Albums referred to by alternative names

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Even if the artist has publicly said what the title is, and it's cataloged with said title, fans sometimes call it by a different name, either because the album title is not present on the jacket or it's become a lovable nickname for a self-titled album (this is the usual culprit). Or fans are just dumb. What are some of those and why did they get that nickname?

Going to avoid the obvious ones and start with...

Alice in Chains - s/t. Many people call this one "Tripod" because of the three-legged dog on the cover.

Garbage- s/t. Some fans called it "G" because there's a solitary G on the cover. I emailed the band and they said it was rubbish, that the title was Garbage.

Metallica - s/t. "The Black Album"

Days of the New - these idiots released 3 consecutive self-titled albums , so fans refer to the albums by their colors (Yellow/Green/Red)

More?

If your ass is a Bible, 213 will regulate (Neanderthal), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:22 (three days ago)

Happy End had two self-titled records. The first one gets called Yudemen because there's a photo of a ramen shop on the cover, and the shop's name is written there in hiragana: yu ~ de ~ me ~ n.

Makes a person wonder whether self-titled records are really such a good idea.

TheNuNuNu, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:28 (three days ago)

The White Album

Tom D, focussed with getting on with the job (Tom D.), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:29 (three days ago)

Peter Gabriel's first three albums - Car, Scratch, and Melt.

The self-titled debut albums by Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne are sometimes referred to by the writing on the cover: Song to a Seagull and Saturate Before Using.

Halfway there but for you, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:29 (three days ago)

Is THE LODGER David Bowie's best record?

Tom D, focussed with getting on with the job (Tom D.), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:30 (three days ago)

Do people still refer to Led Zep IV as Zoso?

Maresn3st, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:30 (three days ago)

Red House Painters self titled albums (Rollercoaster) (Bridge)

The Quaker Gurvitz Army (President Keyes), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:30 (three days ago)

Was beaten to the Gabriel and Zeppelin examples before I could hit submit

However there's a whole sea of so-nicknamed-but-not-officially-named (Colour) Albums, e.g. Orbital (Blue aside), Weezer, Planxty, Adolescents, and that Liverpool band whose examples could make the French or Dutch flag.

Genesis' s/t known as 'Shapes' or 'The Shapes Album'.

Fables of the Reconstruction - Reconstruction of the Fables

you can see me from westbury white horse, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:31 (three days ago)

Flipper's Generic goes by three or four different names.

clemenza, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:31 (three days ago)

Seen ppl mistakenly call cale’s honi soit “British passport”

unclear apocalypse (wins), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:31 (three days ago)

Whoops honi soit that is

unclear apocalypse (wins), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:32 (three days ago)

lol all the examples I came up with were already taken by the time I hit post

I guess you've got TMBG's debut which is often referred to as "The Pink Album" despite the band never calling it that

frogbs, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:33 (three days ago)

No-one mentioned the Velvet Underground's Banana album?

Halfway there but for you, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:35 (three days ago)

Peel slowly and S/T

The Quaker Gurvitz Army (President Keyes), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:36 (three days ago)

I have a feeling that SPLHCB - an ugly initialism no one uses - is usually shortened as Sgt. Pepper in text but as Sgt. Pepper's in speech. Idk if this is really an accurate observation but I've noticed it somewhere down the line.

Songs with nicknames: Bo Rhap.

you can see me from westbury white horse, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:40 (three days ago)

lol really?

The Quaker Gurvitz Army (President Keyes), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:41 (three days ago)

This album was originally released as Joni Mitchell because the LP album covers were printed incorrectly, cutting off part of the Song to a Seagull title (spelled out by birds in flight).[citation needed] The cut-off, as well as the publishers at Reprise Records not noticing that the birds spelled out the album name, caused the eponymous album title.[citation needed]

The jury's out on Joni

where's ken morse when you need him (Matt #2), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:42 (three days ago)

PiL, Second Edition

Tom D, focussed with getting on with the job (Tom D.), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:43 (three days ago)

... probably doesn't count tbh

Tom D, focussed with getting on with the job (Tom D.), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:44 (three days ago)

STP'S Purple famously doesn't contain the word Purple on it, and there's a hidden track where a crooner sings "The second album, 12 gracious melodies", plus the pic of the cake on the back with those words, so people at the time mistakenly called it 12 Gracious Melodies.

Now people just call it that for fun

If your ass is a Bible, 213 will regulate (Neanderthal), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:47 (three days ago)

xp Does remind me of a generation gap I've noticed re:the third Big Star album, in that the 'Sister Lovers' name seems to have slowly vanished and young fans seem to exclusively call it 'Third'.

you can see me from westbury white horse, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:48 (three days ago)

Metallica fans call Load "Load of Shit"

If your ass is a Bible, 213 will regulate (Neanderthal), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:49 (three days ago)

The Yardbirds - s/t called "Roger the Engineer"

Josefa, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:50 (three days ago)

I thought the STP album says "purple" in Chinese?

