great band, shame about the name

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Probably done before; I'm pretty new so I apologize in advance if that's the case, but I've been thinking about this. How many times have you been put off by a band's moniker before you heard them and thought "no fair, they were supposed to suck!"? Soul Coughing, for instance.

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 20:33 (twenty years ago) link

but Soul Coughing does suck.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 20:34 (twenty years ago) link

Archers of Loaf

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 20:41 (twenty years ago) link

Soul Coughing A) did not suck, B) is an awesome name, and C) are totally broke up now anyway.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 20:58 (twenty years ago) link

Kitchens of Distinction
New Rob Robbies
Joy Division
Clinic
Les Savvy Fav
Spoon

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 20:58 (twenty years ago) link

Prefab Sprout

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 20:58 (twenty years ago) link

"Joy Division?!" Good Lord, that's a great name.

― Salmon Pink (Salmon Pink), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 20:59 (twenty years ago) link

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

― Joe Kay (feethurt), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:00 (twenty years ago) link

I assume dave is objecting to Joy Division on political grounds, because it is a fucking great name otherwise

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:01 (twenty years ago) link

nick, well you got the last one right.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:03 (twenty years ago) link

ha ha i hate you ;)

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:08 (twenty years ago) link

*yelling out of car window*

"YOU'RE WRONG, SOUL COUGHING ROCKS! MOBY, I GIVE YOU RIMJOB!"

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:08 (twenty years ago) link

Led Zeppelin

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:09 (twenty years ago) link

Richard Hell & the Voidoids: what the fuck is a 'voidoid?'

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:09 (twenty years ago) link

let's just get "the beatles" over with

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:11 (twenty years ago) link

Also, Moonbabies. I suspect the cd will sell poorly due to being misstocked in the 'new age' section.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:12 (twenty years ago) link

Agreed that Joy Division is a great name.
Good band, crap name:

Destiny's Child
Beach Boys
Dandy Warhols

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:13 (twenty years ago) link

Radiohead

― Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:15 (twenty years ago) link

Metallica (thru '87, at least)

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:17 (twenty years ago) link

modest mouse

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:18 (twenty years ago) link

metallica is an excellent name!

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:18 (twenty years ago) link

Pet Shop Boys

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:21 (twenty years ago) link

The Hollies

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:26 (twenty years ago) link

Also, prog rock in general to thread

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:47 (twenty years ago) link

Dandy Warhols is indeed a sucky name.

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:47 (twenty years ago) link

The Velvet Underground. S'too prissy sounding.

― may pang (maypang), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 21:56 (twenty years ago) link

Cop Shoot Cop -- although that surface-level authority-antogonizing moniker (which is arguably actually about heroin addiction) was part of their user-unfriendly appeal, I suppose.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 22:00 (twenty years ago) link

I actually think they had a wonderful and very appropriate name Alex (especially for the double-entendre).

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 22:02 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, but it didn't really do them any favors.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 22:07 (twenty years ago) link

Same goes for I Am the World Trade Center.

― may pang (maypang), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 22:11 (twenty years ago) link

Not that they're, uh, great or anything but it is a good example of a most unfortunate name.

― may pang (maypang), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 22:12 (twenty years ago) link

I am not quite impressed by Badly Drawn Boy as an artist name...

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 22:14 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, Alex -- I never even thought about the heroin double-meaning until you mentioned it, which makes Cop Shoor Cop a band that I thought had a dumb name until I had it explained to me; now I think it's a good name!

― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 22:16 (twenty years ago) link

I Am the World Trade Center is an absolutely horrible name....and was even before 2001. Not too great a band, either.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 22:24 (twenty years ago) link

In a similar vein, Explosions in the Sky.

― Leee Majors (Leee), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 22:38 (twenty years ago) link

Fuck off you Dandy Warhols hatahs. It suits them. (And trust me, when they decided a few years ago that they wanted to change their names, the replacement names were TRULY DIRE.)

― The River Kate (kate), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 22:58 (twenty years ago) link

Broken Social Scene. ESG - as in Emerald Silver Gold. yikes

― Etta, Thursday, 29 January 2004 00:20 (twenty years ago) link

Yes

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 29 January 2004 01:20 (twenty years ago) link

The Clash

i've always disliked it
sounds like what smashy and nicey would have called their punk band

― pete s, Thursday, 29 January 2004 01:29 (twenty years ago) link

All-time champions of this category: The Beatles.

