Supergroup (music)

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“Supergroup” redirects here. For other uses, see Supergroup (disambiguation).

In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe music groups composed of members who had already achieved fame or respect in other groups or as individual artists. The term took its name from the 1968 album Super Session with Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield, and Stephen Stills. The coalition of Crosby, Stills and Nash (later Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young) is another early example, given the success of their prior bands (The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and The Hollies respectively). The earliest example would be the band Cream, whose members, Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton, and Jack Bruce were all widely respected musicians in Britain.

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The term has sometimes been applied more loosely by certain music writers to groups that sold huge numbers of albums and headlined massive concerts regardless of the previous fame of their individual members, such as the band Led Zeppelin, where in only Jimmy Page was well known at the time the group formed. However, the term as correctly applied refers to the architecture of the group, not the achievements. "Supergroup" also generally does not encompass existing bands whose members achieved individual fame after the band's founding, though some have chosen to retroactively deem such bands (including Queen, Genesis and Yes) to be supergroups. There are also instances in which an existing band added a prominent new member or members, where the resulting group might have been considered a supergroup had it not kept its original band name, such as Van Halen after recruiting Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone, and The Eagles after hiring Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit. By any standards, it is not a rigidly defined category and has become, more than anything, a marketing term.

Supergroups (of the strict definition) tend to be short-lived, often lasting only for an album or two, perhaps because of the natural conflict of egos between established stars. Additionally, supergroups are often formed as side projects that are not intended to be permanent.

In jazz, although it is more common for famous artists to play together, the term is rarely used.

[edit] List of notable supergroups

This list is of each band's founding line-up, and members who joined within a year of founding.

This list contains only groups which have performed more than a single song or live show together.

[edit] 1960s
Founded Band/project name Members Notes
1966 Cream Albums: Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, Wheels of Fire and Goodbye.
1968 Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)
Albums: Crosby, Stills &Nash, Déjà Vu, Four Way Street, and more.
1968 The Dirty Mac Albums: The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
1968 Super Super Blues Band Albums: Super Blues, Super Super Blues Band
1969 Blind Faith Albums: Blind Faith

[edit] 1970s
Founded Band/project name Members Notes
1970 Emerson, Lake & Palmer Albums: Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Tarkus, Trilogy, and more
1971 Wings

Pete Townshend (of The Who), John Paul Jones (of Led Zeppelin), Kenney Jones (replacement for Keith Moon of The Who), and Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin) played with the band during and after Rockestra until the band's break-up in 1981.

 Albums: Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway, Venus and Mars, and more
1971 Weather Report
Albums: Heavy Weather, I Sing the Body Electric, Black Market, and more
1973 Mahavishnu Orchestra Albums: Birds of Fire, The Inner Mounting Flame, and more
1973 Journey
Albums: Journey, Look into the Future, Next, and more
1973 Harmonia Albums: Musik Von Harmonia, Deluxe, Tracks and Traces
1973 Bad Company Albums: Bad Company, Straight Shooter, Run With the Pack and more.
1977 UK Albums: U.K., Danger Money, Night After Night and more.


[edit] 1980s
Founded Band/project name Members Notes
1981 Asia Albums: Asia, Alpha, Astra, and more
1983 The Glove Albums: Blue Sunshine
1984 Hindu Love Gods Albums: Hindu Love Gods
1984 The Power Station Albums: The Power Station, Living in Fear, Best of, The Power Station: 20th Anniversary Edition
1984 The Firm Albums: The Firm, Mean Business
1984 Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens / Mahlathini Nezintombi Zomgqashiyo Helped introduce South African "Mbaqanga" music to the USA and Europe.
Albums: Thokozile, Melodi Yalla, Mbaqanga, and more
1985 The Highwaymen Albums: Highwayman, Highwayman 2, The Road Goes on Forever
1986 GTR Album: GTR
1988 Traveling Wilburys Orbison died shortly after the first album was released. Albums: Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3
1988 Bad English Albums: Bad English, Backlash
1989 Electronic This lineup recorded the single Getting Away With It, Following Electronic releases would just be Sumner/Marr with occasional appearances by Tennant
1989 Damn Yankees Their power ballad "High Enough" produced the first #1 Single of Nugent's career.

