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-two years ago)

but Soul Coughing does suck.

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

Archers of Loaf

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

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-two years ago)

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

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

Prefab Sprout

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

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

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

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

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

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-two years ago)

nick, well you got the last one right.

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

ha ha i hate you ;)

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

*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-two years ago)

Led Zeppelin

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

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

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

let's just get "the beatles" over with

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

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

Radiohead

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

Metallica (thru '87, at least)

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

modest mouse

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

metallica is an excellent name!

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

Pet Shop Boys

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

The Hollies

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

Also, prog rock in general to thread

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

Dandy Warhols is indeed a sucky name.

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

The Velvet Underground. S'too prissy sounding.

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

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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

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

Same goes for I Am the World Trade Center.

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

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-two years ago)

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

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

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

In a similar vein, Explosions in the Sky.

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

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-two years ago)

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

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

Yes

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

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-two years ago)

All-time champions of this category: The Beatles.

Also: Thinking Fellers Union Local 282.

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

Archers of Loaf
Crispy Ambulance
Neutral Milk Hotel

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

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-two years ago)

"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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

µ-ziq

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

Naughty by Nature

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

1. Creedence Clearwater Revival
2. Can
3. New York Dolls
4. Big Brother & the Holding Company
5. Sly & the Family Stone

Hmmmm...I look at #1, 4 & 5 and it suddenly occurs to me: EVERY band from the late '60s Frisco scene, regardless of quality, had (and some still have) a terrible name, 'cept maybe Grateful Dead or Blue Cheer.

― Myonga Von Bontee, Thursday, 29 January 2004 10:54 (twenty-two years ago)

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 (twenty-two years ago)

Can were originally "The Can" i.e. "The John" i.e. the toilet.

True.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 29 January 2004 11:16 (twenty-two years ago)

The Field Mice

― flowersdie (flowersdie), Thursday, 29 January 2004 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

RE: Joy Division
Unless you already know what the Joy Division was (and admit it you fuck, it wasn't even two words you would have put together until after you had heard of the band unless you were old when you got into them which means you were unhip when you were young so which are you going to admit, huh? ) it sounds like a silly name.

Knowing what it means, it's a great name, yes.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 29 January 2004 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Er no, appropriating Nazi terminology is wanky and tiresome but a relentlessly miserable band having "joy" in their name is great. So the exact opposite to what you said.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 29 January 2004 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, I see.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 29 January 2004 13:34 (twenty-two years ago)

(although presumably you didn't know that it was Nazi imagery nor a miserable band because all you knew was the name.. but whatever.)

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 29 January 2004 13:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I think the first time I heard about Joy Division it was an entry in a rock encyclopaedia or summat. Nazi symbolism in rock music is wank wank wank. Even Lemmy. Especially him, to be honest.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 29 January 2004 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Nazi symbolism in rock music is wank wank wank. Even Lemmy. Especially him, to be honest.

Lemmy's usually quick to point out that his fascination with history (and, well, that's what it is) has nothing to do with the band, nor does it make him a Nazi.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 January 2004 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I know. I said it was wanky, not fascist

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 29 January 2004 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

If you want to talk wanky Nazi names, New Order is a lot worse than Joy Division.

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Thursday, 29 January 2004 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

Counting Crows are Nazis?

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

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

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

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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

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

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

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

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-two years ago)

The Band : talking about laziness...

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

oh, okay. Thanks Ned!

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

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

(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-two years ago)

I like the name Turin Brakes

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

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-two years ago)

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

GAH!

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

Jackie-O Motherfucker
Blossom Toes
Spacemen 3
Red House Painters

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

Electric Prunes
Flying Saucer Attack

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

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

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

That reminds me: SPEAR OF DESTINY.

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

Orange Juice.

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

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-two years ago)

american music club

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

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

New Fast Automatic Daffodils

Disco Inferno (only for online search purposes)

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

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

Geezers of Nazereth? Is that a Nazareth tribute band?

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

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-two years ago)

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

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

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-two years ago)

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 (four years ago)

two years pass...

Mildlife.

― chap, Monday, 18 March 2024 23:53 (two years ago)

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 (two years ago)

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 (two years ago)

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 (two years ago)

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 (two years ago)

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 (two years ago)

Shitfucker
Sextrash

― CEO Greedwagon (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 19 March 2024 14:50 (two years ago)

Those guys should swap nouns.

― peace, man, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 15:14 (two years ago)

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