Editor’s Intro and Notes:

They seem to appear quite often. Supergroups. Extremely talented musicians usually known for playing with other bands or as solo artists come together for an action-packed album or two (if we’re lucky), then they go back to their “day jobs” without us ever hearing from them again.

To many, such a group can be seen as both treasure and tragedy. The treasure is obvious: the studio album provides documentation. If you’re REALLY lucky, you got to see them perform live.

What, to me, qualifies as a supergroup? The best I could do was decide that the bands assembled for no more than three studio albums — usually several years apart — and have never, to date, worked together again. Should the band create and play its own music? My first instinct is to say yes. But there’s one exception. We’ll get to that down the road. (Exhaling) The parameters could change over time.

So many of these supergroups seem to come out of progressive rock, where super players bounce around and create or join bands so they can play with someone they deem extra special. Bassist Tony Levin seems to qualify for this more than a few times. We’ll visit that later, as well.

The toughest place to define a supergroup is in jazz, where a wide variety of musicians perform with one another all the time! They assemble, make a record or two, and vanish. But this is more the norm in jazz. If the artist can draw a high volume of fans on his own, I suppose he qualifies for potential membership. It’s a tough call.

It almost seems silly to write quick biographies of supergroup artists. After all, we already know who they are and what makes them super. So, I’ll keep it brief.

So, with this in mind, I’ll chat up some of my favorite supergroups. I’m sure you’ll have a few of your own. Feel free to leave them in the comments. Since this is the first piece in the series, I just haven’t gotten around to your favorite yet.

We’ll start with Bozzio Levin Stevens.

Terry Bozzio is without doubt one of the most important and influential drummers of all time. His work with Frank Zappa, Missing Persons, Herbie Hancock, and others is unparalleled. He also plays one of the most massive drum kits ever assembled. But make no mistake: every tuned drum serves a purpose. He brings those glorious talents to BLS (a band of his making), and brings some stellar talent with him.

Tony Levin is a living legend. He has been on the music scene for more than 50 years, blowing minds with his bass work. He’s probably best known for his work with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson, but his session catalog is probably among the lengthiest out there. It ranks right up there with James Jameson, The Wrecking Crew, and the Stax Records bands. There’s no questioning Tony’s chops, and I’m always happy to see his name in the liner notes. Which I do quite often.

Of the three members of this band, it was Steve Stevens’s inclusion that surprised me the most. I knew him from his work with Billy Idol, but that was about it. But I soon learned that Steve was restraining himself during that particular gig. As a solo artist, he was next level. I found proof on his solo album Flamenco a-Go-Go, where he dazzles with his nylon-stringed guitar skills, brought out by his love of … well, Flamenco music. The album is a must for guitar and Flamenco fans.

In 1997, the group released its debut album Black Light Syndrome (Another BLS … I see what you did there.) The three artist cut the basic tracks together in just four days because that was all the time Tony had to work with the other two. Like Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, the three artists came to the studio with just rough sketches of what they might play. There was little discussion beforehand, as Bozzio recalled. They were simply “allowing the muses to use us as they would.”

Tracks were usually cut in no more than two takes. But the band was more than skilled enough to either make good use of the sketches, or to simply improvise brilliantly.

https://youtu.be/mdjO59cnYXE?si=tJoHIveha7ei5J0t

A musician or band is often seen as the sum of their influences. Steve’s flamenco obsession definitely came into play here.

https://youtu.be/MkYJb_NVTJ4?si=aycsWsPhHg0kg001

The length of these tunes (the shortest being a smidge over seven minutes long) was beside the point. The Muse was definitely hard at work. The tunes fly by with a speed that almost always leaves us begging for more!

https://youtu.be/s9RVdxpXgUI?si=maRiZadsJBPPqmOb

Three years later, BLS was able to capitalize on the success of their debut, and gifted us with a new album, Situation Dangerous. I grudgingly admit this album is a bit weaker, but that’s NOT me calling it weak! It just didn’t explode out of the speakers in quite the same way the first album did. Though it was not for lack of trying, as evidenced by the album’s opener.

https://youtu.be/k6XmKlka9wo?si=1qp0kDty6FRf48PP

To me, it seems like Bozzio caries a good chunk of this album, as his melodic drums really come into play. At some points, he was sharing the melodies with Stevens!

https://youtu.be/2EPScOdfAV4?si=OisIAr1V3Fgdfd5H

Tony is his usual professional self, sometimes carrying the groove alone, allowing Bozzio to step out and take the spotlight for himself. And make no mistake: there were more than a few musical fireworks on display.

https://youtu.be/8IzYfjwYE5E?si=7ZIZIq7fo4FH_Rdg

Still, there can be no denying that this band had shot its shot, and the creative road came to an end. That the songs are often considerably shorter than on the debut album is evidence of this. That and scheduling, no doubt, has made it all but impossible for BLS to make a third album. And perhaps that’s just as well. We can simply cherish the music we got.

#cirdecsongs

If you would like to have your music reviewed anytime or would like to have your band photographed while in the Chicago (USA) area, please contact me at support cirdecsongs@gmail.com