10 Best Rock Music Collaborations Of The 1980s
1. Aerosmith & Run-DMC - Walk This Way
Under Pressure may have had two of the biggest musical acts of all time, but did it pioneer an entirely new genre? Didn't think so.
The original version of Walk This Way by Aerosmith came out in 1975 and was a hit for the band. Steven Tyler and his gang of misfits had been out of the chart spotlight for a few years until one fateful recording session.
And it wasn't even theirs.
Hip-hop trio Run-DMC had been freestyling over portions of Walk This Way at their live shows for a while. Producer Rick Rubin suggested they should remake the song in the studio and, after some initial resistance, they agreed.
Not only did both halves of the creative partnership get thrust into the mainstream once again, but they also helped pave the way for the success of rap-rock that would follow in later years.
They weren't the first to combine the two styles, but they were certainly the first to do it this successfully. For the role it played in both acts' careers, its influence on music as a whole, and the fact that it's just a great song, Walk This Way has to be the greatest musical collaboration of the 1980s.