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Cream - the first supergroup?

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Emerson, Lake & Palmer

It could be argued that ELP, containing members of The Nice (Keith Emerson), King Crimson (Greg Lake) and Atomic Rooster (Carl Palmer) started punk rock - their excessive, though technically astounding, mixture of classical music, jazz and rock begat prog-rock, which enraged the likes of Johnny Rotten, Joe Strummer, Joey Ramone and a host of others. Albums like Brain Salad Surgery were full of twisted humor, but other efforts (Tarkus, and the totally lame-brained Love Beach) were excruciating. ELP do get points for showmanship, however. That spinning piano? Pretty cool.
MusicRadar rating 3/5

Journey

To many, the epitome of corporate rock cheese; to others, the epitome of timeless radio favorites. Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon were vets from Santana when they clicked with Ross Valory (Steve Miller Band) and Prairie Prince (The Tubes; he was replaced by Jeff Beck, Bowie and Zappa alumnus Aynsley Dunbar). Nothing really worked until they added mega-octave singer Steve Perry - from there, the hits rolled in. Perry split in the mid-'80s for a solo career (and he's been MIA for a while now), but the band, with a continuing array of lead singers (the latest found on YouTube!) continues to this day.
MusicRadar rating 3/5

Bad Company

Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke already enjoyed great success with the band Free and their hit All Right Now. Signed to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song Records and managed by that group's guru Peter Grant, Bad Company (which also included Mick Ralphs from Mott The Hoople and Boz Burrell from King Crimson), were an immediate smash, with radio rockers like Can't Get Enough, Feel Like Makin' Love, Shooting Star and Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy. The band dissolved in the early '80s but have reformed on numerous occasions. As of this writing, another reunion is taking place. (Paul Rodgers also sings with Queen + Paul Rodgers, but don't get us started on that.)
MusicRadar rating 3/5

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