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Best Studio Line-Up on a Single Album & most Diverse and Exceptional Musicians, Vocalists

Snarfie

Snarfie

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I’ve been thinking about albums where one artist or band managed to gather an extraordinary and diverse line-up of session musicians, singers, and instrumentalists all within a single record.

Not talking about compilation projects or live jams, but one cohesive studio album where every track could features a different top-tier line-up, yet it all sounds unified and sonically exceptional.

Here are two that, in my opinion, could set the standard:

Donald Fagen – The Nightfly (1982)

An early digital-era masterpiece with one of the most varied line-ups:
- Bass: Anthony Jackson, Marcus Miller, Abraham Laboriel, Chuck Rainey, Willie Weeks
- Drums: Jeff Porcaro, James Gadson, Ed Greene, Steve Jordan
- Guitar: Larry Carlton, Steve Khan, Hugh McCracken
- Horns: Michael & Randy Brecker
- Backing vocals: Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson, Leslie Miller
Warm, clean, precise still a reference album for engineers and audiophiles.

Steely Dan – Aja (1977)

Arguably the ultimate example of “studio perfectionism.”
- Drums: Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, Rick Marotta, Jim Keltner, Paul Humphrey
- Guitars: Larry Carlton, Jay Graydon, Lee Ritenour, Dean Parks, Walter Becker
- Bass: Chuck Rainey
- Keys: Joe Sample, Michael Omartian
- Sax: Wayne Shorter, Tom Scott
- Backing vocals: Michael McDonald
More or less every track features a different combination and it all fits flawlessly.

Other strong contenders:

- Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982): Jeff Porcaro, Louis Johnson, Steve Lukather, Greg Phillinganes, Paul Jackson Jr.
- Paul Simon – Graceland (1986): features South African musicians, Los Lobos, and a range of excelent players.
- Peter Gabriel – So (1986): Tony Levin, Manu Katché, David Rhodes, Kate Bush.
- Joni Mitchell – Hejira (1976): Jaco Pastorius, Larry Carlton, Wayne Shorter.
- David Bowie – Let’s Dance (1983): Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nile Rodgers, Tony Thompson.

Let us know what other single albums (by one artist or band) stand out to you for having the most diverse and perfectly matched studio musicians and vocalists?:cool:
 
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Would you include Daft Punk Random Access Memories?
 
MaxwellsEq said:
Would you include Daft Punk Random Access Memories?
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Sure there line up of Artis are excellent. What i offent do when listening to a album is looking for the line up an instrument or voice (that has mine attention) an try to figuere out where he or she appeared on other bands/albums. Gives some direction in discovering new music bands artists.
 
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The Wrecking Crew studio musicians on these and my other albums

  • Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys (1966) - This album is widely considered one of the greatest pop recordings of the 1960s and a masterpiece of production by Brian Wilson, who relied heavily on The Wrecking Crew for the intricate instrumentation.
  • Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel (1970) - The Wrecking Crew provided the instrumentation for several songs on this Grammy-winning album, including the iconic title track featuring Hal Blaine's memorable drum performance.
  • If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears by The Mamas & the Papas (1966) - Their debut album, featuring hits like "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'," utilized Wrecking Crew mainstays for the rhythm section on every track.
  • The Monkees by The Monkees (1966) - The session musicians played all the instruments on the Monkees' first album, which went straight to number one on the Billboard charts.
  • A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector by Various Artists (1963) - This classic Christmas album is a prime example of Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" technique, which relied heavily on the Wrecking Crew's talent.
  • Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell (1968) - Glen Campbell was himself a member of The Wrecking Crew before launching his successful solo career; this album features their playing prominently on the title track and others.
  • Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1965) - The Wrecking Crew made up most of the "Tijuana Brass" for this hugely successful album, which at one point in 1966 was selling more records than any group in the world.

