Rock Supergroup
Dan Same
Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
If you were to design your dream rock supergroup, what would it look like? It's got to have at least four members, and while it may have more, the numbers have to be realistic. You may also pick any musician, living or dead, but so as to prevent people from picking half of Led Zeppelin or The Beatles or in my case Queen, you can only have one artist per group. If you choose a solo artist, their being solo counts as their group. So in other words, none of the members can work with each other in real life.
For my supergroup, I'm selecting five members; a vocalist, lead guitarist, bass player, drummer and rhythm guitarist.
Vocalist: Freddie Mercury. Controversial, perhaps, but in my view Freddie Mercury was the greatest male vocalist in the history of rock. A musical god, Freddie possessed extraordinary range, was capable of singing in numerous genres and was responsible for many of the greatest vocal performances of all time; 'Bohemian Rhapsody, Somebody To Love, Killer Queen, The Show Must Go On' and 'We Will Rock You' to name just a few. There have been many great rock vocalists (Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Robert Plant, Axl Rose, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Paul McCartney to name just seven) but to my ears, none of these wonderful singers have come close to the miracle that was Freddie Mercury.
His singing, however, is not the only reason I'm picking him to be lead singer in my supergroup. He was also one of the greatest frontmen of all time. His performance in Live Aid was legendary, and while I have not had the pleasure of seeing him live, watching him perform on dvd or youtube showcases what an awesome frontman he truly was. Finally, he was a song-writing genius. Some may be shocked by this, but I regard him as every bit as good a songwriter as Dylan, Lennon/McCartney, George Harrison, Brian Wilson, Leonard Cohen, Stevie Wonder, Pete Towshend, Burt Bacharach and other legendary songwriters. From 'Bohemian Rhapsody' to 'The March of the Black Queen' to 'Bicycle Race to 'Killer Queen', he was truly one of the greatest of all song-writers. A magical singer, an extraordinary frontman and a song-writing giant, Freddie is the first member selected to be in my supergroup.
Lead Guitarist: Jimi Hendrix. An obvious choice, but the right one. Hendrix was a genius; the greatest guitarist of all time, as well as one of the all-time great vocalists. It astonishes me how some people overlook his vocal power. True, it was was nowhere near as good as the brilliance that was his guitar, but hearing him scream whilst playing his guitar is one of music's great wonders. That said, he's in my supergroup due to his guitar playing. Pure, magical, spiritual, his solos were capable of bringing the listener to ecstacy. His riffs were as ferocious as the most aggressive wolf but were also capable of being unbelievably beautiful. To have him team up with Freddie would be heaven itself. For my supergroup, Jimi must play lead guitar.
Bass Player: John Paul Jones. Probably the most underrated musician of all time, JPJ is among the most versatile of all musicians. Harp, recorder, cello, keyboards, mandolin; he can do it all. But bass is where this artist truly created great art. 'Ramble On,' 'Dazed and Confused' and 'Black Dog' had legendary bass lines ('Dazed and Confused' is a personal favourite), while in terms of his versatility 'Stairway to Heaven' saw him play recorder. There are some who would argue that JPJ was in fact Zeppelin's most talented member. Certainly to have a supergroup without JPJ is no supergroup at all.
Drummer: Keith Moon. I will admit that I don't understand drummers. Unlike the other instruments, I don't really know the difference between a good and very good drummer and a very good and great drummer. That's why I asked JPJ which drummer, other than Bonham, would he love to partner with. His answer was Keith Moon. I was delighted to hear that as I do know that Moon was a great drummer. What made him great, I do not know, and nor can I explain why he was better than someone like Ginger Baker, but his drumming definitely sounds great. Does he sound better to me than other drummers? Probably not, but that is why I consulted JPJ. Moon is also revered among drummers, and anybody who drives a car into a hotel swimming pool during their 21st birthday must be selected.
Plus, JPJ specifically asked for him, and so Keith Moon will join my supergroup.
Rhythm Guitarist: Keith Richards. Arguably the greatest rockstar of all time, Keith is also an extraordinary guitarist and song-writer. Yes, his selection will ensure that my group is a fun place to work, but his musical achievements are unsurpassed. His riffs are legendary (virtually all of the Stones's best songs such as 'Satisfaction' contain wonderful riffs) but he is also a superb soloist. He's not clean, but boy is he amazing. His song-writing ability, which has seen him write or co-write most of the Stones's greatest songs, is also enormous, particularly when it comes to creating those riffs. Although I traditionally prefer 4 piece rock bands, I can not create a supergroup without Keith Richards.
That is my supergroup, which I think I'll name 'The Wedding Invitation.' To sum up, The Wedding Invitation consists of Freddie Mercury on vocals, Jimi Hendrix on lead guitar, John Paul Jones on bass, Keith Moon on drums and Keith Richards on rhythm guitar.
What's your supergroup? And no, you don't have to name it.
For my supergroup, I'm selecting five members; a vocalist, lead guitarist, bass player, drummer and rhythm guitarist.
Vocalist: Freddie Mercury. Controversial, perhaps, but in my view Freddie Mercury was the greatest male vocalist in the history of rock. A musical god, Freddie possessed extraordinary range, was capable of singing in numerous genres and was responsible for many of the greatest vocal performances of all time; 'Bohemian Rhapsody, Somebody To Love, Killer Queen, The Show Must Go On' and 'We Will Rock You' to name just a few. There have been many great rock vocalists (Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Robert Plant, Axl Rose, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Paul McCartney to name just seven) but to my ears, none of these wonderful singers have come close to the miracle that was Freddie Mercury.
