The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business Showdown?

No, your eyes do not deceive you, and, no, we will not see the likes of it again: That’s Luciano Pavarotti and James Brown, together, performing “This Is A Man’s World.” (Brown died in December 2006, Pavarotti in September 2007.)

I’d never seen this footage until just last week. It’s from the “Pavarotti and Friends for Angola” concert, shot in the maestro’s home town of Modena, Italy, in May 2002. Besides Brown, participants included Sting, Lou Reed, Andrea Bocelli, and Grace Jones, of whom we get just an all-too-rare glimpse at the top of the clip.

I know what you’re thinking: Musically, these celebrity charity hookups are, typically, monkey poop. (Except for Band Aid’s 1984 “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”…which also featured Sting, now that I think of it. I could loop that “Feed the world!” refrain forever.)

But this is actually quite sweet: Brown sings the famous lyrics, then Pavarotti’s follows the strings with his shimmering tenor. I don’t think there’s a DVD yet, but it would be great if somebody would make a move on it.