SUPERGROUP can be such a dirty word. When some people they want to run and hide because it means one thing - unfulfilled promise (I'm looking at you, Audioslave). Often supergroups are shining demonstrations of the inexplicable and unpredictable nature of bands. Why is that you can put four average unknowns together in a room and they'll make amazing music, yet you get some of the biggest-selling musicians in the world together in a room and they suck (I'm looking at you, Chickenfoot)? So, with one of the greatest supergroups of all time currently in the country (I'm looking at you, Them Crooked Vultures), here's part one of our definitive list of supergroups that don't suck.
The Bens
THIS supergroup of Bens - Folds, Kweller and Lee - was initially suggested by fans. With their poppy inclinations and a shared fanbase, as well as being friends, it was a no-brainer would combine their talents for an Australia-only tour in 2003. They bashed out a four-track EP in four days and hit the road together, but aside from a contribution to a Hedwig And The Angry Inch tribute album, they've never reteamed. The initially hard-to-find EP is a spontaneous treat, featuring the alt-country Just Pretend, the new-wave Xfire and the power-pop of Stop!.
Crosb y, Stills, Nash & Young
IT took a couple of rock 'n' roll falling-outs to get CSN (later CSNY) happening, and it was similar "artistic differences" that brought the group to an end. David Crosby was kicked out of The Byrds and Stephen Stills' band Buffalo Springfield broke-up, bringing the pair together. After finding vocal synergy with Graham Nash at a party, Nash left The Hollies to form CSN, and an album later a youthful Neil Young (also of Buffalo Springfield) joined. They were a hit at Woodstock, released another successful album, but eventually the group dissolved, collapsing under the collective weight of their egos, although they would all continue to work together in various configurations over the years and reforming sporadically.
Electron ic
WHILE their synth-heavy dance-pop is pretty daggy and baggy now, at the time when they emerged in the early '90s, this was the sound of London. Electronic was the merger of New Order's Bernard Sumner and The Smiths Johnny Marr, joined occasionally by Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, and Kraftwerk's Karl Bartos. The band had three top 10 albums throughout the '90s, although Smiths fans probably weren't buying them, as this was decidedly mainstream music meant for the nightclubs and the dying days of the Madchester scene.
Fantomas
ONE of Mike Patton's (Faith No More, Tomahawk) many bands, Fantomas is one of the few avant-metal supergroups. Joined by members of grunge legends The Melvins, Mr Bungle and thrash veterans Slayer, Fantomas make intriguing and mind-boggling noise-metal. Their records have tackled movie themes, audio representations of comics and a concept album about surgery, so it's not for everyone, but you'd hard-pressed to find a more innovative or original supergroup.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
ANYONE expecting a Britpop or Brit-rock masterpiece from a band featuring members of Blur, The Verve and The Clash was in for a surprise. Blur's Damon Albarn, fresh from his success with cartoon-pop band Gorillaz, teamed up with Simon Tong (Verve), Paul Simonon (Clash) and Fela Kuti's drummer Tony Allen to make the non-named band responsible for the album The Good, The Bad & The Queen (which is what everyone decided to call the band). The record is eerie and atmospheric, yet filled with gentle hooks amid the ambience.
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