Supergroups have been around since Elvis, Jerry Lee, Johnny and Carl got together at Sun Studios as The Million Dollar Quartet. The ‘80s were packed with The Firm, Asia, The Power Station, Arcadia and more. Is it still a supergroup if only two members are somewhat well known?

In 1985, former Yes guitarist Steve Howe left Asia. Through his manager he hooked up with Steve Hackett to form a guitar-based band bent on expanding the sound of that format. They recruited an American rhythm section, recorded and released “When the Heart Rules the Mind” which was a respectable hit and a huge MTV video. What separated GTR from other double-guitar threats was their use of recently-invented guitar synthesizer gear.

They gave us this hit, another release that was less successful, and a tour. The new technology didn’t work too well on the road, so they had to bring in somebody they vowed not too: a keyboard player. That was the beginning of the end. Within two years all that was left of the band, whose name came from a sound engineer’s abbreviation for guitar, was just the memory of a somewhat-successful experiment. Oh, and they should have just called it Double Steve.