Best voice-offs ever?

July 6, 2009 12:26 AM

Please share your favorite examples of tracks or videos where singers share vocal duels, riffs, or otherwise feed off each other awesomely.

To my great shame, I love the part of this clip (starting at 2:00) where Fantasia Barrino and Kelly Clarkson riff off each other. Please share your favorite examples of tracks or videos where singers share vocal duels, riffs, or otherwise feed off each other awesomely.

posted by lalex to media & arts (17 comments total)

Somewhat more indie than your example, but how about 22: The Death of All Romance by The Dears, from their No Cities Left album?
posted by jzed at 1:00 AM on July 6 [1 favorite has favorites]

For cheesy fun in the vocal duelling vein (especially the "let me sleep on it" portion in the middle) there's always Paradise By the Dashboard Light.
posted by amyms at 1:04 AM on July 6

Temple of the Dog - Hunger Strike

Chris Cornell & Eddie Vedder... just awesome.
posted by Valuev at 1:34 AM on July 6

Dammit, I always do that! I always post the wrong link... this is what I get for posting in a hurry. Anyway, the original version and not some random cover version is on the Intarwebs if you look for it, maybe someone else will be kind enough to dig it up and link to it.
posted by Valuev at 1:41 AM on July 6

Ben Folds "You Don't Know Me" (Feat Regina Spektor)
posted by nothing too obvious at 2:31 AM on July 6

Search YouTube for "Lambert Hendricks & Ross"
posted by rhizome at 3:33 AM on July 6

You say potatoes, I say potahtoes...

"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," Ella and Duke Ellington...magic.
posted by dzaz at 4:18 AM on July 6

"Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better", from Annie Oakley, and "I Remember It Well", from Gigi.

Arghhh, I hate that I know this. This is what comes of having a musical-loving father and sister who burst into their renditions of these songs at the drop of a hat.

From my own knowledge of music that I actually like, there is "Hit the Road, Jack", by Ray Charles and Margie Hendricks.
posted by orange swan at 5:39 AM on July 6

Tramp: Otis Redding & Carla Thomas
posted by rfs at 6:13 AM on July 6

Dropkick Murphys - The Dirty Glass
posted by Loto at 6:29 AM on July 6

Elis Regina and Antonio Carlos Jobim - Águas de Março

Beverly Sills and Miss Piggy - Pigaletto
posted by hydrophonic at 7:01 AM on July 6

Janis Joplin and Tom Jones in "Raise Your Hand" (1969).
posted by foooooogasm at 8:16 AM on July 6

Baby, It's Cold Outside
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:40 AM on July 6

Another offbeat example "Walk Through the Fire" from "Once More with Feeling," the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. All of the characters (and the whole town) are caught in a curse that forces them to sing and be emotional, resulting in a very impressive (if tongue-in-cheek) montage / song for the final fight scene with about a half-dozen characters involved.

Not so much a back-and-forth, but a layering - I'm a fan of Savatage's "The Wake of Magellan" off the album of the same name. They also use this in one or two other albums, "Chance" from "Handful of Rain" is the one that comes to mind.
posted by GJSchaller at 9:33 AM on July 6

Rock & Bea - Everybody Today is Turning On
posted by K.P. at 9:35 AM on July 6

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell gotta, gotta, gotta be on the list of great ones.

Ain't No Mountain High Enough
posted by ambient2 at 12:01 PM on July 6

Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie
posted by I-baLL at 3:30 PM on July 6