Biggest Gulf Between Vocal Talents of Duet Partners

[Absorb the anus burn]

Pinky and Perky.

[purlieu]

Unlike a lot of the examples given as well it never felt like there was any kind of competition or mismatch between them, she had her role and he had had his and both filled them very well.

Oh I agree, they work well together. I just think most of the attention probably goes to Lisa, whose voice is has an unearthly beauty not reached by Brendan.

[DrGreggles]

Bit of a hacky observation though, isn't it. The disparity in their voices works in the song because they're playing two distinct characters in the narrative.

The shift in tone when Siobhan comes in is such a great unexpected pop twist. It's like Courtney Love barging into the middle of a Celine Dion power ballad, the song wouldn't have been half as memorable otherwise.

Siobhan sounds very sexy on You're History though.

[Crabwalk]

Their voices work really well together on tracks like 'I Don't Care'. Clearly Marcella's the technically superior singer, but I prefer Siobhan's more sultry tones. They're hardly comically mismatched and they use the disparity well.

[gilbertharding]

Keith Harris and Orville

[lipsink]

Tom Jones and Robbie Williams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYR4sUF2Ok4

[studpuppet]

Can you have a gulf between two types of equally shit singing?

Anita Harris & Mungo Jerry - Fairytale Of New York

[wosl]

Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance. No great shame for Brendan there, he has a fine voice and it would be highly unusual to have two singers of the same capability as Lisa Gerrard in the same band.

Stylistic differences aside, I've always felt Perry is very much Gerrard's equal as vocalist - the two serving as perfect foils for each other over the course of an album, since too much of either one would be, well, too much.  Over the years, as it happens, I've grown to like Perry's vocals more, and Gerrard's less; the only problem I have with him is in relation to his lyrics, which slide into pompous territory a little too regularly.

[the science eel]

Can you have a gulf between two types of equally shit singing?

Anita Harris & Mungo Jerry - Fairytale Of New York

Oh

my


fucking

good

Christ

al

fucking



mighty


what



the



FUCK



is




that







?

[studpuppet]

It's a doozy, isn't it? I'm quite proud of that one. It's too bad even for the CaB Advent Calendar.

[Nowhere Man]

Stan and Ollie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B13QoA59tA4

Only half joking, but Hardy had a lovely singing voice all the same.

Trivia: This song got to No. 2 on the UK charts in 1975, does anyone remember what the No. 1 song was?

[sardines]

The Divine Comedy's 'Island Life' has Neil Hannon's wonderful, rich croon up against some fey, whispery indie-pop singer who is ...

I think, his wife

[thecuriousorange]

Um, duets between a rough gravelly voice and a contrasting sweet melodic voice are great.

[Keebleman]

Stan and Ollie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B13QoA59tA4

Only half joking, but Hardy had a lovely singing voice all the same.

Trivia: This song got to No. 2 on the UK charts in 1975, does anyone remember what the No. 1 song was?

Yep, Bohemian Rhapsody.  At the time I was 7; I would listen to the charts and watch Top of the Pops just for Stan and Ollie, and was unnerved whenever I caught a glimpse of Fred and the lads warbling away.  "Thunderbolts and lightning/Very very frightening."  Yes, I thought, it is frightening.  At least they admit it.

[Gulftastic]

Bo Rap and Lonesome Pine are my two earliest TOTP memories.

[studpuppet]

Um, duets between a rough gravelly voice and a contrasting sweet melodic voice are great.

Peters & Lee, basically.

[thecuriousorange]

Or this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1xAil0ffun8

[rue the polywhirl]

Just been watching a Pavarotti doc on Sky Arts and I'll just mention... Pavarotti and Annie Lennox.

[machotrouts]

Troye Sivan, who has all the vocal range and style of the cake recipe core from Portal, was somehow allowed to duet with Ariana Grande. Not that I'm a big fan of Grande, but it's very considerate and professional of her to dial the hooting and cooing down to about 0.01% to match his sad constipated fart of a performance.

[purlieu]

I think, his wife

Crikey, I didn't realise that. She sounds a lot better on 'Funny Peculiar' (although that song is let down by being a twee jazz song sung by a married couple about how much they love each other).

[Crabwalk]

How the hell did it take so long for one of us to suggest Lawrence and Liz Fraser?

[The Culture Bunker]

How the hell did it take so long for one of us to suggest Lawrence and Liz Fraser?

Because 'Primitive Painters' isn't really a duet?

[Crabwalk]

Oh yeah, that.

[Brundle-Fly]

What about Squeeze? Tilbrook clearly has the better voice but I do really enjoy Difford's nasal almost flat Sarf London warble. And they compliment each other in such away that you always know it's Squeeze and that they are utterly unique. Ignore this post.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Mark E Smith and Clint Boon.

[Panbaams]

John and Yoko, Paul and Linda

[Huxleys Babkins]

Bernard Sumner and Neil Tennant
Bernard Sumner and Billy Corgan
Bernard Sumner and Ana Matronic
Bernard Sumner and Brandon Flowers
Bernard Sumner and Ellie out of La Roux

[lebowskibukowski]

There must be umpteen (yes, umpteen) examples of this from the X-Factor when it gets near the finals, like Wagner dueting with Christina Aguilera or The Cheeky Girls singing with Andrea Bocelli?

[Neville Chamberlain]

Bernard Sumner and Neil Tennant
Bernard Sumner and Billy Corgan
Bernard Sumner and Ana Matronic
Bernard Sumner and Brandon Flowers
Bernard Sumner and Ellie out of La Roux

I know! Neil Tennant, Billy Corgan, Ana Matronic, Brandon Flowers and Ellie out of La Roux are rubbish!

Etc etc

[buzby]

I know! Neil Tennant, Billy Corgan, Ana Matronic, Brandon Flowers and Ellie out of La Roux are rubbish!

Etc etc

Not sure if you are joking, but out of almost all of them Bernard isn't the worst half of the duet - not necessarily becuase they are wore singers than him, but their performance doesn't fit the song. The Billy Corgan and Ana Matronic ones in particular are terrible (not helped by the songs being sub-par too). Same goes for Bobby Gillespie on the execrable Rock The Shack.