His singing, however, is not the only reason I'm picking him to be lead singer in my supergroup. He was also one of the greatest frontmen of all time. His performance in Live Aid was legendary, and while I have not had the pleasure of seeing him live, watching him perform on dvd or youtube showcases what an awesome frontman he truly was. Finally, he was a song-writing genius. Some may be shocked by this, but I regard him as every bit as good a songwriter as Dylan, Lennon/McCartney, George Harrison, Brian Wilson, Leonard Cohen, Stevie Wonder, Pete Towshend, Burt Bacharach and other legendary songwriters. From 'Bohemian Rhapsody' to 'The March of the Black Queen' to 'Bicycle Race to 'Killer Queen', he was truly one of the greatest of all song-writers. A magical singer, an extraordinary frontman and a song-writing giant, Freddie is the first member selected to be in my supergroup.
Lead Guitarist: Jimi Hendrix. An obvious choice, but the right one. Hendrix was a genius; the greatest guitarist of all time, as well as one of the all-time great vocalists. It astonishes me how some people overlook his vocal power. True, it was was nowhere near as good as the brilliance that was his guitar, but hearing him scream whilst playing his guitar is one of music's great wonders. That said, he's in my supergroup due to his guitar playing. Pure, magical, spiritual, his solos were capable of bringing the listener to ecstacy. His riffs were as ferocious as the most aggressive wolf but were also capable of being unbelievably beautiful. To have him team up with Freddie would be heaven itself. For my supergroup, Jimi must play lead guitar.
Bass Player: John Paul Jones. Probably the most underrated musician of all time, JPJ is among the most versatile of all musicians. Harp, recorder, cello, keyboards, mandolin; he can do it all. But bass is where this artist truly created great art. 'Ramble On,' 'Dazed and Confused' and 'Black Dog' had legendary bass lines ('Dazed and Confused' is a personal favourite), while in terms of his versatility 'Stairway to Heaven' saw him play recorder. There are some who would argue that JPJ was in fact Zeppelin's most talented member. Certainly to have a supergroup without JPJ is no supergroup at all.
Drummer: Keith Moon. I will admit that I don't understand drummers. Unlike the other instruments, I don't really know the difference between a good and very good drummer and a very good and great drummer. That's why I asked JPJ which drummer, other than Bonham, would he love to partner with. His answer was Keith Moon. I was delighted to hear that as I do know that Moon was a great drummer. What made him great, I do not know, and nor can I explain why he was better than someone like Ginger Baker, but his drumming definitely sounds great. Does he sound better to me than other drummers? Probably not, but that is why I consulted JPJ. Moon is also revered among drummers, and anybody who drives a car into a hotel swimming pool during their 21st birthday must be selected.
Plus, JPJ specifically asked for him, and so Keith Moon will join my supergroup.Rhythm Guitarist: Keith Richards. Arguably the greatest rockstar of all time, Keith is also an extraordinary guitarist and song-writer. Yes, his selection will ensure that my group is a fun place to work, but his musical achievements are unsurpassed. His riffs are legendary (virtually all of the Stones's best songs such as 'Satisfaction' contain wonderful riffs) but he is also a superb soloist. He's not clean, but boy is he amazing.
His song-writing ability, which has seen him write or co-write most of the Stones's greatest songs, is also enormous, particularly when it comes to creating those riffs. Although I traditionally prefer 4 piece rock bands, I can not create a supergroup without Keith Richards.That is my supergroup, which I think I'll name 'The Wedding Invitation.' To sum up, The Wedding Invitation consists of Freddie Mercury on vocals, Jimi Hendrix on lead guitar, John Paul Jones on bass, Keith Moon on drums and Keith Richards on rhythm guitar.
What's your supergroup? And no, you don't have to name it.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Comments
Lead guitar - Mark Knoffler from Dire Straights, one of the greatest living guitarists
Bass - John Entwistle from The Who. Legend, end of story
Rhythm Guitar - James Hetfield from Metallica. I'm not a massive Metallica fan but this guy can play a bit
Drums - Phil Collins. With the other members I think Mark Knoffler would feel left out and need someone to talk to so Phil is in there to keep Mark Knoffler company as I think they'd get on
It's a strange mix admittedly and i'm not sure what type of music they would play but there is my Supergroup, named........
Apollo's Codpiece
Citation needed my friend. Read Dear Boy, Moon's bio, for more...
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
Lead Guitar- Brian May. The man's a genius, end of story.
Bass- Paul McCartney. It may be a strange thing to say about the world's most famous and richest musician, but he's under-rated. Being a bassman myself, he's the benchmark.
Drums- Steve Gadd. Tasteful when it's needed, rocking out when necessary.
Rhythm Guitar- Keith Richards. Can't fault what Dan says above.
I adore May. A truly magnificent guitarist, as well as a terrific vocalist. But as someone who knows alot about of music and is objective regarding Queen, what is it about him that you particularly love?
I don't think it's so strange. I mean, although he's an amazing musician and song-writer ('Yesterday' is my favourite Beatles song), he's never seemed to get the respect that John got. I suspect it's because of John's whole anti-war/darker persona. Regardless, he is a great bass player. 'Come Together''s bass line was incredible.
-{
Lead guitar - Brad Gillis (Night Ranger)
Rhythm guitar - Rudi Schenker (Scorpions)
Bass guitar - Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)
Keyboards - Mark Stanway (Magnum)
Drums - Neil Peart (Rush)
Backing vocals - Girls Aloud (all of them! :x)