Think of a supergroup like Marvel's the Avengers -- only instead of teaming up to fight the forces of evil, the already established members come together to battle artistic stagnancy and high interest rates on their Mercedes.

Rock supergroups have been around just about as long as rock itself, going back to the short-lived but much-beloved British trio Cream (featuring Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker). When previously successful musicians come together to form an entirely new band, it not only offers them an opportunity to expand their creative boundaries but it also generates a whole new level of excitement among fans.

But while some combinations of previously successful musicians just seem to make sense (Conor Oberst, M. Ward and My Morning Jacket's Jim James in Monsters of Folk or Max Bemis of Say Anything and Chris Conley of Saves the Day in Two Tongues), others are a little more eclectic.

In that spirit, in the gallery above we take a look at 16 of the most unexpected supergroups ever. Keep in mind that they're ranked not by the quality of their music but the level to which their lineup took us all by surprise.

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