The Wrecking Crew Top 10

. . . and high time they got some credit for these classics
www.americanheritage.com www.americanheritage.com
 
Timcognito said:
The Wrecking Crew studio musicians on these and my other albums

  • Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys (1966) - This album is widely considered one of the greatest pop recordings of the 1960s and a masterpiece of production by Brian Wilson, who relied heavily on The Wrecking Crew for the intricate instrumentation.
  • Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel (1970) - The Wrecking Crew provided the instrumentation for several songs on this Grammy-winning album, including the iconic title track featuring Hal Blaine's memorable drum performance.
  • If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears by The Mamas & the Papas (1966) - Their debut album, featuring hits like "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'," utilized Wrecking Crew mainstays for the rhythm section on every track.
  • The Monkees by The Monkees (1966) - The session musicians played all the instruments on the Monkees' first album, which went straight to number one on the Billboard charts.
  • A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector by Various Artists (1963) - This classic Christmas album is a prime example of Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" technique, which relied heavily on the Wrecking Crew's talent.
  • Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell (1968) - Glen Campbell was himself a member of The Wrecking Crew before launching his successful solo career; this album features their playing prominently on the title track and others.
  • Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1965) - The Wrecking Crew made up most of the "Tijuana Brass" for this hugely successful album, which at one point in 1966 was selling more records than any group in the world.

The Wrecking Crew Top 10

. . . and high time they got some credit for these classics
www.americanheritage.com www.americanheritage.com
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Interesting you mentiond Phil Spector wall of sound it reminds me always of Let It Be (naked) that less could be more but that is subjective:cool:


 
I'm adding this cracking album from Jimmy Witherspoon - his backing band :

Mel Lewis - drums
Gerry Mulligan - baritone sax
Ben Webster - tenor sax
Jimmy Rowles - piano

IMG_1057.png
 

The Top 12 musical backing bands

Many famous backing bands have played pivotal roles in the success of various artists and genres
www.bennysutton.com www.bennysutton.com

I would add Studio One band in Jamaica led by Jackie Mittoo where many great Reggae artists recorded their albums
 
All Things Must Pass

Easier to post links since not everyone is mentioned in every case.

www.beatlesbible.com

All Things Must Pass

Recorded: 29 March; 12 May 1969 26, 27, 28, 29 May; 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 18, 22, 23, 24, 26, 30 June; 1, 2, 3, 25 July; August; September; 7 October 1970 Producers: George Harrison, Phil Spector Engineers: Phil McDonald, John Leckie, Richard Lush, John Barrett, Ken Scott, Dave Corlet...
www.beatlesbible.com www.beatlesbible.com

thebluze.com

All Things Must Pass – 50th Anniversary

My father passed away in 1969 from a heart attack when I was twelve years old. That summer “the music” in the words of Jim Morrison, became my “special friend”. The next year, 1970, at Christmas I …
thebluze.com thebluze.com

en.wikipedia.org

All Things Must Pass - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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DWPress said:
Kinda cheating with this one. Though a mediocre movie Robert Altman gave the soundtrack an all star treatment to recreate the 1930's sound of Kansas City.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_(film)
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Haha fair point just for that lineup I’ll allow it. Googled it and saw that Ron Carter was also part of the music line-up.

There are some film scores that almost qualify though think The Hot Spot (Ry Cooder + Miles Davis + John Lee Hooker), or even some of Quincy Jones’ work from the ’70s.

Mentioning Ry Cooder. Buena Vista Social Club probably sits somewhere between those worlds technically a studio album, but it’s tied to a documentary/film and built around a once in a lifetime ensemble of musicians.

And yeah, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie popped up on a ton of film and TV sessions the dude was/is basically a one-man groove industry.:facepalm:


Minute 22:25 about film music with the father of Jeff Porcaro an tons of question from young Jeff. Price less.
 
