Fairly regularly I will hear a song - either via my ears or just in my head - and think how similar it sounds to another song and ponder what they might sound like if each song had been performed by the other artist, or if they collaborated, or if the songs were just (s)mashed together by some enterprising club DJ.
Sometimes, the thought - or even an imagined version of the result - stays in my head as an earworm of sorts that I can't get rid of until I make it so. The tracks below are some of what has resulted when I've been actually compelled to try to "make it so." Some are completed, some are half-assed, and some are just a few seconds of a part or parts of the songs together to see if it might be doable. For some I lost interest in completing it after hearing it through my ears. I uploaded those as well in case someone else gets inspired to follow through on one.
A buddy (hat tip: Dave) suggested this one to me. Hotel California is in D Maj and Exit Music is in b min, so I literally only had to pitch up the second syllable in "escape" and get reasonably close rhythmically. I like how it turned out.
Exit Music from a Hotel (Radiohead + Eagles)
this one I knew I wouldn't be the first to think of or act on, but I didn't know how many versions were out there until I uploaded the video (hastily edited video.. it's about the sound really) to YouTube. Not for nothin' but I like the way mine turned out more than any of the others I listened to.
25 or Brain to Stew (Chicago + Green Day) [video]
I think Kurt even made a comment in an interview that they basically "stole" their song from Killing Joke, but I hadn't heard anyone mix them together.
Come as the 80's (Nirvana+Killing Joke)
Another buddy (thanks, Pat) pointed out the similarity between the main riffs of these two totally styllistically orthogonal bands, so I had to see what I could make of them.
Uncontrollable Hop [DEVO + Led Zeppelin]
The first time I heard "Seven Nation Army", I immediately thought of "The Subway Song", and years later I had the urge to make it so.
Subway Nation Army (The Cure + The White Stripes)
Now this next one I think the odds are pretty in favor of me being the only person on the planet to have these songs remind of one another. It works to my ear. Fortuitous coincidence that one is called "Stop the Cavalry" and the other's chorus contains "... stop the battery".
Stop the Battery (Jona Lewie + Metallica)
These next few are some that I mentioned losing interest or for some other reason not finishing them
The distorted guitar from Ministry and the Spanish guitar from The Cure both spoke to me saying the same thing
bloodthievestest-test.mp3
One of those previously-mentioned buddies of mine brought attention to the similarity between these two.
caughtupinanthonyssong-test.mp3
These next two are playing with The Who's "Eminence Front".
I was in a loud restaurant trying to discern what the song being played on the jukebox was. Hint: it wasn't either of the two songs I mix this Who song with below..
fascination_front-test.mp3
eminence_rise-test.mp3
This one may be more of a stretch than the metallica + Jonah Lewie mashup. I can hear it, even if I didn't deliver up the goods.
redflow-test.mp3