[edit] 1990s
Founded Band/project name Members Notes
1991 Contraband Album: Contraband
1994 Mad Season Album: Above
1995 Neurotic Outsiders Album: Neurotic Outsiders
1995 Down Albums: NOLA
1995 Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Albums: Have a Ball, Are a Drag, Blow in the Wind, Take a Break, Love Their Country
1997 War Albums: Total War (EP), We Are War
1998 Cry Cry Cry Album: Cry Cry Cry
1998 Liquid Tension Experiment Albums: Liquid Tension Experiment, Liquid Tension Experiment 2
1998 Fantômas Albums: Fantômas (album),The Director's Cut, Millennium Monsterwork 2000,Delìrium Còrdia and Suspended Animation.
1999 A Perfect Circle Albums: Mer de Noms, Thirteenth Step, eMOTIVe
1999 Sinergy Albums: Beware the Heavens, To Hell and Back, Suicide By My Side
1999 Tabla Beat Science

(all of solo fame)

 Album: Tala Matrix, Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove

[edit] 2000s
Founded Band/project name Members Notes
2000 Audioslave Albums: Audioslave, Out of Exile, Revelations
2000 Oysterhead Albums: The Grand Pecking Order
2000 Deltron 3030 Albums: Deltron 3030
2000 Tomahawk Albums: Tomahawk, Mit Gas
2000 Son Of Sam (band) Albums: Songs From The Earth
2001 The Reindeer Section Albums: Y'All Get Scared Now, Ya Hear! (2001)

You Are My Joy (single) (2002)
Son of Evil Reindeer (2002)
2002 Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains Album: The Big Eyeball in the Sky
2002 Velvet Revolver Album: Contraband


2004 The Panic Channel Album: (ONe)
2005 Queen + Paul Rodgers Albums: upcoming[1]
2005 Purple Ribbon All-Stars Albums: Got That Purp, Got Purp? Vol 2
2005 SerialPod
2005 The New Cars
2005 +44 Album: When Your Heart Stops Beating
2005 Angels and Airwaves Album: We Don't Need To Wisper
2006 Damnocracy
2006 Army of Anyone
2006 The Raconteurs
2006 Rock Star Supernova
2006 I Albums: Between Two Worlds
2007 Hellyeah
2007 (unnamed band featuring these members) Albums: The Good, the Bad and the Queen
2007 The Cake Sale Albums: The Cake Sale


[edit] Charity supergroups

These were usually one-shot projects, organized to create a charity record to raise money or awareness for a cause or charity.

Founded Band/project name Project co-ordinator(s) Notes
1971 The Concert for Bangladesh

concert to raise awareness of refugee problems in Bangladesh, raised funds to benefit UNICEF relief fund, released a film of the concert and an album, The Concert for Bangla Desh
1979 Rockestra

recorded "Let It Be", "Lucille", "Rockestra Theme", and "So Glad to See You Here" at the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, to benefit people of Cambodia suffering from Pol Pot's regime; released as a promotional EP and film
1983 ARMS Charity Concert

concert at Royal Albert Hall to support multiple sclerosis research
1984 Band Aid recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" charity single for famine relief in Ethiopia
1985 Northern Lights recorded the charity single "Tears Are Not Enough" for famine relief in Ethiopia
1985 USA for Africa recorded "We Are the World" charity single for famine relief in Ethiopia
1985 Hear 'n Aid recorded the charity single and album "Stars" for famine relief in Africa
1985 Artists United Against Apartheid recorded the song and album "Sun City" to protest apartheid in South Africa
1985/1986 Dionne and Friends Recorded the song "That's What Friends Are For" as a charity single for the United Kingdom in 1985 and the United States in 1986 for American Foundation for AIDS Research.
1989 Band Aid II re-recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" charity single, also for famine relief in Ethiopia
1991 Voices That Care recorded charity single "Voices That Care" to raise the morale of U.S. troops in Operation Desert Storm and benefit the International Red Cross
2001 All Star Tribute   covered "What's Going On" to benefit Artists Against AIDS Worldwide
2004 Band Aid 20 re-recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" 20th anniversary charity single, for famine relief in Ethiopia
2004 Dreamtime Christmas All-Stars   covered "Twelve Days of Christmas"
2005 The North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative (NAHPI)   an all star cast of rock artists recorded a satire of the song "Do They Know It's Christmas" named Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?, all proceeds being donated to UNICEF.
2005 One World Project   recorded the charity single "Grief Never Grows Old" to benefit 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami relief

[edit] References

  1. ^ May, Brian (2006-08-15), USA Convention Story and Queen and Paul Rodgers Heading Towards a Studio Assignation

[edit] See also

List of grunge supergroups

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