Also: Thinking Fellers Union Local 282.

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 29 January 2004 02:04 (twenty years ago) link

Archers of Loaf
Crispy Ambulance
Neutral Milk Hotel

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Thursday, 29 January 2004 02:04 (twenty years ago) link

Correction: ESG stands for Emerald SAPPHIRE Gold. Not that it matters.

Why did Echo & the Bunnymen sound so earnest yet sport such a silly, jaunty name?

― Etta, Thursday, 29 January 2004 02:10 (twenty years ago) link

"Also: Thinking Fellers Union Local 282."

I don't find their name bad, just hard to say quickly six times in succession.

― Etta, Thursday, 29 January 2004 02:13 (twenty years ago) link

for johnny -- a voidoid is a vampire like creature from one of hell's chapbooks, which was reprinted by Codex in england. also, its a great name and suits the band well.

― jack cole (jackcole), Thursday, 29 January 2004 02:14 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, but the Clash named their band in homage to Jamaican sound clashes. That's cool in and of itself.

― cybele (cybele), Thursday, 29 January 2004 02:24 (twenty years ago) link

Echo and the Bunnymen's band name is the only thing that intrigues me enough to go check them out someday.

My Bloody Valentine - even though they are like the beatles in that the greatness of the band overpowers all of the objections of the English language. Even Kevin Shields hates the name (MBV is cool though).

Can we include Prince's symbol. Oh, and Pink Floyd.

― Jedmond, Thursday, 29 January 2004 07:21 (twenty years ago) link

ESG- makes me think of that girl group in "Ghost World"- Ebony, Ivory and Jade!

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Thursday, 29 January 2004 07:33 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, Joy Division sounds cool enough, but using elements of Nazi culture for pop groups = dud. Unbearably pretentious.

― no opinion, Thursday, 29 January 2004 07:47 (twenty years ago) link

µ-ziq

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 29 January 2004 08:38 (twenty years ago) link

Naughty by Nature

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 29 January 2004 08:39 (twenty years ago) link

Skipping 12 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Sonic Youth
Mecca Normal
Yo la Tengo
Belle and Sebastian
Elastica
Republika
SigSig Sputnik
Revillos/Rezillos
Rites of Spring
Das Damen
Cop Shoot Cop's name is actually a lot better than their music. Besides, Natz is, was and will probably always be a butthead.

― ultrasound, Thursday, 29 January 2004 14:47 (twenty years ago) link

New Order
Nuovo Ordine is a bit more Fascist than Nazi but who's Counting Crows, right?

― ultrasound, Thursday, 29 January 2004 14:50 (twenty years ago) link

Cop Shoot Cop's name is actually a lot better than their music. Besides, Natz is, was and will probably always be a butthead.

I'm going to tell him you said that.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 January 2004 14:51 (twenty years ago) link

Counting Crows are Nazis?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 January 2004 14:51 (twenty years ago) link

Talk Talk and The The just strike me as being really lazy.

― Llahtuos Kcin (Nick Southall), Thursday, 29 January 2004 14:52 (twenty years ago) link

ANotehr vote for Dandy Warhols, and Devo soundlike shocking art-school wank, not a Television monster.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Thursday, 29 January 2004 14:55 (twenty years ago) link

Take as many dumps on the Dandy Warhols as you like, but please....respect Devo.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 January 2004 14:56 (twenty years ago) link

Yo La Tengo and Elastica are top names, and as for Sigue Sigue Sputnik being a "great band"...

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 29 January 2004 14:57 (twenty years ago) link

Hmmm!!! Looks like we need a... CRAP BAND NAME WATCH...

― Old Fart!!! (oldfart_sd), Thursday, 29 January 2004 15:02 (twenty years ago) link

doesn't A Certain Ratio's name have some sort of Nazi significance?

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Thursday, 29 January 2004 16:51 (twenty years ago) link

Oh heavens no -- it was taken directly from a lyric by Brian Eno from "The Third Wheel": "Looking for a certain ra-ti-ooooooo." (If you want to say Eno was referring to Nazism, that's beyond my knowledge though it seems unlikely.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 29 January 2004 16:56 (twenty years ago) link

The Band : talking about laziness...

