Help: Male and female vocalist duets [Archive]

Ayo

10-12-2008, 03:45 PM

Hi guys. It's been a long time. But on the wide, weird internet, I haven't seen a music discussion board as lively and intelligent as the one here at comic book resources. So I come to you folks to help me with my query.

I'm looking for duets. Boys and girls singing together. Bands that feature this set up are tops, but one-off collaborations are really excellent as well.

I'm looking for all genres, but my first preference is English-language.

Here's what I have:

Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole "Unforgettable"
Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald
PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke "This Mess We're In"
Postal Service and Jen Wood "Nothing Better"
The Fugees (not a "duet," but whatever)
Belle and Sebastian "Lazy Line Painter Jane"
Len "Steal My Sunshine" (don't look at me like that...I loved this song)

Add on!

howyadoin

10-12-2008, 04:04 PM

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell did tons of stuff together before her death.

the goddamn batman

10-12-2008, 04:39 PM

Joshua Radin does a lot of duets with various women.

Ben Folds has a nice duet on his newest record... actually, it's one of two songs I like on the record. Whatever happened to good Ben Folds?

rick

10-12-2008, 04:44 PM

Almost the complete 1970's work of Fleetwood Mac.

Romero

10-12-2008, 04:47 PM

Check out a band called Ida. They are more on the indie-folk type of tip. They are great great singers and have put out some really good records.

That country band the Mavericks did a great duet with Trisha Yearwood covering Sinatra's "Saying Something Stupid like I love you" (the true title escapes me right now)

DonC

10-12-2008, 05:25 PM

Lacuna Coil has both male and female vocalists.

Paul McEnery

10-12-2008, 05:30 PM

I'm ashamed nobody has mentioned The Captain and Tennille.

Though the hottest duet act has got to be Peters and Lee.

Rob.H

10-12-2008, 05:39 PM

I liked the Robert Plant & Alison Krauss album, Raising Sand.

Spike-X

10-13-2008, 12:51 AM

Check out Gram Parsons' two solo albums. Emmylou Harris was his co-vocalist at that time.

stealthwise

10-13-2008, 12:57 AM

The New Pornographers have done some cool stuff. Check out the album Twin Cinema.

twilight

10-13-2008, 01:11 AM

Nobody's mentioned Fairytale of New York yet?

For shame.

-Twi

Deathstroke

10-13-2008, 06:31 AM

Lacuna Coil has both male and female vocalists.

So does Nightwish.

Deathstroke

10-13-2008, 06:33 AM

Don't forget two of the biggest hits of the 1980's from one off duets:

Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - "Islands In The Stream"

Ann Wilson & Mike Reno - "Almost Paradise"

GRANT!

10-13-2008, 06:37 AM

The Delgados do some great male/female duets. Thirteen Gliding Principles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgFAhriVVcc) is a favorite. Reminds me of Belle and Sebastian meets Zeppelin.

Everything Goes Around the Water (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY-fS2NBCTs&feature=related) is good too. That's more Pavementy.

And there's husband and wife Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg "Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus"
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHiMDB19Dyc)

I'm won't post the duet with Serge and his daughter Charlotte because A) it's creepy and B) It's shitty song.

GRANT!

10-13-2008, 06:50 AM

The New Pornographers have done some cool stuff. Check out the album Twin Cinema.

I can't recall too many duets they do. Usually it's one lead vocalist and the rest harmonize.

jessecuster3

10-13-2008, 07:56 AM

The Apples in Stereo have a ton of songs. The drummer and vocalist was married to the lead singer, she left the band after their divorce.

Ilash

10-13-2008, 08:25 AM

I can't recall too many duets they do. Usually it's one lead vocalist and the rest harmonize.

Yeah but when it's Neko Case on harmonies, it is pretty much a duet - she makes that much of an impression.

Romero

10-13-2008, 08:34 AM

Some songs:

"Wet Eyes" by Lois Maffeo with Stephen Immerwahr off of Lois' record "Strumpet"- he has a deep, sleepy voice that meshes well with her over the subdued, yet jaunty track.

"Rosie" by the Smugglers with Rose Melberg off the album "Rosie" The Smugglers are a fun Canadian garage-y/Kinks-y/punk-y type band and this was probably their best album (and one of my all time favorite songs).

Also check out Modest Mouse's cover/revamp of "Sleepwalk" the old Santo and Johnny instrumental tune. They add vocals to it with Isaac Brock dueting with a female vocalist with their own lyrics. I think it really works.

berk

10-13-2008, 10:40 AM

I've posted this before, in the youtube thread, but here's one of my favourites:Lucille Starr & Bob Regan, 'My Happiness' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oHxUyy3iK8).

