10 Amazing Hard Rock Songs Featuring Killer Guest Stars

Calling In the Big Guns.

Linkin Park The Hunting Party
Warner Bros.

If you're even remotely familiar with the rock scene, you'll know that it's mostly every man for himself. Since the suits of the day will always try to cut you down as much they can, you have to have the determination to make your material the greatest it can possibly be, come hell or high water. At the same time, it doesn't hurt to have some help every now and again.

Just like the gratuitous cameos in movies, these were the collaborations that we didn't even know we needed until we saw them in the flesh (or heard, in this case). Instead of getting by with a cool guitar solo or letting loose with the vocals, these artists chose to up the ante with a couple of friends, many of whom were already veterans of the scene or would soon become absolutely massive.

This isn't the kind of cameo where the artist just decides to grandstand either. In many cases, these are friends coming in with little to no ego and actually making a deliberate effort to serve the song for their friends. They may just be a few friends jamming for fun, but these are the kind of sessions where you only wish you could be a fly on the wall at the sessions, watching as two icons decide to work out a song in real time.

10. Mama - My Chemical Romance

Over the course of rock and roll history, we have been no strangers to having weird guest stars on big name records. From the moment that Aerosmith decided to hook up with Run-DMC, there was always some overlap that seemed to work a lot better than you'd originally think. Then again, if you were to pick someone to guest on a rock record, the world of Broadway was a little bit out there.

Actually, My Chemical Romance held this one pretty close to the chest, with Liza Minnelli being one of the favorite artists of Gerard and Mikey Way's grandmother Helena. When it came time to make the macabre song Mama though, the band already went all out to make this Nightmare Before Christmas sounding track, so it made sense to get Minnelli on to have her own featured spot as the voice of Mother War.

As weird as it sounds, the fact that she's here at all makes the whole thing sound that much more unsettling, playing the twisted update of Mother from Pink Floyd's The Wall by making the Patient seem utterly pathetic. By the time the track gives way to the "Carry On" refrain in the background over Liza's Broadway voice and her eventual tearful goodbye, you're not just watching a rock opera anymore. This is high brow theater that has been orchestrated by Satan.

 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

I'm just a junkie for all things media. Whether it's music, movies, TV, or just other reviews, I absolutely adore this stuff. But music was my first love, and I love having the opportunity to share it with you good people. Follow Me On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/timcoffman97