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Thursday, 29 January 2004 16:59 (twenty years ago) link

oh, okay. Thanks Ned!

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Thursday, 29 January 2004 17:03 (twenty years ago) link

Why is "Sonic Youth" bad, ultrasound? You have another suggestion?

A Certain Ratio may not have anyting to do w/ Nazism, Fascism or Maoism, but it sure sounds like it and would fit in especially w/ the faux-Maoist wank the UK bands were having at the time, ie. Gang of Four.

― Etta, Thursday, 29 January 2004 17:18 (twenty years ago) link

Sonic Youth, like Pink Floyd, was the combination of two luminaries= Fred "Sonic" Smith of the MC5 and reggae performer Big Youth. Doesn't make their current albums any less dull, but there you have it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 January 2004 17:30 (twenty years ago) link

Sonic Youth - works for me. Can anyone explain the name Turin Brakes, not that I enjoy the singer's bleating.

― Etta, Thursday, 29 January 2004 17:55 (twenty years ago) link

I think New York Dolls is a great name....

Alex, I've read that The Band wasn't named laziness, but actually cockiness....as in they were The Band and no one could touch them...

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 29 January 2004 18:01 (twenty years ago) link

(although you still might think it's a stupid name, but I've always liked it)

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 29 January 2004 18:01 (twenty years ago) link

I like the name Turin Brakes

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Thursday, 29 January 2004 18:22 (twenty years ago) link

If you want to talk wanky Nazi names, New Order is a lot worse than Joy Division.
I'd say it's just as bad, but I wouldn't call them a "great band" so I didn't mention it.

― no opinion, Thursday, 29 January 2004 18:22 (twenty years ago) link

but I wouldn't call them a "great band"

GAH!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 January 2004 18:30 (twenty years ago) link

Jackie-O Motherfucker
Blossom Toes
Spacemen 3
Red House Painters

― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Thursday, 29 January 2004 18:31 (twenty years ago) link

Electric Prunes
Flying Saucer Attack

― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Thursday, 29 January 2004 18:33 (twenty years ago) link

We can't let reggae bands off the hook, here. Burning Spear.

― Etta, Thursday, 29 January 2004 18:39 (twenty years ago) link

That reminds me: SPEAR OF DESTINY.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 January 2004 22:29 (twenty years ago) link

Orange Juice.

― may pang (maypang), Thursday, 29 January 2004 22:32 (twenty years ago) link

hello?Manic Street Preachers?
Fountains of wayne
gaye bikers on acid
man or astroman?
geezers of nazerath
selfish cunt

― silokk, Thursday, 29 January 2004 23:43 (twenty years ago) link

american music club

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Thursday, 29 January 2004 23:51 (twenty years ago) link

Ned writes:
Oh heavens no -- it was taken directly from a lyric by Brian Eno from "The Third Wheel"

the TRUE wheel!

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 29 January 2004 23:52 (twenty years ago) link

The "Echo" bit is straightforwardly appropriate, I would think. The "Bunnymen" bit might possibly seem jaunty and inappropriate, but then you must consider several factoids: they had fun bouncy basslines; almost all of their videos featured carboard animals and other amusing stage props; their hair usually sat two or three inches higher above their heads than seemed suitable for their particular haircuts, almost like ears; plus most importantly when you really think about it there is something deeply sinister about the idea of a Bunny-Man. Have you ever in your life encountered a depiction of a bunny-man -- i.e. not an anthropomorphic bunny but a bunny-man -- that was not intended to be at least uncanny, if not outright chilling? There are no cute bunny-men. Hence it works: they are tall shadowy bunnymen bounding across a stageful of two-dimensional cut-out props.

― nabiscothingy, Friday, 30 January 2004 01:04 (twenty years ago) link

New Fast Automatic Daffodils

Disco Inferno (only for online search purposes)

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 30 January 2004 01:08 (twenty years ago) link

What the hate for Dandy Warhols? Its a great name alongside Brian Jonestown Massacre, unlike REO Speeddealer and like.

