The Best Musical Collaborations Ever

Tags: best indie musical collaborations, best musical collaborations ever, Bjork, Bon Iver, Calexico, Dan Bejar, David Bowie, Destroyer, Ella Fitzgerald, Iron and Wine, Kanye West, Louis Armstrong, Mos Def, Off!, Queen, The Black Keys, Thom Yorke, Tim Hecker, worst musical collaborations ever

Last week we gave you a list of some of the strangest (and possibly worst) musical collaborations ever. Those were the pairings, duos, groups and super groups of some of the weirdest and most horrific caliber. But this week we’d like to bring you our version of the best musical collaborations of all time (or at least the most notable).

When two or more artists are able to come together and fashion something seamless, beautiful and exciting, regardless of the different and diverse worlds they may come from, the result is something to be cherished and recognized for ages to come. So without further ado, from the 1950s to 2011, here’s our take on the all-time best in music teamwork:

1.
The Collaboration: Dan Bejar (of Destroyer) and Tim Hecker
The Song: “Archer on the Beach”
The Goods: Dan Bejar released “Archer on the Beach” under the name Destroyer, but he stressed that it was truly a collaboration, as Tim Hecker provided a majority of the music. Dan Bejar has been breaching into electro disco music for a while now, and looking retrospectively since his newest album, Kaputt, songs like “Archer on the Beach” make a lot of sense. Tim Hecker provides the ambient electronic noises while Bejar provides his traditionally epic and self-referential lyrics, striving for grand heights whether or not he even reaches them in the end. Hecker’s melancholy ambiance provided a perfect backdrop as Bejar forayed into the brand new territory of ambient electronic music.
The Video:

2.
The Collaboration: Iron & Wine and Calexico
The Song: “Burn That Broken Bed”
The Goods: Samuel Beam (Iron & Wine) teamed up with Tucson, Arizona alternative Americana band Calexico for an entire EP called In the Reins. Both Beam and the members of Calexico have a soft-spoken folksy style, which can drain on some listeners as melancholy and drowning, but together they produced something gorgeous. Calexico added the varied and eclectic energy (as evidenced by the saxophone near the beginning), which Beam has always needed for that extra boost in his folk-indie style. It’s too bad that this collaboration happened nearly six years ago and we still haven’t seen a follow-up.
The Video:

3.
The Collaboration: Bjork and Thom Yorke
The Song: “I’ve Seen It All”
The Goods: Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, “I’ve Seen It All” was the first promotional single for Lars Von Trier’s musical, Dancer in the Dark. The Icelandic pop singer and British rocker from Radiohead provide two seemingly different sides of the coin: one side mystical and dreamy, the other side darker and more realistic. Both artists are considered to land somewhere in the avant-garde of pop music, and they share an affinity for ambitious projects. “I’ve Seen It All” is no different.
The Video:

4.
The Collaboration: BlakRoc (The Black Keys and Mos Def)
The Song: “Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)”
The Goods: The Black Keys teamed up with a line of hip-hop artists, such as Mos Def, RZA, Jim Jones and more. Just like on our list last week, The Black Lips teamed up with GZA for a strained and awkward rock-rap duo, but BlakRoc avoided making the same mistakes. The Black Keys’ collaborations on BlakRoc feel natural and just plain easy. It feels effortless and seamless as The Black Keys lay down their archetypal bluesy rock to the already blues-influenced Mos Def.
The Video:

5.
The Collaboration: Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and David Lynch
The Song: “Dark Night of the Soul”
The Goods: “Dark Night of the Soul” was the self-titled track of a compilation album headed by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, featuring a long line of other indie rock and hip-hop artists. The album featured a companion art book with art and photography from director David Lynch, and Lynch also performed with Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse on the title track. Just like with Lynch’s violent and surrealist style of directing films, “Dark Night of the Soul” feels mysterious, mystifying and somewhat disturbing. This album was also the last LP that Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous and singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt worked on before their suicides. The ambient and ominous beats, the story surrounding the album’s release and Lynch’s special touch made for a truly eerie song.
The Video:

6.
The Collaboration: Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald
The Song: “They Can’t Take That Away From Me”
The Goods: With a combined 25 Grammy Awards, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald have been major inspirations in music, art, literature and film. Armstrong was even acknowledged by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a major influence on rock and roll music. This blues and jazz duet is still studied in college programs today and their lasting quality has been recognized again and again. Fitzgerald’s extensive vocal range and prowess mixed with Armstrong’s signature voice and gregarious attitude toward music and fellowship makes for one of the most fun and unforgettable musical collaborations in America.
The Video:

7.
The Collaboration: Antony and Bryce Dessner
The Song: “I Was Young When I Left Home”
The Goods: In 2009, Brooklyn rock band The National put together a compilation album for charity called Dark Was the Night (see “Dark Night of the Soul” above?). The entire album is filled with beautiful collaborations from unexpected artists, such as Grizzly Bear and Feist, Bon Iver and Aaron Dessner of The National and more. But the one collaboration that stands out amongst others is the cover of folk-rock artist Bob Dylan’s “I Was Young When I Left Home.” It features English artist, songwriter, playwright and Jack of all trades Antony alongside The National’s guitarist Bryce Dessner. Antony and Dessner keep the folk vibe of Dylan’s original song from 1961, but they add a more somber touch as Antony gives a deep and earnest vocal performance, possibly—dare we say it—more opening and revealing than even Dylan’s.
The Video:

8.
The Collaboration: OFF! (Keith Morris of Circle Jerks and Black Flag, Dimitri Coates of Burning Bridges, Steven Shane MacDonald of Redd Kross, and Mario Rubalcaba of Rocket From the Crypt and Hot Snakes)
The Song: “Upside Down”
The Goods: OFF! is a recent super group from the likes of Black Flag, Hot Snakes, Circle Jerks and more. The 16-track album, First Four EPs has no song over a minute and a half, and Morris’s screaming vocals are loud, crazed and without any constraint. It’s as if punk never died in their eyes, and they’re not about to quit now. A lot of bands die out and try to make comebacks or reunions (which often fail), but OFF! isn’t just a comeback of a band or an individual but the comeback of an entire genre, an ephemeral idea. Morris leads the band in vocals, and the music behind him is simple, loud and fast, just as punk was always meant to be. The frustration in trying times is obvious and belligerent. OFF! aren’t trying to impress you; they’re just trying to wake you the fuck up.
The Video:

9.
The Collaboration: Queen and David Bowie
The Song: “Under Pressure”
The Goods: David Bowie did his first collaboration with Queen in 1981 for the pop single “Under Pressure.” The song was featured as a number one single in three different countries, and continued on to be covered and sampled by the likes of Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby.” It’s recognized among one of the longest running singles in the U.K. proving its vitality and stamina as a popular song. Freddie Mercury’s energy, Bowie’s creativity and both of their showmanship combined to make a song easily considered epic even by today’s standards (regardless of the misuse of that word).
The Video:

10.
The Collaboration: Kanye West and Bon Iver
The Song: “Lost in the World”
The Goods: Kanye West is like a sporadically loose cannon. At one point he’s desperately trying to hold himself together, appease past errors and make right with the fans. But then at the next point, he’s just letting himself go, throwing all inhibition out the window and not only striving for grandeur but flat out ravaging everything in his way to get at it. So when Justin Vernon from Bon Iver appeared as guest vocalist for a couple of West’s songs on his critically-acclaimed 2010 release My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, it didn’t really come as a surprise that he recruited such an exclusive indie performer. As “Lost in the World” opens with Bon Iver’s heavily auto-tuned track “Woods,” the result is something that really is simultaneously beautiful and twisted.
The Video:

What do you think? Did we get them right? Did we miss out on some crucial collaborations? Post in the comment section below and give us your opinions.

–Robert Miller