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Snarfie said:
And yeah, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie popped up on a ton of film and TV sessions the dude was/is basically a one-man groove industry.:facepalm:
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Listen to what he says about playing only what the song needs and leaving space for everyone else - like all the great session players it's not about showy chops and impressing with technique, it's all about feel and (as he says) making everyone happy :)
 
One of my faves from the mid 70s.
"Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" by Joni Mitchell.

Musicians
  • Joni Mitchell – vocals, guitars; piano on "Paprika Plains"
  • Jaco Pastorius – bass guitar; bongos on "The Tenth World"; cowbells on "Dreamland"
  • John Guerin – drums
  • Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone on "Jericho" and "Paprika Plains"
  • Alex Acuña – congas, cowbell & backing vocals on "The Tenth World"; shakers on "Dreamland"; ankle bells on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
  • Don Alias – bongos on "Jericho"; congas, claves & backing vocals on "The Tenth World"; snare drum & sandpaper blocks on "Dreamland"; shakers on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
  • Manolo Badrena – congas, coffee cans & lead vocal on "The Tenth World"; congas on "Dreamland"; credited "in spirit" on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
  • Airto Moreira – surdo on "The Tenth World" and "Dreamland"
  • Larry Carlton – electric guitar on "Otis And Marlena"
  • Michel Colombier – piano on "Otis And Marlena"
  • Chaka Khan – backing vocals on "The Tenth World" and "Dreamland"
  • Glenn Frey, JD Souther – backing vocals on "Off Night Backstreet"
  • Michael Gibbs – orchestral arrangements and conductor on "Paprika Plains" and "Off Night Backstreet"
  • Bobbye Hall – credited "in spirit" on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
  • El Bwyd – "the split-tongued spirit" vocals on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
 
Timcognito said:

The Top 12 musical backing bands

Many famous backing bands have played pivotal roles in the success of various artists and genres
www.bennysutton.com www.bennysutton.com

I would add Studio One band in Jamaica led by Jackie Mittoo where many great Reggae artists recorded their albums
Click to expand...
...And, once Jackie Mittoo moved on, often over seen by the great Leroy Sibbles, who also contributed bass and vocals.

The Soul Vendors and Sound Dimension were the house bands that created some of the greatest 'riddims' Reggae has ever known, and which continue to be versioned to this day.

The amount of musical talent Jamaica has produced over the years is crazy!, considering it's small size.
 
111db said:
Anyone remember this one?
youtube.com

1969: The Who & The London Symphony Orchestra - Tommy

Rock Opera by The Who, 1969
youtube.com youtube.com
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Per Google AI:

The 1972 album Tommy as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra featured a core orchestra and chamber choir, supplemented by an array of famous guest soloists who took on the different character roles.

The primary guest personnel included members of The Who and other prominent rock musicians:

  • Narrator: Pete Townshend
  • Tommy: Roger Daltrey
  • Cousin Kevin: John Entwistle
  • Uncle Ernie: Ringo Starr
  • The Father: Steve Winwood
  • The Mother: Maggie Bell
  • The Local Lad (Pinball Wizard): Rod Stewart
  • The Doctor: Richard Harris
  • The Acid Queen: Merry Clayton
  • The Hawker: Richie Havens
  • The Nurse: Sandy Denny
  • The Lover: Graham Bell
  • The album was produced by Lou Reizner and featured arrangements by Wil Malone, with David Measham as the conductor. The recording also included session musicians like Nicky Hopkins on piano, Phil Chen on bass, and Graham Deakin on drums.
 
Jean-Luc Ponty
Enigmatic Ocean

Jean-Luc Ponty: Violin
Allan Holdsworth, Daryl Struemer: Guitar
Ralphe Armstrong: Bass
Allan Zavod: Keyboards
Steve Smith: Percussion and Drums

This album suits me.
The musicians have played with so many of my favorite bands, from Glen Miller to Frank Zappa. Journey, Genesis, and Phil Collins. Scored films. And in my opinion Allan Holdsworth is one of the all time great, unusual, and innovative guitar players.
 
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