Sinatra's summit meeting with Ellington is one of the great missed opportunities. The Ellington band is under-rehearsed and Sinatra sounded a bit rough. The album is ragged. I also wish Ellington had done the charts as opposed to Billy May. That being said, it's great to hear Sinatra sing 'I Love the Sunrise' and Johnny Hodges on 'Indian Summer' as well as Cootie Williams and Paul Gonsalves on 'Follow Me.'
Interesting list and accurate appraisals, as far as my own tastes go. The most disappointing album in my archives may be "Sinatra-Basie," (Reprise, 1962) which only has Basie's piano (and other musicians) on a few tracks since Sinatra's music director found out some guys in Basie's band didn't read sheet music. Everyone fails chemistry here.
Fun selection of records. I, too, had high hopes for Costello/Bacharach, but it didn't gel for me. However, I will defend Lulu to the death for Iced Honey and Junior Dad alone - but I love the whole album in all its brutal awkwardness. Or is that awkward brutality? Either way, I even included it in my 100 Best Albums of the 2010s: https://anearful.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-2010s-anearfuls-first-decade.html.
It was fun to see all the Chet Atkins collaborations. I like that album with Mark Knopfler; the production isn't great but I thought they were having fun.
Your list is awesome and I like most of them and also what others have listed. Some other albums you may consider - I'm Leaving out Jazz, Electronic and Ambient music albums, or crossovers between those genres (Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders - Visions being an example), because those genres are heavy on collaborations and this list will be 15 pages long.
Madvillainy is a masterpiece but including a vocalist + producer/composer collaboration opens too many doors.
In hip hop, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, Ghostface Killah and BadBadNotGood's Sour Soul, and JPEGMafia & Danny Brown's Scaring The Hoes are all pretty good. I feel like there are fewer options outside of hip hop, but I enjoy Chic backing Diana Ross on diana (1980), Them Crooked Vultures (Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, and John Paul Jones), and Silk Sonic.
Thankfully who didn't listen to Dylan and The Dead. A collaboration that sounds like a can't miss on paper, but it was the late 80's...and it was a train wreck. Not even the most ardent Deadheads and Dylanphiles really acknowledge its existence.
Here’s a couple to consider:
Tall Tales by Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke
Electric Arguments by The Fireman (Paul McCartney & Youth)
Also liked Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris, All the Roadrunning
The McCartney + MacManus partnership crumbled b/c Paul wanted contemporary ('80s) production and Elvis wanted a more classic sound.
Elvis was right. Like you, I'm just glad the demos finally got released, they might be better than any fully-produced versions could've been.
Sinatra's summit meeting with Ellington is one of the great missed opportunities. The Ellington band is under-rehearsed and Sinatra sounded a bit rough. The album is ragged. I also wish Ellington had done the charts as opposed to Billy May. That being said, it's great to hear Sinatra sing 'I Love the Sunrise' and Johnny Hodges on 'Indian Summer' as well as Cootie Williams and Paul Gonsalves on 'Follow Me.'
Agree with the number one pick!
obligatory ALL CAPS
George Shearing and Nancy Wilson, The Swingin's Mutual (1962)
Sheer joy abounds
Interesting list and accurate appraisals, as far as my own tastes go. The most disappointing album in my archives may be "Sinatra-Basie," (Reprise, 1962) which only has Basie's piano (and other musicians) on a few tracks since Sinatra's music director found out some guys in Basie's band didn't read sheet music. Everyone fails chemistry here.
Fun selection of records. I, too, had high hopes for Costello/Bacharach, but it didn't gel for me. However, I will defend Lulu to the death for Iced Honey and Junior Dad alone - but I love the whole album in all its brutal awkwardness. Or is that awkward brutality? Either way, I even included it in my 100 Best Albums of the 2010s: https://anearful.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-2010s-anearfuls-first-decade.html.
Music is so interesting because I didn’t think anyone would like album. But that’s part of the fun!
It was fun to see all the Chet Atkins collaborations. I like that album with Mark Knopfler; the production isn't great but I thought they were having fun.
I would definitely mention the Ronnie Lane/Pete Townshend album _Rough Mix_ if you haven't heard it already -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rough_Mix
Your list is awesome and I like most of them and also what others have listed. Some other albums you may consider - I'm Leaving out Jazz, Electronic and Ambient music albums, or crossovers between those genres (Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders - Visions being an example), because those genres are heavy on collaborations and this list will be 15 pages long.
Eric Clapton & B.B. King - Riding with the King
Damian Marley & Nas - Distant Relatives
Ry Cooder & VM Bhatt - A Meeting by the River
Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas - Mariner
Neil Young & Pearl Jam - Wrecking Ball
Avett Brothers & Mike Patton - AVTT/PTTN
*PJ & Neil Young should read Mirror Ball
Ooo one of my recent (I guess 2012 doesn't counts as "recent" anymore?) favorites is David Byrne & St. Vincent - Love This Giant
Madvillainy is a masterpiece but including a vocalist + producer/composer collaboration opens too many doors.
In hip hop, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, Ghostface Killah and BadBadNotGood's Sour Soul, and JPEGMafia & Danny Brown's Scaring The Hoes are all pretty good. I feel like there are fewer options outside of hip hop, but I enjoy Chic backing Diana Ross on diana (1980), Them Crooked Vultures (Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, and John Paul Jones), and Silk Sonic.
Thankfully who didn't listen to Dylan and The Dead. A collaboration that sounds like a can't miss on paper, but it was the late 80's...and it was a train wreck. Not even the most ardent Deadheads and Dylanphiles really acknowledge its existence.
The correct answer is Costello/Bacharach. An absolute masterpiece.
I was shocked that I didn’t love it. Great songs. Costello’s voice just sounded strange with the arrangements imo