J. Robb

10-13-2008, 12:32 PM

If you're looking for drunken karaoke, two favourites are "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf and "You're the One That I Want" from Grease.

FanboyStranger

10-13-2008, 02:17 PM

In my opinion, X is probably the greatest band to feature both a female and male lead vocalist at the same time.

The Confessor

10-13-2008, 03:30 PM

Bands with twin male/female lead vocals that come immediately to mind (and that haven't already been mentioned) are...

Jefferson Airplane
Captain
Deacon Blue

also worth mentioning are...

Peter, Paul & Mary (OK, it's three way vocals but who cares)

GRANT!

10-13-2008, 07:05 PM

Yeah but when it's Neko Case on harmonies, it is pretty much a duet - she makes that much of an impression.

She makes an impression but it's still not a duet. Especially when she's doing back up harmonies with two or three other people. I can't think of a song where it's her and Dan Bejar or A.C. Newman spliting lead vocal duties. The closest I can think of is "Streets of Fire" with Dan Bejar but she's harmonizing with another female vocalist in that one.

Another one I thought of was Magnetic Fields "Yeah, Oh Yeah" which has a very funny interplay between Claudia Gonson and Stephin Merritt.

Ayo

10-13-2008, 07:05 PM

Oh god, Puff the Magic Dragon is the saddest song I ever heard when I was a little kid. I'm going to go to my room and think about DEATH now.

Keep 'em coming, friends!

leonaozaki

10-13-2008, 07:16 PM

Rob.H

10-13-2008, 07:24 PM

Anything by Mates of State.

Jessica Drew

10-13-2008, 09:25 PM

Some great ones not yet mentioned:

Otis Redding and Carla Thomas: "Tramp"
The Jesus & Mary Chain and Hope Sandoval: "Sometimes Always"
Charles Brown and Bonnie Raitt: "Merry Christmas, Baby"
Billy Bragg and Natalie Merchant: "Way Over Yonder in a Minor Key"
Brook Benton and Dinah Washington: "Baby You've Got What It Takes"
Charlie McClain and Moe Bandy: "It's a Cheatin' Situation"
Johnny Cash and June Carter: "Jackson"
Mickey and Sylvia: "Love Is Strange"
Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood: "Some Velvet Morning"
Prince and Sheena Easton: "U Got the Look"
Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle: "This One's from the Heart"
Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway: "You've Got a Friend"
Matthew Sweet and Suzanna Hoffs: Under the Covers album
George Jones and Tammy Wynette on just about anything
Richard and Linda Thompson on just about anything
The Kendalls on just about anything

and, of course, Sonny and Cher: "I Got You Babe" (and Cher's duet w/Beavis & Butthead on that same song ain't bad, neither).

Gilda Dent

10-13-2008, 09:35 PM

Girlyman is a trio, but I think they fit. One man, one woman, one person of ambiguous gender, and they share lead vocals.

Pinball

10-14-2008, 08:51 AM

Some goth metal bands like Tristania and Theater Of Tragedy utilize chirpy female vox and growly male vox.

Cradle Of Filth, too, in a cool way. Those other bands give the impression of the male ravaging the female, but CoF's femme's (i like to call her "The Seventh Filth") approach makes it seem like she's dominatrixing the male :wink:

Oh, and Gilda's post reminded me of Septic Flesh, with the same kind of quirk: male vox, female vox, and dragon vox :biggrin:

PunkMC

10-14-2008, 08:58 AM

Only one of the GREATEST harmonizing vocal groups ever.

The Mamas & The Papas

elheffe

10-14-2008, 12:41 PM

Another one I thought of was Magnetic Fields "Yeah, Oh Yeah" which has a very funny interplay between Claudia Gonson and Stephin Merritt.
That's a great one. There's also 'Papa Was A Rodeo' with Shirley Simms and Merritt.
There's the Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' where Mick sings with Merry Clayton.
'Young Folks' by Peter Bjorn And John with Victoria Bergsman.
"Judy Staring At The Sun" by Catherine Wheel with Tanya Donelly.
'Leather and Lace' by Stevie Nicks and Don Henley
Just about any song by Stars with Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan.
There was Ballad of the Broken Seas by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
Jenny Lewis and Elvis Costello on 'Carpetbaggers'

Brian Cronin

10-14-2008, 12:47 PM

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" (various male/female partners, my favorite being Dean Martin and an unknown female singer)

-Brian

The Confessor

10-14-2008, 01:18 PM

Jefferson Airplane: good. Peter, Paul & Mary: yikes!

