Five Guest Spots by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe

R.E.M. was one of the most influential groups of their time. The quartet from Athens, Georgia helped define alternative rock, paving the way for a new breed of artists who would follow in their wake. Hardcore fans often point to the band’s I.R.S. Records years as their most creatively fertile, but R.E.M. produced high quality, enduring work throughout their time together (1980-2011).

The band’s members – guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, drummer Bill Berry and vocalist Michael Stipe – all collaborated on songwriting, but each member also worked outside of the group on various projects. Here are five notable guest spots featuring the R.E.M. front man and singer.

“Omaha” by the Golden Palominos on Vision of Excess (1985)
Golden Palominos was a kind of alt-rock supergroup, an ever-shifting collective of artists who convened for specific recording sessions or live dates and then moved on. At various points, the eclectic collective included leader/drummer Anton Fier, Bill Laswell, Jack Bruce, Syd Straw, John Zorn, Bernie Worrell, Don Dixon, John Lydon and many others. Golden Palomino’s debut album featured Stipe on lead vocals for a cover of the Moby Grape classic.

“A Campfire Song” by 10,000 Maniacs on In My Tribe (1987)
Named, oddly enough, after a gory horror film, New York-based alt-rock band 10,000 Maniacs relocated for a brief time to Atlanta, Georgia. It may have been then that the group got to know R.E.M., based 60 miles away in Athens. A few years later when 10,000 Maniacs found mainstream success, they enlisted Michael Stipe to sing alongside lead vocalist Natalie Merchant on “A Campfire Song.” Stipe and Merchant would duet six year later on a 10,000 Maniacs cover of Lulu’s classic “To Sir With Love.”

“She Doesn’t Exist” by Robyn Hitchcock on Perspex Island (1991)
England’s Robyn Hitchcock is one of the most fascinating lyricists in rock. His droll, surreal and observational lyrics adorn supremely catchy songs. For his ninth album, Hitchcock invited Michael Stipe to sing with him on the haunting “She Doesn’t Exist.” It wasn’t the first time Hitchcock collaborated with R.E.M. members; when he recorded his 1988 LP Globe of Frogs with the Egyptians, Hitchcock enlisted Peter Buck to play the memorable jangling guitar on several tracks including the standout “Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis).”

“Glitter in Their Eyes” by Patti Smith on Gung-Ho (2000)
Poet, visual artist, songwriter and inspiration to countless other artists, Patti Smith is an icon in the creative arts. She’s punk royalty as well, as a leading figure in the New York music scene of the 1970s and beyond. For Smith’s eighth album Gung-Ho, she brought Michael Stipe in to provide backing vocals on “Glitter in Their Eyes.” The album also included guest spots by Hüsker Dü drummer Grant Hart (on piano) and Television guitarist Tom Verlaine.

“Dancing on the Lip of a Volcano” by the New York Dolls on One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (2006)
New York proto-punk group the New York Dolls burned brightly and quickly, releasing two albums in the early ‘70s (one of which was presciently titled Too Much Too Soon) before breaking up. But years later when popular music caught up with them, the Dolls reformed. On their 2006 album with a lengthy title, the group fronted by singer David Johansen (perhaps better known to pop music fans as Buster Poindexter) invited several guests – Bo Diddley, Iggy Pop and more – to help out. One of those guests was Michael Stipe, singing along with Johansen on “Dancing on the Lip of a Volcano.”