifted from : Lyle Lovett meets John Hiatt in Vermont (2017)

10 . Roger Miller & Danny Gatton – Invitation To The Blues

There’s a raw charm to “Invitation to the Blues” that feels right at home in the smoky backdrop of 1983’s “Austin City Limits.”

Roger Miller, ever the craftsman of story-driven songs, pairs his laid-back delivery with Danny Gatton’s dazzling fretwork, creating a dynamic that’s more interplay than mere accompaniment.

Gatton, a genre-leaping guitarist often oscillating between virtuosity and casual flair, brings an edge that amplifies the song’s wistful undertones without tipping into melodrama.

Having toured with Miller since the cusp of the Reagan era, Gatton’s seamless transitions from country picking to blues-laden licks showcase his chameleon-like ability to tease emotion from any riff.

There’s a visible chemistry between Miller and Gatton, a kind of relaxed spontaneity that stands in stark contrast to the overly polished performances ubiquitous on modern stages.

Their rendition here doesn’t strive to be groundbreaking, and that’s exactly its appeal—it’s unpretentious, built on the kind of quiet mastery that doesn’t demand fanfare.

While the performance won’t rewrite music history, it catches both artists at a moment where their skill sets lock into place effortlessly, offering a compelling, stripped-down window into Americana’s many shades.

Lifted from : Danny Gatton joins Roger Miller on ‘Austin City Limits’ (1983)

11 . Yo-Yo Ma & T. M. Krishna – Bach sarabande / Devadasi composition

When an artist like Yo-Yo Ma collaborates with T. M. Krishna, the result is less a meeting of worlds and more a creative collision, generating sparks from the fissures between Western classical music and Carnatic traditions.

Their Mumbai performance in 2019 wasn’t just a concert – it was part of a broader conversation on culture, life, and, admittedly, the lofty intellectualism that often orbits such events.

On his cello, Ma played Bach’s sarabande with a precision that leaned far closer to poetic austerity than virtuoso flourish, embodying his ongoing “The Bach Project,” a global tour that feels more like an introspective meditation than a promotional push.

Enter T. M. Krishna with his soaring voice and a Devadasi composition in hand – historically a product of temple rituals but redefined in recent years through performances like his to bring the form into modern discourse.

The peculiar alchemy lay in what came next: Ma’s structured, immaculate Bach intertwining with Krishna’s improvisational Carnatic phrasing, creating an unplanned duet that teetered on the edge of chaos but lived firmly within deep, almost accidental harmony.

This was improvisation, yes, but in its most rarefied sense – not the impulsive jam of a basement band, but two artists instinctively reshaping tradition in a museum-hosted dialogue moderated by academic and cinematic heavyweights Homi K. Bhabha and Nandita Das.

The performance itself felt like a ripple in a larger dialogue, silently asking whether cultural purity is ever really possible – or even desirable – in our hyperconnected, hybridized world.

If anything, it showed that meaningful cross-cultural collaborations aren’t necessarily about blending smoothly but about allowing tensions between tradition and experimentation to coexist in unexpected ways.

Lifted from : Yo-Yo Ma meets T. M. Krishna in Mumbai (2019)

12 . Michael Hutchence & Ray Charles – Please (You Got That….) (w/ INXS)

“Please (You Got That…)” by INXS, featuring the soulful prowess of Ray Charles, is an unexpected yet wholly captivating collaboration from their ninth studio album, “Full Moon, Dirty Hearts,” released in late 1993.

Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence craft a track that boldly merges Charles’ legendary bluesy resonance with Hutchence’s signature serpentine vocal styling—a chemistry that didn’t happen overnight but was honed through deliberate in-studio exchanges between the two artists.

The live rendition on “The Late Show with David Letterman” highlights a moment of cultural intersection, where rock swagger and rhythm-and-blues tradition coexist effortlessly, while the accompanying music video serves as a visual time capsule featuring both legends in action.

Chart-wise, the song occupies curious real estate, peaking respectably yet unevenly across different territories, from hitting ninth on the US Dance Club Songs chart to only scraping 50th in the UK.

What sets the 2019 re-release apart is its inclusion in the “Mystify” documentary soundtrack, augmented by a candid layer of studio banter that pulls listeners further into the alchemy of this recording session.

The available remixes—the Club Need mix and Downtown dub mix—extend the track’s aesthetic versatility for the dance floor, cementing its legacy as an artifact of creative symbiosis across genres and eras.

Lifted from : As we remember today INXS singer Michael Hutchence on his birthday, the time isperfect for a ‘INXS At Their Bests’ post