3 Rock Songs From the 1970s That Feature Uncredited Rock Stars

When you’re a star, you have star friends. You run in star circles. You have late-night star conversations. And as a result, you also collaborate with other stars in your universe. It’s just bound to happen.

That’s just what we wanted to dive into here below. We wanted to highlight three songs from back in the day that feature some big-name guests. Indeed, these are three rock songs from the 1970s that feature uncredited rock stars.

“Old Man” by Neil Young from ‘Harvest’ (1972)

This is one of Neil Young’s most famous songs. But while you likely know the tune about aging well, did you know that it features a few big-name backing artists? Indeed, James Taylor plays six-string banjo, and Linda Ronstadt sang some backing vocals. Now, if that isn’t an incredible triumvirate, we don’t know what is. Perhaps there’s no wonder why this tune was so successful—it had a Hall of Fame lineup behind it!

“Young Americans” by David Bowie from ‘Young Americans’ (1975)

David Bowie was someone who liked to collaborate. Even though he was known as a solo artist, he was often found in the studio working with other big-name artists. Just think about “Under Pressure”, that famous tune he wrote with Queen. He also collaborated with the likes of John Lennon on “Fame”. But on the 1975 offering “Young Americans”, Bowie has a young Luther Vandross helping. It was Vandross, the future soul singer, who came up with the backing vocal arrangement for the tune. You just never know who might be around to help in the studio!

“You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon from ‘No Secrets’ (1972)

Speaking of which, this song has it all. In the 1970s, few artists were bigger than the beloved Carly Simon. Perhaps that’s what led her to a few famous romantic relationships. And one of those relationships (with actor Warren Beatty) ended up in this tune. But that’s not what we wanted to highlight here. The song itself also features an uncredited Mick Jagger on backing vocals. He’d made a quick pop-in to say hi to Simon while she was working, and she got him on the microphone.

Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns