It seems to me that every artist or band I like is related to every other artist or band I like. To demonstrate this theory, let me present…
Six degrees of last.fm!
- Pink Floyd: apparently my favourite band; every other artist/band must relate back to Floyd somehow…
- Porcupine Tree: drummer Gavin Harrison is currently a member of King Crimson, alongside Tony Levin, who played bass on Pink Floyd’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason
- The Police: guitarist Andy Summers has recorded two albums with Robert Fripp, who appeared on Porcupine Tree’s last studio album and EP
- Genesis: former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel worked with Police drummer Stewart Copeland on Gabriel’s album So, as well as collaborating with him for the track “Across the River”
- Peter Gabriel: see above
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench have worked with Don Henley (as has former Heartbreaker Stan Lynch); Henley appears on former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters’ solo album, Amused to Death
- Kate Bush: Bush has collaborated with Peter Gabriel several times, such as on the duet “Don’t Give Up”
- David Bowie: the Robert Fripp connection is too easy, so instead I’ll note that frequent Bowie collaborator Brian Eno contributed to the Genesis album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
- Fleetwood Mac: Stevie Nicks has worked with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers so often that she’s considered an “honourary Heartbreaker”
- Prince: appears on Kate Bush’s “Why Should I Love You?” and Stevie Nicks’ “Stand Back”
- Talking Heads: Brian Eno (see Bowie) was almost the fifth member of Talking Heads, producing three of their albums (one of which—Remain in Light—gives him substantial writing credit)
- Prince & the Revolution: see Prince
- Lindsey Buckingham: member of Fleetwood Mac; has worked with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
- Eagles: drummer Don Henley has worked with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac (”Leather and Lace”)
- Roxy Music: guitarist Phil Manzanera co-wrote “One Slip” for Pink Floyd’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason
- Yes: frontman Jon Anderson appears on the King Crimson album Lizard; King Crimson’s Robert Fripp is a frequent collaborator with former Roxy Music member Brian Eno
- Hall & Oates: Daryl Hall appears on Robert Fripp’s Exposure; Fripp appears on Talking Heads’ “I Zimbra”
- “Weird Al” Yankovic: Mark Knopfler plays lead guitar on Al’s “Money for Nothing” parody; Knopfler also features on Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry’s solo album Boys and Girls
- Toto: Jon Anderson (Yes) appears on Toto’s The Seventh One
- Sting: bassist for The Police
- King Crimson: guitarist Adrian Belew appears on Talking Heads’ Remain in Light
- No-Man: Mel Collins (King Crimson) appears on No-Man’s Flowermouth
- The Cars: bassist Benjamin Orr appears on Joni Mitchell’s Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm, as do Wendy & Lisa (from The Revolution), Tom Petty and Peter Gabriel
- Blondie: King Crimson’s Robert Fripp appears on Blondie’s “Fade Away and Radiate”
- Marillion: former frontman Fish appears on Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks’ solo album, Still
- Devo: Devo’s debut album was produced by Brian Eno (Roxy Music)
- Elton John: Nik Kershaw appears on both John’s Ice on Fire and Still by Tony Banks (Genesis)
- Tom Petty: obvious
- Phil Collins: drummer for Genesis
- Don Henley: drummer for the Eagles
- Steve Miller Band: former member Boz Scaggs’ album Silk Degrees featured members of what would become Toto
- Roger Waters: Toto guitarist Steve “Luke” Lukather appears on Waters’ album Amused to Death
- Dire Straits: Sting features on “Money for Nothing”
- INXS: “Original Sin” was produced by Nile Rodgers, who also produced David Bowie’s Let’s Dance
- Supertramp: founding member Richard Palmer-James was the lyricist for King Crimson in the mid-’70s; furthermore, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour appears on the title track from Supertramp’s Brother Where You Bound
- U2: Brian Eno (Roxy Music) has produced many of their albums
- Men at Work: longtime Hoodoo Gurus bassist Richard Grossman played bass in Men at Work in the late ’90s; The Bangles appeared on the Hoodoo Gurus album Blow Your Cool with Grossman, as well as on the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers track “Waiting for Tonight”; furthermore, Prince wrote the Bangles hit “Manic Monday”
- Steve Hackett: former Genesis guitarist
- Stevie Nicks: member of Fleetwood Mac
- Daryl Hall: one half of Hall & Oates
- Robert Fripp: produced Daryl Hall’s Sacred Songs solo album
- Cheap Trick: bandleader Rick Nielson appears on Hall & Oates’ Along the Red Ledge (as does Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and Steve Lukather (Toto))
- David Gilmour: guitarist for Pink Floyd; appeared on albums by Brian Ferry (Roxy Music) and (notably) Kate Bush; worked with Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music)
- Mental as Anything: Fundamental as Anything producer Richard Gottehrer also produced two Blondie albums; alternatively, Elvis Costello produced the Mentals’ single “I Didn’t Mean to be Mean”; Costello is a frequent collaborator with Paul McCartney, who featured David Gilmour on his track “No More Lonely Nights”
- The Beatles: George Harrison was in the Traveling Wilburys with Tom Petty
- Blackfield: a side-project of Porcupine Tree bandleader Steven Wilson
- Foreigner: founding member Ian McDonald was also a founding member of King Crimson
- Paul Simon: Simon collaborated with Brian Eno (Roxy Music) on Surprise
- Robert Palmer: Chris Frantz (Talking Heads) appears on Palmer’s Clues
- Alice Cooper: producer/collaborator Bob Ezrin has worked with both Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd
How’s that?