Billy Strange is dead & best duets ever

I must confess I knew nothing about Billy Strange until I read the obituary in the Guardian then it turns out the guy was a bloody genius. I say that because he arranged Some Velvet Morning by Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra, one of the most fabulous duets ever.

Billy Strange also played with the Beach Boys on Good Vibrations, appeared on numerous Phil Spector records, played on Forever Changes by Love and arranged and conducted most of Nancy Sinatra's recorded work including her duets with Lee Hazelwood.

Here's another nailed on classic that he arranged, The Boots Are Made For Walking:



Actually, on reflection, there's not many duets that make it into my ears: Marc Bolan and Cilla Black - Life's A Gas,



and Mark Langegan and Isobel Campbell - Who Built The Road? I always think these two must have been heavily influenced by Hazelwood / Sinatra.



In a desperate attempt to find some more duets I looked at a Dairy Telegraph article which just serves to highlight how crap duets generally are, however, I was reminded of the fabulous Bonnie and Clyde by Serge Gainsbourg and Bridgitte Bardot.



The Telegraph Article isn't all Bonio and Freddie Mercurial, it does also mention what I claim is the best number one record ever: Uptown Top Ranking by Althea and Donna. It's one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Universe how that got to number one.



I've been scoffing at the Telegraph article, especially when I found out that John Travolta and Olivia Neutron-Bomb were at number 5 and Mary J Bilge collared the number 2 slot, then, lo-and-behold, what's that at number one? Some Velvet Morning by Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra!

Surely there must be some more good duets??

That telegraph article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3606080/50-best-duets-ever.html