LOL...well, there's room for both in my record collection. What can I say?

Rob Allen

10-14-2008, 05:21 PM

In the mid-20th-century pop tradition, you had Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme.

In the jazz world, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross.

And in modern folk, Lou & Peter Berryman.

Gilda Dent

10-14-2008, 06:37 PM

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" (various male/female partners, my favorite being Dean Martin and an unknown female singer)

-Brian

Dude! Esther Williams!

The Neptune's Daughter versions totally rules. You get two versions with the roles reversed, one with Ricardo Montleban as the aggressor pursuing Esther Williams and the other with Betty Garrett as the aggressor pursuing Red Skelton.

Brian Cronin

10-14-2008, 06:42 PM

Dude! Esther Williams!

The Neptune's Daughter versions totally rules. You get two versions with the roles reversed, one with Ricardo Montleban as the aggressor pursuing Esther Williams and the other with Betty Garrett as the aggressor pursuing Red Skelton.

That's Esther Williams?!?

For serious?

I thought she just did the original version from the film. I didn't know she did the Dean Martin one, too!

-Brian

Brian Cronin

10-14-2008, 06:48 PM

Aha!

I found out the situation - the female duet partner with Dean Martin is unknown because it's not actually a single woman! It's a chorus.

Interesting.

-Brian

Gilda Dent

10-14-2008, 06:50 PM

That's Esther Williams?!?

For serious?

I thought she just did the original version from the film. I didn't know she did the Dean Martin one, too!

-Brian

Yeah, she did the original. I don't know who Dean Martin's partner was. I was saying that the Williams/Montleban version is better. The choreography makes the number.

Brian Cronin

10-14-2008, 06:52 PM

Ah, gotcha.

Yeah, theirs definitely works better because it works into the film, but I still love Dean-O!

-Brian

Gilda Dent

10-14-2008, 06:53 PM

Anything You Can Do (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY7Hh5PzELo)

"If I Was the Woman and You Were the Man" by the Cowboy Junkies

Brian Cronin

10-14-2008, 06:55 PM

Along those lines...

Old-Fashioned Wedding (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ3IyCa8bG4)

-Brian

Gilda Dent

10-14-2008, 07:04 PM

Along those lines...

Old-Fashioned Wedding (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ3IyCa8bG4)

-Brian

Good one.

Keeping with the theme:

"I Remember It Well" by various from Gigi.

Gilda Dent

10-14-2008, 07:46 PM

"Don't You Want Me" by the Human League, or for a version that's a lot more fun, Future Bible Heroes, with the parts reversed.

leonaozaki

10-14-2008, 07:49 PM

I'm ashamed nobody has mentioned The Captain and Tennille.

I'm ashamed that you mentioned them. Unless this is a joke. In which case, carry on.

rob

leonaozaki

10-14-2008, 07:50 PM

Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss, "Whiskey Lullaby."

rob

GRANT!

10-14-2008, 08:10 PM

Just about any song by Stars with Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan.

"Your Ex Lover is Dead Though" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2yJSFHTrgM) definitely qualifies.

GRANT!

10-14-2008, 08:15 PM

Only one of the GREATEST harmonizing vocal groups ever.

The Mamas & The Papas

Again not to be stickler for math but Mama's and the Papas usually had four people singing. Duet means two people.

Generic Eric

10-15-2008, 11:03 AM

Fleas and Lice are a punk band from Holland that features a male and female lead singers. What they do does not sound very harmonious. Just brutal.

Pinball

10-15-2008, 07:59 PM

Oh, have i got a duet for you...Ashford & Simpson.

Imaginos666

10-16-2008, 09:00 AM

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" (various male/female partners, my favorite being Dean Martin and an unknown female singer)

-Brian

How about David Johansen and Sigourney Weaver's version on SNL? :tongue:

Melissa Auf Der Maur is supposed to have a duet with Glenn Danzig on her next album, due Nov. 1. That ought to be interesting.

Ayo

10-16-2008, 03:47 PM

This stuff is great. Thanks for the help (but don't stop, by any means)

Wenatchee the Hatchet

10-16-2008, 04:18 PM

I"m partial to Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush singing "Don't Give Up" from So. Was listening to that one recently. An 80s duet about unemployment. rock on. :) It's also got one of the most kick-ass outro bass-lines in pop music history.