When supergroups aren't so super

Your music should be awesome...and yet, it's just not

2009 has already seen the arrival of two of the most talked-about supergroups in recent memory: the Sammy Hagar–fronted Chickenfoot (pictured) and seemingly pulled-from-a-hat four-piece Tinted Windows (featuring members of—no, really—Smashing Pumpkins, Cheap Trick, Fountains of Wayne and Hanson). And while neither group's music is bad, exactly, it's not really all that good, either—and certainly far less exciting than the sum of each band's multi-talented parts.

Throughout rock history, the number of supergroups that actually enjoy some artistic and commercial success (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Blind Faith, the Traveling Wilburys) has always been far outweighed by the number that fail to live up to the excitement generated by the mere existence of their lineups. Here are some famous (and not-so-famous) bands that prove that no amount of talent can overcome an absence of all the other X factors (chemistry, good songs, etc.) that make a group truly "super."—Andy Hermann, Metromix

(Did we miss your favorite—or least favorite—supergroup? Tell us about it in the comments section below.)

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