The best and worst pop side-projects

Side-projects are the ultimate in rock 'n' roll self-indulgence. Do popstars really believe our lives aren't complete without the "psychedelic dance group" they form with their mates from less successful bands? The results, of course, tend to be messier than a drunken spag bol dinner.

So in the week that Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner played his first gig with The Last Shadow Puppets (and unveiled their single 'The Age of the Understatement'), we've flicked through our record collections to compile a list of the best and very worst side-projects of all-time.

The Good

Gorillaz
Many feared the worst when Blur's Damon Albarn took a break from the day job to form a pop band made of... cartoon characters! Little did we know that 2D, Noodle, Russel and Murdoc would end up becoming bigger stars than their creator, spawning 'DARE', one of the finest tracks of the noughties, in the process.

Raconteurs
Though he didn't surpass his success with The White Stripes, Raconteurs proved there was more than one string to Jack White's blues-rock bow. Plus, touring their scintillating debut Broken Boy Soldiers gave Meg plenty of time to hone her drumming technique back in 2006.

All Seeing I
Sheffield electro outfit All Seeing I were an obscurity until Jarvis Cocker took a holiday from Pulp to write tunes for their 1999 album, Pickled Eggs and Sherbet. Cocker's performance with the band on Top of the Pops, trilling killer single 'Walk Like A Panther' (sung by Tony Christie on record), is well worth hunting down on YouTube.

Travelling Wilburys
George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison: it couldn't really go wrong, could it? Though the results don't sound quite as awesome two decades later, they're still impressive enough to earn the Wilburys a place on Rolling Stone's Greatest Albums of the '80s list.

The Bad

British Whale
Come 2005 The Darkness's comedy-metal act was starting to wear very thin. Unfortunately, nobody told Justin Hawkins, who opted to push his luck, launching a solo project comprising a heinous cover of Sparks' 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us' and a dodgy, jingoistic footie anthem.

Tailgunner
Proving once and for all that Oasis would be nothing without Liam, Noel Gallagher's decision to take up drumming and make an album with producer Mark Coyle proved just as disastrous as it sounds. Taking self-indulgent retro-rock to new levels, Tailgunner made even Ocean Colour Scene seem cutting edge.

Fat Les
Any project devised by Blur's Alex James and Groucho club liggers Keith Allen and Damien Hirst was destined to be vile - and things got a whole lot worse when Michael Barrymore and Roland Rivron got in on the act. Accurately marking the point where Britpop stopped being funny and just turned plain ugly, yobbo anthem 'Vindaloo' was their only hit.

Audioslave
Though many were distraught when political hard-rockers Rage Against The Machine called it a day in 2000, there was no need for three members of the band to team up with Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. The result? Bland US rawk act Audioslave. Understandably, the world cried a collective sigh of relief when RATM reformed last year.

Do you agree with our choices? Use the space below to let us know!