Who doesn’t love a good supergroup? You don’t see them as much nowadays, but historically, supergroups in the rock genre have been successful sums of their parts. Let’s take a look at just four iconic rock albums from a few of the greatest supergroups of the last century!
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1. ‘Déjà Vu’ by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Crosby, Stills & Nash already had a stellar debut in their discography, but the addition of Neil Young to the mix for Déjà Vu really brought the supergroup to life. Part of why this album is so good is the fact that the band didn’t have anything to prove. The outfit was made up of members of Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, and The Hollies, after all. Without the pressure to make a name for themselves, they were able to release a creative, complex, and harmonious piece of work with some of the best songwriting of the 1970s.
2. ‘The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1’ by The Traveling Wilburys
This classic rock supergroup had quite the lineup: Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Roy Orbison. In fact, many would say The Traveling Wilburys was the most legendary supergroup of all time. Their debut record was the only one to feature the band’s original lineup, and it’s still a powerful piece of work today.
3. ‘Temple Of The Dog’ by Temple Of The Dog
This rock outfit, made up of members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, was beyond your typical supergroup. Unfortunately, we didn’t get many albums from them during the band’s short lifespan. Temple Of The Dog‘s one and only studio release came out in 1991 and immediately hit no. 5 on the Hot 200 chart. “Hunger Strike”, in particular, was one of the most stunning songs from one of the most beautiful rock supergroup albums to come out of the grunge movement of the 1990s.
4. ‘Give Up’ by The Postal Service
The Postal Service occupied a very specific space between electronica and indie rock. Composed of Death Cab For Cutie’s own Ben Gibbard, Dntel, and Jenny Lewis, this indietronica outfit only released one sole studio album: Give Up.
It’s a real shame we only got one album out of this supergroup because it’s truly a wonderful synth-soaked piece of work. Give Up was released in 2003 and was composed and recorded long-distance between the three members.
Photo by James Edmond/Shutterstock
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