Putting the “super” back in “supergroups”
The 1960s saw many new contributions to the field of rock music, not the least of which was the idea that you could take individual musicians from hit groups and form something entirely new. This practice created what were known as “supergroups.” Today, a supergroup not only refers to the above example, but also to a group where the individual members each become famous afterwards.The first known supergroup (and the genesis of the name) is the lineup from the 1968 album Super Session. This critically-acclaimed recording featured Al Kooper (original keyboardist and vocalist for Blood, Sweat & Tears), Mike Bloomfield (a blues guitarist known for backing Bob Dylan), and Stephen Stills (of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nasha later supergroupfame). Over nine different tracks, the group demonstrated a passionate brand of jamming that only benefitted from the group’s tumultuous relationships. For example, it was Bloomfield’s failure to show up on the second day of recording that led Kooper to call in Stills.Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young) is another example of the early supergroup in action, as well as one in which personal drama threatened to overwhelm the music. For example, the addition of the wildly successful Neil Young and bassist Bruce Palmer in late 1969 led Crosby and Nash to feel that they were simply singing back-up for Buffalo Springfield (in which Young, Palmer, and Stills all played). This, along with Palmer’s drug addictions, eventually led to his departure/expulsion from the band.However, the supergroup is far from a historical footnote. Many other such groups have been formed in each successive decade. Only a few examples are listed below:1970sJourney: members of Santana, Frumious Bandersnatch, Steve Miller Band, and The TubesBad Company: members of Free, Mott the Hoople, and King Crimson1980sAsia: members of King Crimson, Uriah Heep, Yes, Atomic Rooster, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and the BugglesNick Cave and the Bad Seeds: members of the Birthday Party, Crime and the City Solution, Einsturzende Neubaten, Magazine, The Wreckery, and Die HautTraveling Wilburys: members of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Electric Light Orchestra, and Roy Orbison1990sMad Season: members of Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, and the WalkaboutsMe First and the Gimme Gimmes: members of Swingin’ Utters, NOFX, Foo Fighters, and LagwagonA Perfect Circle: members of Tool, Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Marilyn Manson2000sVelvet Revolver: members of Stone Temple Pilots, Guns N’ Roses, and Wasted YouthAlter Bridge: members of the Mayfield Four and CreedTinted Windows: members of Hanson, Smashing Pumpkins, Fountains of Wayne, and Cheap TrickThe groups listed above have all been well-received in some form or another. However, some supergroups (Audioslave and Zwan, both coalitions of ’90s alt-rock icons) have proved that bottling success isn’t as easy as it seems. A supergroup is only super when the members remember what got them together in the first place: the music, man, the music.