Halfway there but for you, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:50 (three days ago)

I think so

If your ass is a Bible, 213 will regulate (Neanderthal), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:51 (three days ago)

one weird example of this was a guy I know who referred to King Crimson's Discipline as "Red" because it had a red cover, despite the fact that they actually do have an album called "Red"

frogbs, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:51 (three days ago)

That guy needs a talking to

If your ass is a Bible, 213 will regulate (Neanderthal), Friday, 5 June 2026 16:53 (three days ago)

This confusion was the source of their song "One More Red Nightmare" (seven years early)

Halfway there but for you, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:54 (three days ago)

George Harrison's Dark Horse (album or song) as "Dark Hoarse" because of the laryngitis

you can see me from westbury white horse, Friday, 5 June 2026 16:55 (three days ago)

Duran Duran's second s/t - The Wedding Album

Fleetwood Mac's second s/t - The White Album

David Bowie's second s/t - Space Oddity, as used officially on some reissues

Foghat's second s/t - Rock 'n' Roll

you can see me from westbury white horse, Friday, 5 June 2026 17:00 (three days ago)

The debut album by Tyrannosaurus Rex, My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows, is often referred to by fans as "MPWFAHSITH...BNTCTWSOTB"

Halfway there but for you, Friday, 5 June 2026 17:03 (three days ago)

I'm pretty sure I've read the 1977 Crosby, Stills and Nash release called "the boat album" or "the yacht album" recently.

Halfway there but for you, Friday, 5 June 2026 17:09 (three days ago)

Fiona Apple's second album is often referred to as "When the Pawn blah blah blah"

The Quaker Gurvitz Army (President Keyes), Friday, 5 June 2026 17:28 (three days ago)

might be just me and one friend from school, but Dub Nob Ass With My Head Man

uploading this content requires perseveration (sic), Friday, 5 June 2026 17:36 (three days ago)

CaETANo VeLoso - these idiots released 3 consecutive self-titled albums , so fans refer to the albums by their colors (1968/Album Branco/London, London)

the Diller + Scofidio Ren Faire (Deflatormouse), Friday, 5 June 2026 17:37 (three days ago)

we still call it “dub nob”

uploading this content requires perseveration (sic), Friday, 5 June 2026 17:37 (three days ago)

Clearly artists with multiple self-titled albums lend themselves well to this trend. One unnamed so far is the Grateful Dead’s “Skull & Roses” which I believe was their second s/t.

An album that earned an alternative name even though it was to my knowledge their only s/t is Pearl Jam’s “Avocado”

Lavator Shemmelpennick, Friday, 5 June 2026 18:19 (three days ago)

A man bites dog variant: the famous Bob Dylan bootleg where the fan yells “Judas” was called the Royal Albert Hall concert so ubiquitously that when they put it out officially as part of the Bootleg Series, they kept that title even though the concert in fact took place in Manchester

Lavator Shemmelpennick, Friday, 5 June 2026 18:24 (three days ago)

Do people still refer to Led Zep IV as Zoso?

Folks still refer to Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album as Led Zeppelin IV, so maybe.

pplains, Friday, 5 June 2026 19:15 (three days ago)

The Style Council's The Cost of Loving as "The Orange Album" - rare non-s/t coloured album

you can see me from westbury white horse, Friday, 5 June 2026 19:27 (three days ago)

ELO's Discovery as "Very Disco" (veryDisco)

you can see me from westbury white horse, Friday, 5 June 2026 19:28 (three days ago)

Not quite the same thing, but plenty of albums with long/longish titles get routinely referred to by the cognoscenti in shortened form that would make little sense to non-fans, here are some examples from the world of prog:
Dark Side
The Lamb
Welcome Back My Friends
Topographic
Script
He To He

where's ken morse when you need him (Matt #2), Friday, 5 June 2026 19:35 (three days ago)

Some I'm very used to: Modern Life, Atomic Bomb, Confessions, Confessions again, Fables, Automatic, Piper

Is Ziggy Stardust the only album where the informal short name isn't the beginning or end of the longer name?

you can see me from westbury white horse, Friday, 5 June 2026 19:41 (three days ago)

The House of Love's second (similarly self-titled) LP is referred to as the Butterfly album. It was also irritatingly called Fontana when it first came out as the label's name on the cover was almost as prominent as the band's name.

henry s, Friday, 5 June 2026 19:44 (three days ago)

Skull and Roses was also supposed to be named "Skullfxxk" too.

The Artist formerly known as Earlnash, Friday, 5 June 2026 21:56 (three days ago)

Bad Brains’ Yellow Album (debut)

Duane Barry, Friday, 5 June 2026 22:06 (three days ago)

And I think it has another nickname…?

Duane Barry, Friday, 5 June 2026 22:12 (three days ago)

Yeah, that one is referred to by old folks like me as the "yellow tape," because it was originally cassette-only. And the first CD version was given the ridiculous title Attitude: The ROIR Sessions.

wipes chooser (unperson), Friday, 5 June 2026 22:48 (three days ago)

Which reminds me— Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is often called The Purple Tape.

The Quaker Gurvitz Army (President Keyes), Saturday, 6 June 2026 00:34 (two days ago)

Barenaked Ladies (more commonly known as "The Yellow Tape"), is the Barenaked Ladies' third indie tape release

hence the source of the frequent confusion between Barenaked Ladies and Bad Brains

Halfway there but for you, Saturday, 6 June 2026 00:45 (two days ago)

The House of Love's second (similarly self-titled) LP is referred to as the Butterfly album

...and their album known as "Babe Rainbow" is supposedly also self-titled (again), it just happens to have the words "Babe Rainbow" printed on the front.

Halfway there but for you, Saturday, 6 June 2026 00:47 (two days ago)

Phish's self-titled self-released demo was referred to as The White Tape, a name that the band adopted when they offically re-released it many years later.

peace, man, Monday, 8 June 2026 12:41 (nine minutes ago)


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