Supergroup
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In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups."[1]While the term is also used in a broader sense, to describe any "highly successful rock group"[2], this article focuses on the first definition. Supergroups tend to be short-lived, often lasting only for an album or two, perhaps because of the conflict of egos between the established star performers. Additionally, supergroups are often formed as side projects that are not intended to be permanent.
Some of the most well-known supergroups include 1960s groups Cream and Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young); 1970s progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer; the 1980s group The Firm and the 2000s-era metal/hard-rock band Velvet Revolver. It is not a rigidly defined category and it can be applied subjectively. Some music writers use the term to describe groups that sold huge numbers of albums and headlined massive concerts regardless of the previous fame of their individual members. In some cases, it has become merely a marketing term used to promote a new ensemble.
[edit] History
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). In jazz, famous artists often play together, but the term is rarely used. Music writers have also applied the term 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, wherein only Jimmy Page was well known at the time the group formed. The term is also used to describe existing bands whose members achieved individual fame after the band's founding, such as Pink Floyd, Queen, Genesis and Yes.
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. In the 1990s, the term began being used to describe Hip Hop collectives. By the 2000s, the term was tending to become a vague marketing term. In 2006, IGN labeled The Raconteurs the "Best Indie Rock Supergroup". The group consisted of Jack White, (White Stripes), Brendon Benson, Patrick Keeler and Jack Lawrence (the last two are from The Greenhornes).[3] While a 1974 Time article pointed out that "each man in C. S. N. & Y. was a skilled guitarist and singer-songwriter capable of filling an entire album with original tunes" [4], the members other than White and Benson are less well-known.
[edit] Criticism
In 1974, a Time magazine article entitled "Return of a Supergroup" quipped that the supergroup was a "potent but short-lived rock phenomenon" which was an "amalgam formed by the talented malcontents of other bands." The article acknowledged that groups such Cream and Blind Faith "played enormous arenas and made megabucks, and sometimes megamusic", with the performances "fueled by dueling egos." However, while this "musical infighting built up the excitement...it also made breakups inevitable." [5]
Chris DeVille's 2008 article "Super or blooper?", which is subtitled "Supergroups: So much promise, so often squandered", notes that "when well-known rockers get together in new configurations, they're guaranteed lots of attention, but these ego summits rarely bear fruit as fresh as what made these guys famous in the first place."[6] DeVille praises supergroups such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Fantomas (a post- Faith No More supergroup), and Velvet Revolver. However, he rates a number of other projects as "bloopers", including Blind Faith, the country supergroup The Highwaymen (which included Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson), The Traveling Wilburys, Audioslave, Zwan,Eyes Adrift, and The Good, The Bad & The Queen.
[edit] Notable groups
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] Project supergroups
These were often one-show or one album projects, though some played more than one show, because all or most members were involved in other bands or groups.
[edit] Charity supergroups
These are usually one-shot projects, organized to create a charity record to raise money or awareness for a cause or charity. Notable examples are Band Aid ("Do They Know It's Christmas?") and USA for Africa ("We are the World").
[edit] References
- ^ http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861717037/supergroup.html
- ^ http://www.yourdictionary.com/supergroup
- ^ http://bestof.ign.com/2006/music/3.html
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,879436,00.html
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,879436,00.html
- ^ http://www.columbusalive.com/?sec=music&story=alive/2008/0605/m-supergroups.html
[edit] See also
- List of grunge supergroups
- List of progressive rock supergroups
- Superstar: a term applied to some celebrities
