10 Unbelievable Supergroups That Actually Almost Happened

Led Zeppelin and Yes? Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney? This is the heavyweight division of musical match-ups, a list of celebrated talents who came tantalizingly close to collaborating.

The concept of the supergroup itself dates back a long way, with the U.K.’s Cream, who formed in ’66, often being cited as the first outfit worthy enough to earn the label. With hindsight, Cream‘s lineup of Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker was certainly a formidable combination but, at the time, it’s fair to say that neither Bruce nor Baker would have been household names. Nowadays, we tend to think of a supergroup as a band of musicians drawn from already successful acts, and that prospect is always exciting.

READ MORE: Who Was the First Supergroup?

Much like boxing enthusiasts, who love to indulge in imagined bouts between fighters who never met, pondering your ideal band lineup makes for endless discussion between musicophiles – a wonderful manner in which to while away an evening. Throwing talent together, it must be said, doesn’t make for a guarantee of success. See here for Loudwire’s own run-down of supergroups that didn’t turn out so super.

With this particular list, though, we’re focusing on some musical what-if’s that almost, but didn’t quite, come to be. These are the dream collaborations between big names which nearly were, and the often fascinating stories behind them.

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