Dunno if you’ll enjoy this, Steve, but one of the most incredible collaborations I can think of right off the bat is when David Bowie and Iggy Pop teamed for Iggy’s album The Idiot in 1976. Bowie’s music was pretty, but often plastic, while Iggy’s tenure as The Stooges’ frontman was ferocious and experimental. Bowie, a Stooges fan, wanted to get their frontman out of rehab and on his feet, and also to help himself through dark times of addiction and a creative block. He chose lead singer Iggy as a vehicle to further his experiments in electronic music. Iggy, eager to prove his own intellect to a disbelieving public, provided sinister lyrics, a rough but heartbreaking vocal performance, and valuable input on the overall sound, resulting in a stronger album than Bowie would ever construct afterwards. It’s dark as hell, but just as compelling, with a jazzy, noirish ambience and a more spontaneous sound than the droves of synth-pop albums that would follow.

If nothing else, “China Girl” — which Iggy did first, on this album — sells it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8qRBkGxZ14