…so here it is, Merry Second Half Of Out On Blue Six‘s List Of The Ten Best Duets Of All Time Ever! You can find the first half of this revised and updated rundown, along with an explanation of the barely explicable rationale behind the admittedly rather atypical selection process (and there is one, honest), here. Actually, you probably should read that half first if you haven’t done so already. Go on, it’s got The Jesus & Mary Chain in it and everything. And now, On With The Music (by Oijvind Viinstra & Peabo Bryson, 1986)…
Deus Ibi Est by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
The erstwhile Girly Girl Out Of Belle & Sebastian (though not quite as girly as The Other Girly Girl Out Of Belle & Sebastian) has pursued a rather unlikely musical path since opting for a solo career, veering between sixties film soundtrack-style jazz pop, scary Wicker Man-esque folk, and a whole three and a half albums’ worth of countrified duets with the erstwhile That Bloke Out Of Screaming Trees (who, on the evidence of the album cover photos, would appear to have got his hot water running again), making her an unlikely megastar in the States. One of the very best is this scary singalong which appears to be about something to do with Lost. Well, it’s about an Island and there’s some Latin in it, along with a mention of TV ‘Caesar’[CITATION NEEDED]. Also, excitingly, it’s the only NEW ENTRY in this list, replacing the previous version’s use of their equally fab other offering Do You Wanna Come Walk With Me?. Director’s Cut Ahoy!
Who Do You Think You Are? by Saint Etienne & Debsey Wykes
The early nineties indie-retro popsters join forces with the early eighties indie-retro popster for an inspired cover of an early seventies non-indie non-retro pop hit, as originally essayed by the suspiciously-named ‘Candlewick Green’, who as you may be guessing had little to do with Brian Cant, strident acoustic guitars, ill-advised clown-festooned title sequences, or postbags caught on windmill sails. Still, it’s always nice to be reminded of the days before ‘retro’ became a dirty word. Isn’t it, Peter Bastard Kay?
[sorry, this one isn't on YouTube - so, from the same album, here's the fabtastic Bang On A Drum]
Early In The Morning by Derek Griffiths & Toni Arthur
Wistful sound effect-laden ’postman knocks, alarm on the clocks’-chronicling leftover from their days as rapidly-failing folkie singer-songwriters, retooled for a new-found audience of ‘younger viewers’ of Play School and Play Away and subsequently re-recorded for the epochal BBC Records And Tapes offering Bang On A Drum – Songs From Play School And Play Away (from whence, fact fans, The Go! Team derived the main sample in I Never Needed It Now So Much). This is as close as we’re ever likely to get to the sound of what would have happened if Nick Drake had followed the example of so many of his contemporaries and thrown in the towel to become a children’s television presenter.
Follow Me by Lyme & Cybelle
Scary low-budget Psychotic Sonny & Cher garage punk-skewed attempt at emulating Nancy & Lee (see Part One of this list…!), courtesy of the future Warren Zevon and the somewhat more mysterious ‘Cybelle’ and some scary Ye Olde Wilde West getup. Probably the most obscure offering on this list (though it is on the Nuggets box set… about which more in a future post!), hence the rather puzzling use of footage from The Italian Job in the above video.
Hold On by Sharon Tandy & Les Fleur de Lys
Alright, yes, so it’s fairly obvious that the number of halfway decent songs that actually fall within the ridiculous self-imposed guidelines is falling somewhat short of expectations, because this isn’t actually a duet at all, just someone singing on top of another band playing. Still, do you really need an excuse to mention two minor legends of UK psych going absolutely feedback-drenched bonkers, especially when the accompanying TV performance is introduced by The Dave Lee Travis? Stitch that, ‘Peabo’!
