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The world's 18 biggest supergroups
The good, the bad and the super-lame
Joe Bosso and Michael Leonard, Wed 15 Apr 2009, 2:26 pm UTC
With the arrival of the hard-rocking Chickenfoot (Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith), 'supergroups' are back.
Hey, add the formation of Tinted Windows (including James Iha, Bun E Carlos, Adam Schlesinger from Fountains Of Wayne and Hanson's Taylor Hanson), supergroups are definitely back.
Star-studded collectives have been around since the mid-'50s, when Sun Records founder Sam Phillips assembled perhaps the first rock 'n' roll dream team of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis for an impromptu jam.
Supergroups have been around since the mid-'50s
Dubbed the 'Million Dollar Quartet,' the foursome kicked back and played mostly gospel tunes. Tapes of this one-day-only session were stashed in a vault until they were finally released in 1987.
Creme de la Cream?
However, it was in 1967 that the world's first working supergroup, Cream, came to the fore and paved the way for future musical X-Men. Throughout the decades, we've had supergroups both sublime and subpar - and some truly sucky.
Without further ado, MusicRadar rates the 18 most notable supergroups in rock history.
Who should you check out? And who should you avoid at all costs?
Cream
The world's first 'supergroup'? Quite possibly. Eric Clapton was already being called 'God' by the time he hooked up with fellow ex-Bluesbreaker Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker from the Graham Bond Organization. During their three-year run (1966-'69), the trio put out explosive albums (Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, Wheels Of Fire) that fused amped-up blues, psychedelia and tight pop tunes, too. They also had explosive fights that fused raging egos with enthusiastic drug intake. Finally, Clapton said "enough", and Cream bid farewell with an album appropriately called Goodbye.
MusicRadar rating 5/5
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Take two Buffalo Springfields (Stephen Stills, Neil Young), a Byrd (David Crosby) and a Hollie (Graham Nash) and you have the world's first folk-rock supergroup. Young has always been an in/out member, but whether they're a threesome or a foursome, soaring harmonies abound. The band splintered into solo careers but always manage to come together. (Their longest period of inactivity was during David Crosby's stretch in the cooler for drugs and weapons possession, always a good career move.) They've released their share of latter-day clunkers (Live It Up, After The Storm), but 1970's Déjà Vu is an unqualified masterpiece.
MusicRadar rating 4/5
Blind Faith
Nine weeks after Cream went sour, Clapton had another supergroup on his hands, with Steve Winwood from The Spencer Davis Group and Traffic, Rick Grech from Family, and Ginger Baker, who somehow talked his way into the band despite Clapton's misgivings. The band's eponymous debut became famous for its songs (Presence Of The Lord, Can't Find My Way Home) and infamous for its cover, featuring a topless, underage girl holding a phallic silver space ship. In the US, the artwork was scrapped as record stores refused to carry it. The band barely lasted a year - after a US tour that sparked riots, Clapton, sick of being stuck in another supergroup, called it quits.
MusicRadar rating 4/5
User comments (12)
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What about Audioslave? Chris Cornell of Soundgarden along with Rage Against the Machine minus Zack de la Rocha....Institue - Gavin Rossdale from Bush, Chris Traynor from Helmet, Cache Tolman from Rival Schools, and Charlie Walker of Chamberlain....The Postal Service - Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie, Jimmy Tamborello from Dntel, and Jenny Lewis from Rilo Kiley...John Mayer Trio - John Mayer (obviously) with Pino Palladino and Steve Jordan who have played with pretty much everybody....And finally, Temple of the Dog - Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron of Soundgarden with Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Jeff Ament who would later become Pearl Jam.
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Audioslave, surely?
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Maybe it's an age thing but I was surprised not to see Humble Pie on the list. Here you had three pop/rock stars from the late 60's joining forces with a less well-known drummer but were still hailed as a British supergroup when they formed. I'm talking about Steve Marriott (Small Faces), Peter Frampton (The Herd), Greg Ridley (Spooky Tooth) and Jerry Shirley. Their double live "Rocking The Fillmore" album was a huge seller, they were the number one live touring act in the US during the early 70's and provided the inspiration for the "Frampton Comes Alive" album.
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18 greatest supergroups? 18? Couldn't you find enough to make it 20 at least?
What about Sky, formed by classical guitarist John Williams and bass player Herbie Flowers (a former member of Blue Mink and T.Rex)? -
I second that why aint Down on the list?
some good ones and some very very bad ones on the list -
Why is Down not on that list?
As a supergroup they must have sold way more albums than most of those, played way more shows than any off them and been around way longer -
Same distinction goes for U2. Yes, they're the biggest band on the planet, but when they got together, they were four kids in school. They didn't "form" as a "supergroup."
Which means The Beatles, the biggest and mosst important band ever, can't be qualified as a supergroup. They were the Quarrymen, then a host of other bands until they became the Beatles. But when they initiually formed, they were Liverpool lads that nobody thought stood a chance. Imagie that. -
Hey chieltuuhh.
Sure, Led Zep and Pink Floyd become massive bands, but they don't fit the bill as "supergroups" -- meaning, they weren't formed by members who were all in big bands or had huge solo careers. Yes, Jimmy Page was a Yardbird, but the other members were virtually unheard of - Robert Plant was a club singer!
Pink Floyd became a big band, but the members weren't stars before they got together.
It's not about BIG BANDS. Van Halen became a big band, but they were just a bunch of locals from Pasadena when they formed. See the distinction? -
Actually Greg Lake was not a Yes-Man - he was from ELP and King Crimson before that.
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Oops i just forgot Pink Floyd..
Well musicradar, Think first before you telling the people something!!
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