Keeping it local, Beef Terminal, great music HORRIBLE name. Im sorry but its true dude.
Never liked The Church as a band name either.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Friday, 30 January 2004 01:10 (twenty years ago) link

Not all of the Bunnymen's vids featured cardboard animals. Maybe two did, but that's hardly all. Secondly, only Ian's hair stood up. Thirdly, and I might be wrong about this, but as I understood it, they named themselves "the Bunnymen" so that they'd never take themselves too seriously.....and it could be argued that they failed in that capacity.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 30 January 2004 01:12 (twenty years ago) link

Keeping it local, Beef Terminal, great music HORRIBLE name
Oh lord, yes. The name nearly kept me from wanting to hear the music. The word "beef" has no role in music whatsoever.

If there's anything I'm learning from this thread, it's don't use two nouns and an adjective in a band name, i.e. American Music Club, Neutral Milk Hotel, Gay Bikers on Acid, Red House Painters, etc. I couldn't put my finger on the reason I hated those names, but now it's all figured out.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 30 January 2004 02:48 (twenty years ago) link

No way, REO Speeddealer is a GREAT name, Kevin Cronin sux for forcing a change. Speeddealer just doesn't have the same ring, sigh

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Friday, 30 January 2004 03:20 (twenty years ago) link

I refused to listen to AMC for years based on their name alone! Only after Mark Eitzel put out "West" did I give 'em a chance. I'm a big loser.

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Friday, 30 January 2004 03:22 (twenty years ago) link

Small Faces, later Faces - Didn't do well in America where we like to think BIG. ( Can someone explain what "Around The Plynth" is all about, I suspect it must be a Brit thing - good slide work, though. ) Little River Band never had a chance for the same underlying reason.

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 30 January 2004 05:54 (twenty years ago) link

Geezers of Nazereth? Is that a Nazareth tribute band?

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Friday, 30 January 2004 06:17 (twenty years ago) link

I was always somewhat put off by the stupid question mark in Therapy?. Decent band, though.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 30 January 2004 06:45 (twenty years ago) link

it just doesnt happen, if the band is good the name is good

― jeremy jordan (cruisy), Friday, 30 January 2004 07:18 (twenty years ago) link

Sleater-Kinney. Hard to say ("who? Slater Kenny?") and spell, sounds like it refers to band members, yeah, I know it's a cross street near where they live, or rehearse, or it's a freeway offramp, whatever. I do like the band and find myself getting annoyed when I talk about them because I dislike the name so much.

I agree that Sonic Youth is a clumsy moniker (though the genesis cited above is interesting)--I dislike all names with "youth" in them, Youth Brigade, Wasted Youth, Musical Youth. Maybe it's the Nazi overtones (not serious about this, well, maybe a little).

― no opinion, Friday, 30 January 2004 07:25 (twenty years ago) link

seventeen years pass...

Some friends once tried to think of which band names could be euphemisms for puking, and "Fountains of Wayne" was at the top of the list.

― enochroot, Friday, 25 June 2021 13:45 (two years ago) link

two years pass...

Mildlife.

― chap, Monday, 18 March 2024 23:53 (one month ago) link

We can't let reggae bands off the hook, here. Burning Spear.

WTF, long gone person from twenty years ago

― from a prominent family of bassoon players (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 19 March 2024 12:25 (one month ago) link

I went to go see a really good gig by @ last month. @! Like ffs guys. It was so annoying whenever anyone asked who I saw.

― a hoy hoy, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 13:06 (one month ago) link

Mildlife

This flashed my brain back to Wildildlife, a name I haven’t thought of in over a decade but that also fits.

― Slim is an Alien, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:11 (one month ago) link

there's someone on the 100% Electronica label who changed her name from Negative Gemini to "Neggy Gemmy" which is such an insane downgrade. I'd never tell anyone I listened to someone named "Neggy Gemmy"

― frogbs, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:20 (one month ago) link

Calling a band Rapeman was kind of the height of Albini's tryhard nature, wasn't it?
― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 29 January 2004 11:13 bookmarkflaglink

alas, it was not

― Colonel Poo, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:29 (one month ago) link

Shitfucker
Sextrash

― CEO Greedwagon (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:50 (one month ago) link

Those guys should swap nouns.

― peace, man, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 15:14 (one month ago) link

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