By Nilpferd
For a lot of people the supergroup is tainted by association with any number of bloated navel-gazing exercises in self-promotion. But if band members leave their egos at the door and focus on their respective skills, the potential for genuine musical innovation is there. I've tried to pick a variety of genres and highlight the songs that, for me, best expressed the positive aspects of combining established musicians.
The Travelling Wilburys – Handle With Care
We start with the week's most loved band, The Travelling Wilburys. Far too many famous musicians in one place of course but they somehow managed to combine with a sense of effortless, if world-worn, charm. Bonus points in the supergroup league table for the "Wilbury name" alter egos and the lack of personal songwriting credits.
Buena Vista Social Club – De Camino a la Vereda
Probably the most famous "global music" supergroup, Buena Vista Social Club had an even higher mean age than the Wilburys. They were known in Cuba as Los Superabuelos or the "super grandfathers", as most of the musicians involved had been in their prime in the 1950's. Many had already retired by the time of their "discovery" by Ry Cooder in the 1990s. The group name eventually became a brand after many of the original members died but the first release had essentially the same core group built around Ferrer and Segundo.
UHF (Ultra High Flamenco) – O.F.N.I. (Unidentified Flamenco Object)
Supergroups are sometimes inspired by chance meetings. In a comment under the topic launch, @Maki explains the next band's origin as resulting from a Flamenco/Jazz project whose musicians then went on to record several albums exploring their combined roots. Besides jazz there's also a distinct tango flavour to this Flamencan stew courtesy of Franco-Argentinian violinist Alexis Lefevre.
The Highwomen – Highwomen
The title track to the new Highwomen release cleverly blends historical events with current issues and, according to @Tincanman, has had a dramatic effect on country music since its release. The band's name is a reference to former country supergroup The Highwaymen, but its identification with "the daughters of the silent generations" looking on from above flips the P.O.V. from the outlawed to the outraged.
Les Amazones d'Afrique – Amazones Power
Meanwhile in an upcoming contemporary release (this track is the advance single), the pan African Les Amazones d’Afrique unite to condemn FGM and violence against women following their debut 2017 release. In this case the band name refers to Les Amazones de Guinee, a groundbreaking sixties female pop group.
Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté – Kala Djula
Two Malian legends met on what became a posthumous release for Ali Farka Touré after his death in 2006. Touré was renown for his fusion of northern Malian Songhai tradition with the blues, whereas the roots of Kora player Toumani Diabaté lay in the Bambara traditions of southern Mali. Spellbinding.
Kooper-Bloomfield Super Session – Stop
The Kooper-Bloomfield Super Session combined two musicians (Stephen Stills replaced Bloomfield on the second day of recording) who had contributed to Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited but had since gone their separate ways. Together with bass player Harvey Brooks they laid down a day's worth of tracks which showcased the Chicago blues chops of the musicians concerned. The album was credited with kickstarting the late-sixties supergroup trend, but its jams still had a languid freshness in comparison to the overindulgence of later groups.
Last Shadow Puppets – Wondrous Place
Supergroup as side project is a good outlet for today's workaholic musicians. Last Shadow Puppets' debut album went straight to number one on the basis of its stars but also because of a convincing concept sufficiently different to the members' original bands, delving deep into pop history with this cover of a 1960 Billy Fury single.
Electronic – Get The Message
Johnny Marr's claim that the Smiths were planning a disco/dance album seemed like a joke until he joined up with Bernard Sumner. Electronic ended up being squashed by the Britpop juggernaut which is a pity, as Marr's unique guitar work meshed perfectly with Sumner's synths and his feel for orchestration. The Neil Tennant collaborations were fine pop but the group was at its bittersweet best with Marr and Sumner up front, as here.
Lucy Pearl – Don't Mess With My Man
Some supergroups carry dead weight but the division of labour was exquisitely balanced in the hip hop/R&B/neo-soul group Lucy Pearl, with each member bringing their own personality to the whole. The live instrumentation behind the loping groove to this 2000 single is taut and fresh, particularly in the light of current production.
Black Grape – In the Name Of The Father
With constantly stoned protagonists, nonsense lyrics, a ramshackle structure and about 15 different genres mashed together, Black Grape was a pirate ship of fools sailing as close as it could to the doldrums of supergroup self-indulgence before being gloriously whisked away by the trade-winds of butt-shaking funkiness.
Audioslave – Cochise
There's a neat "supergroup" setup to the next video, which is also easily the week's most watched – 52m views and counting. The lone figure of singer Chris Cornell is joined by his ex-RATM colleagues on the scaffold before the fireworks begin. Exploiting the variety of post-grunge rock across the spectrum from funk to metal as well as the unique talents of Cornell and Tom Morello, Audioslave carved out a unique sound until Cornell's tragic and untimely death.
The All-Star A-List Playlist:
The Back-Each-Other B-List Playlist:
Fania All Stars – Viva Tirado
Nuyorican brilliance.
Free Creek – Cissy Strut
From the Jeff Beck session of the massive '69 event.
The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale – Batman and Robin Over The Roofs
Bizarre garage-rock collaboration between Sun Ra and members of Al Kooper's Blues Project.
Hooker 'N Heat – Let's Make It
Great matchup between the blues great and the LA rockers.
Madvillain – America's Most Blunted
Hip-hop alter-ego project featuring shape-shifting Madlib and masked man MF Doom.
The Breeders – Safari
One of the nineties’ most original indie supergroups.
Bocca Juniors – Raise (63 Steps To Heaven)
Balearic DJ mash-up
Mad Professor & Lee Perry – Dub Party
Respectful but appropriate backing from Mad Professor for the legendary Lee.
Howie B / Sly and Robbie – Superthruster
Sly and Robbie's 90's collaborations never really convinced, Howie B finally manages to do them justice in this pre-millenium release.
The Good, the Bad, & the Queen – Herculean
Probably Damon Albarn's best collaboration to date.
Mahavishnu Orchestra – Cosmic Strut
Extraordinarily brief and funky M.O. trip.
Ornette Coleman, Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden – MoB JoB
Admirable risk-taking from Metheny comes off in this inspired meeting with free jazz giants.
Guru’s Wildcard Pick:
V.S.O.P. – Skagly
Miles Davis' second great quintet got back together in the late seventies with Freddie Hubbard standing in on horn. Miles himself had long since abandoned acoustic music and in any case was taking an extended sabbatical. V.S.O.P. was unashamedly retro but captured the imagination of a jazz hungry Japanese audience and laid the groundwork for the renaissance of acoustic jazz groups in the eighties and nineties as well as the rebirth of Blue Note records.
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations from last week's topic: Come together: songs from supergroup albums. The next topic will launch on Thursday at 1pm UK time.
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