# Have super groups fallen out of favor or am I just out of touch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [December 6, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184 "2023-12-06T15:33:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/1 "2023-12-06T15:33:47Z")
In the 60’s and 70’s, it was fairly common for a band to disband and then join together with other well-known musicians to form a super group. Eric Clapton did it at least 3 times. Steve Winwood did it a couple of times. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young all did. These are just off the top of my head. Does this not happen much anymore or am I just too far removed from today’s music to see it? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/2 "2023-12-06T15:35:27Z")
I feel like songs these days are “X artist featuring Y artist.” So not a supergroup, but there are a _lot_ of collaborations between major artists. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/3 "2023-12-06T15:36:40Z")
Chris Cornell did it a few times before he died a few years ago. Jack White seems to be a band butterfly. Ditto Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl. Rap artists do it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/4 "2023-12-06T15:42:14Z")
Chickenfoot comes to mind (Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and Chad Smith). IMO today’s music focuses on singers, who can access any number of session musicians, and collaborations among singers may not go well. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/5 "2023-12-06T15:43:46Z")
I consider [Case/ Lang/ Veirs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case/lang/veirs_(album)) to be a “supergroup.\*” A favorite song from their only? album: [Atomic Number](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rq-AHTFxOU) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/6 "2023-12-06T15:47:23Z")
I think the difference is that a “super group” was typically a band where ALL the musicians were famous in their own right, not just a collaboration or duo between two famous singers. So with today’s music landscape being predominantly solo artists, you don’t really see “supergroups” anymore, because nobody knows who Taylor Swift’s guitarist is, who Katy Perry’s keyboard player is, or who does the drum/rhythm tracks for Beyonce. Today’s equivalent are the collaborative songs - X featuring Y type stuff, with few exceptions like Chickenfoot. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/7 "2023-12-06T15:50:28Z")
To create a supergroup, you need a well-known singer, a well-known guitarist, a well-known drummer, etc to get together and form a single group. But today, there aren’t really any well-known guitarists or drummers, so you can’t have a supergroup. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/8 "2023-12-06T15:51:00Z")
Velvet Revolver definitely qualifies, and probably the Raconteurs. ETA: How about Them Crooked Vultures, with John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/9 "2023-12-06T15:55:14Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > How about Them Crooked Vultures, with John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl? And Josh Homme [with all his drugs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zjxJ6MYR1Q). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/10 "2023-12-06T16:03:00Z")
Definitely in the “few exceptions” category. I’ve got a question though… is there a distinction between a group made of famous musicians from defunct bands as their primary gig, and ones where the members are still part of their own bands/solo acts and are just doing it for fun in between their other bands’ engagements and tours? I always conceived of a “supergroup” as being the second one, and the first as being something fundamentally different. Like say… Bad Company being the first, and “Them Crooked Vultures” being the second. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/11 "2023-12-06T16:04:14Z")
The Hollywood Vampires feature Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and… Johnny Depp. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/12 "2023-12-06T16:10:37Z")
The music the super groups play has fallen out of favor. It’s relatively common in Prog music. Dream Theater’s once and present drummer Mike Portnoy seems to be in a new prog super group every week. The members of those bands might not be household names but they are in the Prog community. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/13 "2023-12-06T16:16:07Z")
The 60’s and 70’s were a long time ago. That kind of music isn’t being done any more. There aren’t any more legends like Eric Clapton who have done music for the ages. The old-time rockers like Hall and Oates and Peter Frampton are in their 70’s and playing gigs at casinos, not banding together to create ‘super-groups’… Now, it’s all singers in hootchie-mama outfits, rap artists and who knows what else. Maybe if they’re big enough they band together for things like the super-bowl. Pink is coming to the Dome here with Sheryl Crow - (I didn’t know they were ‘big enough’ to play at the Dome). I’m out of it, but - IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/14 "2023-12-06T16:27:50Z")
Supergroups don’t have to contain super guitarists, super drummers, etc. The Traveling Wilburys had Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, and Jeff Lynne. None slouches as musicians, but they weren’t in the group because of their guitar chops. They were there because they were big musical stars and friends. If Beyonce, Christina, Dua Lipa or any number of current stars put out an album together under a group name they’d be a super group even if none of them played an instrument. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/15 "2023-12-06T16:31:47Z")
Certainly _boygenius_ qualifies as a modern indie super group. I just wonder if music has become so diverse that these will be a little harder to spot. > **[Boygenius](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boygenius)** > > Boygenius (stylized in all lowercase) is an American indie supergroup consisting of American singer-songwriters Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. They debuted with their self-titled EP in 2018, and then returned after a hiatus with their debut studio album, The Record (2023), which was both a critical and commercial success. Labelled an "instant classic" by NME, it topped the charts in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, and peaked at number four on Bridgers has called the formati... ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/16 "2023-12-06T16:36:48Z")
I am very disappointed this thread wasn’t about the Avengers and the Justice League. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/17 "2023-12-06T16:44:37Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Chickenfoot comes to mind (Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and Chad Smith). Chickenfoot sort of morphed into The Circle with Jason Bonham on drums and Vic Johnson on guitar. Joe Satriani is back on board for the upcoming _“Best Of All Worlds”_ tour. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/18 "2023-12-06T16:58:44Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Certainly _boygenius_ qualifies as a modern indie super group. Also FIZZ > **[Fizz (band)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fizz_(band))** > > Fizz (stylised in all caps as FIZZ) is an indie pop supergroup from London composed of musicians Orla Gartland, Dodie, Greta Isaac and Martin Luke Brown. Their debut studio album, The Secret to Life, was released on 27 October 2023. > Fizz came together in "a whirlwind of pure joy and escapism, inverting everything each artist knew about making music to produce an album with fun and a love of the craft at its core." > The members are friends and fans of each other's work, having previously colla... ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/19 "2023-12-06T17:15:48Z")
How could we forget Supernova, that amazing supergroup consisting of Tommy Lee, Jason Newstead and Gilby Clarke? Sorry, after typing that I totally realized why we forgot about them. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184/20 "2023-12-06T17:26:17Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > > [@RitterSport](#): > > > > How about Them Crooked Vultures, with John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl? > > And Josh Homme [with all his drugs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zjxJ6MYR1Q). I for one hope those guys guys get together to do something else pretty soon. Last I heard, Grohl was saying he would be all in. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-super-groups-fallen-out-of-favor-or-am-i-just-out-of-touch/994184.md?page=2)