Is Joe Lynn Turner putting together a supergroup featuring former Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne sidemen?

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A new report from Andrew McNeice at MelodicRock.com has Joe Lynn Turner working on a new supergroup featuring former members of Van Halen and Ozzy Osbourne’s solo bands. Turner, the voice of Rainbow, has previously built similar all-star amalgams like Voices of Classic Rock.

[NEW UPDATE, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012: Or … maybe not. Joe Lynn Turner has since issued a statement saying talk of this supergroup was just that — idle talk, amongst friends. Read the follow up story here.]

The group, according to the same report, would include drummer Carmine Appice and bassist Michael Anthony, with a focus on recording new songs in the style of classic 1970s-era rockers like Bad Company, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin.

Anthony served as bassist with Van Halen from its mid-1970s inception until 2006; he has since joined Chickenfoot with fellow Van Halen alum Sammy Hagar. Appice toured with Osbourne in support of the former Black Sabbath singer’s 1983 album Bark at the Moon, and has also performed and recorded with Vanilla Fudge, King Kobra, Ted Nugent, Paul Stanley, Pink Floyd and Rod Stewart — with whom he played for four albums between 1977-1981.

Turner recorded three studio efforts with Rainbow, as the group saw its widest chart success. “Stone Cold” would become the Ritchie Blackmore-led group’s initial Top 40 hit. Turner has also served as a vocalist for Deep Purple and Rising Force, with Yngwie Malmsteen.

Turner has been touring more recently with Come Taste the Band, formed in 2011.

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Here’s a look back at our recent thoughts on Van Halen, Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne and Chickenfoot. Click through the titles for complete reviews …

SOMETHING ELSE! INTERVIEW: CHICKENFOOT’S KENNY ARONOFF: When superstar drummer Kenny Aronoff — on tour now with Chickenfoot — starts recalling his sideman projects, they spill out with no rhyme or reason. He’s, almost literally, played them all. Of course, today it’s Chickenfoot, an all-star rock group featuring vocalist Sammy Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony, late of Van Halen, and sizzling guitar hero Joe Satriani. Aronoff is filling in for Chad Smith, who did the record but is now on tour with his main band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Chickenfoot announced a new U.S. tour this week, after a string of successful European stops in January. Chickenfoot is just the latest stop in a dizzyingly diverse career for one of music’s most in-demand drummers. Aronoff starts listing them off then stops himself, taking it all in: “I mean, are you fucking kidding me?”

DEEP PURPLE – TOTAL ABANDON: AUSTRALIA ’99 (2012): An intriguingly presented retrospective set, as the newly added Steve Morse brilliantly reexamines a group of signature Deep Purple tunes. Before the show is over, Total Abandon recalls not so much the Ritchie Blackmore years as it does the band’s fiery Tommy Bolin period. There’s a similar level of front-line guitar craft, and a similar level of energy. Deep Purple sounded like it was having fun again. And, to my ears, the group never really looked back so intently again. By the time they issued Bananas, some five years later, original keyboardist Jon Lord was gone — and Deep Purple had metamorphosed. The addition of Morse, like an ozone-producing jolt of lightning, had transformed what once seemed like a ghost band trying to reclaim its glory days into a freshly rejuvenated force to be reckoned with.

SOMETHING ELSE! FEATURED ARTIST: VAN HALEN: A long-waited reunion with original lead singer David Lee Roth has Van Halen back in the news … and us digging through some old albums. Here’s a look back at a few favorite moments with Roth — and yes, Sammy, too — along with updated tour date information. Let’s start shredding!

OZZY OSBOURNE – BLIZZARD OF OZZ/ DIARY OF A MADMAN (1980/81): In my opinion, Diary of a Madman is Ozzy’s finest hour outside of Black Sabbath. While his debut had a few duds — “No Bone Movies” comes immediately to mind, and though it may seem like sacrilege to some fans, I’ve never liked “Revelation (Mother Earth),” either — Diary is a far more consistent record from beginning to end, and there’s not a single track that I skip every listen. 1980’s Blizzard of Ozz, of course, features some of Ozzy’s best-known songs, including “I Don’t Know,” “Mr. Crowley” and perhaps his most recognizable solo hit, “Crazy Train.” It also features one of my personal favorite guitar instrumentals, Randy Rhoads’ neo-classical jaunt, “Dee.”

Something Else!