Just because you shuffle the deck, it doesn’t mean you’ll get a better hand. That’s been the case with all these new “supergroups” that take members of popular bands from decades past and mix them together into something supposedly new and improved. Generally, though, these bands suck. You hear Tinted Windows? Sounds good on paper — members of the Smashing Pumpkins, Cheap Trick, Fountains of Wayne and the girly-lookin’ bro from Hanson — but seeing them live I wished I could have tinted my eardrums. Audioslave was an exception with their first album, but their second disc blew. Same with Velvet Revolver.
Well, there’s one so-called supergroup that’s proving to be the exception, and it’s a group no one would have bet on — Chickenfoot.
The name alone should disqualify them from success, but the odd paring of ’80s guitar hero Joe Satriani, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith and Van Halen rejects Sammy “Cabo Wabo” Hagar and Michael Anthony is a hit right out the gate. Despite nominal mainstream hype going in, the band’s self-titled indie release has sold nearly a quarter million copies in its first month alone. They even landed a No. 4 bow on the Billboard 200!
This is amazing since these artists (except for Smith) weren’t exactly the hottest properties anymore. Van Halen ditched Hagar for the return of Diamond Dave and Anthony got the boot so Eddie Valen could install his teen son Wolfgang on the bass (not sure which is worse). And the 53-year-old Satriani really hasn’t been relevant since the late ’80s when long-ass guitar solos were still cool. The only time most people heard his name in recent years was when he sued Coldplay for ripping off one of his songs. I mean, Joe, do you really want to compare your music to Coldplay? (Of course, we love Satriani for his work with the nonprofit Little Kids Rock.)
Does putting this crew together sound like a hit? Well, it is! Chickenfoot is cluckin’ away at rock radio with their single “Oh Yeah,” while fans likewise embrace tracks like “Sexy Little Thing” and the potential T.I. cover “Soap on a Rope.”
I’m going to make an astonishing prediction right now! The Chickenfoot album will make the yearend Top 10 bestsellers list over the latest albums by the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana. In fact, if I’m proven wrong, I’ll commit right now to dress up as Nick Jonas for Halloween (disclaimer: no, I won’t).
What does all this mean? Simply put, it’s a testament that you should never believe the doubters and naysayers. Few people really thought this group could do it, and now they’re proving everyone wrong, enjoying the most success they’ve had in years. It just goes to show, if you put in the work the way Chickenfoot obviously did, anything is possible — no matter what the doubters say.
Photo courtesy of LeAnn Mueller.