'80s Rock Band, With Iconic Lead Singer, Ranked Among Best ‘Classic Rock' Supergroups of All Time
In 1988, David Bowie formed a band called Tin Machine that has now been celebrated as one of the notable supergroups in music history.
The quartet, composed of the original lineup of Reeves Gabrels on lead guitar, Tony Sales on bass, Hunt Sales on drums and the iconic musician as frontman, was named by Radio X among the greatest "classic rock" supergroups of all time.
The publication ranked 15 of the best bands they believe exemplified the supergroup concept and left a lasting influence on the rock music landscape.
Along with Cream, The Traveling Wilburys, Wings, The Power Station, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Humble Pie, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Journey, Asia, The Firm and Plastic Ono Band, Tin Machine made it to No. 6.
Described as a "band-band," it was more of a collaborative project between the members rather than being labeled as Bowie's backing group or a star-driven project.
"It was just inspired guesswork that there'd be chemistry between these four people," the late British singer told Q magazine, as cited by Louder, referring to how Tin Machine started. "I just knew that I enjoyed working with each and every one of them, and that was the priority for me, having had some fairly unenjoyable experiences in the '80s working with others."
In 1989, Tin Machine released their self-titled debut studio album, which featured a slew of explosive tracks, including the lead single "Under the God," a hard rock song praised for its attack on neo-Nazism despite not being a commercial hit.
Other notable songs include "Heaven's in Here," "Prisoner of Love," "I Can't Read," which was part of the soundtrack for the 1997 film The Ice Storm, and the band's self-titled anthem "Tin Machine."
Following the success of their first album, which peaked at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 28 on the US Billboard 200, the band failed to sustain its momentum after releasing their live album, Oy Vey, Baby, in 1992.
It was also at this time that Tin Machine disbanded due to internal issues, which included problems with their record label and Sales' spiraling drug addiction.
Related: '70s Rock Band, Disbanded After Two Years, Ranked Among 'Greatest Supergroups' of All Time
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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 4:30 PM.