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Shatner + Rollins: "illogical" says Mr Spock

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9. Bing Crosby / David Bowie: Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy

In 1977, 30-year-old Bowie was just coming out of an 'interesting' period of drug-snorting, cross-dressing and politically-confusing debauchery. So obviously, 74-year-old Bing recruited him to duet on his Merrie Olde Christmas TV special. Crazier still, Little Drummer Boy went to No 3 in the UK charts.

Bowie's reasoning for doing it? "I just knew my mother liked him."

10. Slash / Blackstreet / ODB: Fix

Slash has seemingly appeared on other people's records as many times as he's sparked a Marlboro, but this 1996 track with Blackstreet must be one of his oddest collaborations. Yet it kinda works. It's better than him 'helping out' Black Eyed Peas' Fergie, Ray Charles, Chic, Michael Jackson or...

11. Ne-Yo / Marilyn Manson: tbc

Get this: the R&B star behind Closer likes nothing better than listening to Marilyn Manson, and plans to record with the self-styled God Of Fuck in 2009.

"I don't think you'll ever see me in make-up" Ne-Yo will work with Marilyn Manson. But only up to a point

"I've wanted to work with him for ages and his people reached out to me when they heard," said Ne-Yo in September. "People might think it's a strange collaboration, I don't.
"You won't see me adopting his style. I don't think you'll ever see me in make-up," Ne-Yo adds, somewhat disappointingly.

MusicRadar is so looking forward to this one.

12. Pavarotti / U2 (Passengers): Miss Sarajevo

For their rather outré album as Passengers (with Brian Eno) in 1995, the Dublin quartet roped in the world's greatest tenor for this single. It might not be as odd as others in this list – Bono's father was an amateur opera singer, after all – but it certainly made for an 'interesting' tune. And it gave chances for Brian Eno to play an Omnichord, Bono to dress like an Italian market trader and the Edge to take his hat off. Truly historical.

13. Muse / The Streets: Who Knows Who

Given that Muse are massive Rage Against The Machine fans, it's perhaps unsurprising that the trio had a stab at rap-rock in 2008. But the fact that Muse turned to Mike Skinner to provide the vocals was probably slightly more unexpected; the resulting jam was a fun but unconvincing pastiche demonstrating how Rage just wouldn't work if they were English. Or if their vocalist rapped as if he was struggling to read the lyrics off the back of his hand.