Single-word plural bands without definite articles

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Swans
Boredoms
Divinyls
Pixies
Eurythmics
Woods (who?)

keep 'em coming. add intriguing anecdotes about the choice to shun a definite article, if such exist.

― Bostin' Legal (sic), Friday, 17 April 2009 12:34 (seventeen years ago)

Darts

― snoball, Friday, 17 April 2009 12:38 (seventeen years ago)

Sparks

― snoball, Friday, 17 April 2009 12:39 (seventeen years ago)

From Steve Martin's memoir Born Standing Up:

One late night I was lingering in the bar and talking to Glenn Frey, who was just leaving his duo, Longbranch Pennywhistle. He said he was considering a name for his new five-man group. "What is it?" I said. He said, "Eagles." I said, "You mean, the Eagles?" He said, "No, Eagles." I said, "You mean, the Eagles?" He said, "No, I mean Eagles." The name of the group remains, of course, Eagles.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 17 April 2009 12:39 (seventeen years ago)

Doves

― turnover is validating, profit is salivating (ledge), Friday, 17 April 2009 12:43 (seventeen years ago)

Foals
Klaxons

― The Unbearable Skegness of Being (NickB), Friday, 17 April 2009 12:44 (seventeen years ago)

Trees - Earliest example I can think of, 1st album was 1970. Must be some earlier ones though?

― The Unbearable Skegness of Being (NickB), Friday, 17 April 2009 12:50 (seventeen years ago)

\/\/ipers

― LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN ODE TO JOY EURO TRANCE REMIX (Future_Perfect), Friday, 17 April 2009 12:59 (seventeen years ago)

Lords

― emil.y, Friday, 17 April 2009 13:12 (seventeen years ago)

minutemen

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Friday, 17 April 2009 13:14 (seventeen years ago)

Thrones
Grails
Coffins

― The Unbearable Skegness of Being (NickB), Friday, 17 April 2009 13:14 (seventeen years ago)

Bastards

― The Unbearable Skegness of Being (NickB), Friday, 17 April 2009 13:15 (seventeen years ago)

Is there a better song ever written than 'Shit For Brains' by the Bastards?

― The Unbearable Skegness of Being (NickB), Friday, 17 April 2009 13:17 (seventeen years ago)

Ramones

― StanM, Friday, 17 April 2009 14:18 (seventeen years ago)

Buzzcocks

All these band names sound better with "the" in front.

― harveyw, Friday, 17 April 2009 14:25 (seventeen years ago)

Zounds

― I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP TO (Colonel Poo), Friday, 17 April 2009 14:35 (seventeen years ago)

angels of light?

― mark cl, Friday, 17 April 2009 14:45 (seventeen years ago)

Delays

― N1ck (Upt0eleven), Friday, 17 April 2009 14:52 (seventeen years ago)

I would have an interesting anecdote about that one, having discussed the name at length with the band's lead singer but I have, erm, forgotten what he said.

― N1ck (Upt0eleven), Friday, 17 April 2009 14:54 (seventeen years ago)

I have an oddly vivid memory of j0hn d saying that these bands should stop fooling themselves and just use the definite article, but then he used the examples of Swans and Thrones, both bands who are clearly better off as they are. But there are lots who aren't. Pixies is probably the one that sounds stupidest without the the.

(The) Smashing Pumpkins changed at one point, didn't they? I forget in which direction.

― Ralph, Waldo, Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Merdeyeux), Friday, 17 April 2009 15:01 (seventeen years ago)

A lot of them go back and forth like that

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Friday, 17 April 2009 15:07 (seventeen years ago)

Melvins/The Melvins/(The) Melvins, etc

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Friday, 17 April 2009 15:07 (seventeen years ago)

Germs

― Trip Maker, Friday, 17 April 2009 15:31 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah, the Pumpkins started as 'Smashing Pumpkins' and added the 'The' for Mellon Collie. Which sort of changed the meaning from the act of smashing pumpkins (pretty cool image) to the pumpkins themselves either being described as smashing (i.e. 'great' in an uncool way) or somehow exploding of their own accord.

― Chris in Belfast, Friday, 17 April 2009 15:34 (seventeen years ago)

I've probably read too much into that.

― Chris in Belfast, Friday, 17 April 2009 15:35 (seventeen years ago)

Cranes

― NoTimeBeforeTime, Friday, 17 April 2009 15:35 (seventeen years ago)

It's not like everyone doesn't add a "the" when they're talking about these bands anyway.

― Number None, Friday, 17 April 2009 15:37 (seventeen years ago)

Liars

― 4,000 hoes in blackburn, lancashire (M@tt He1ges0n), Friday, 17 April 2009 15:58 (seventeen years ago)

Shoes

― kornrulez6969, Friday, 17 April 2009 16:17 (seventeen years ago)

It's not like everyone doesn't add a "the" when they're talking about these bands anyway.

We went through a phase of calling them Some Foals for a while.

― Enormous Epic (Matt DC), Friday, 17 April 2009 16:19 (seventeen years ago)

Beatles

― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Friday, 17 April 2009 16:23 (seventeen years ago)

Bros

― Ismael Klata, Friday, 17 April 2009 16:24 (seventeen years ago)

Battles

― myndbloom, Friday, 17 April 2009 16:34 (seventeen years ago)

Did Mekons have a "the"?

― obscure reference (Stevie D), Friday, 17 April 2009 17:22 (seventeen years ago)

Mirrors

― drench, Friday, 17 April 2009 17:54 (seventeen years ago)

The Mekons have used both.

Shoes is one that sounds better without the "The"

― james k polk, Friday, 17 April 2009 19:01 (seventeen years ago)

Oxes

― some dude, Friday, 17 April 2009 19:07 (seventeen years ago)

lol guess what I'm thinking of (p.s. you have one guess)

― Young Chizzy (country matters), Friday, 17 April 2009 19:15 (seventeen years ago)

(clue: they are my favourite band)

― Young Chizzy (country matters), Friday, 17 April 2009 19:15 (seventeen years ago)

Blurs

― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Friday, 17 April 2009 19:20 (seventeen years ago)

What about single-word possessive band names without definite articles? -- i.e., Rachel's. Apparently Jason Noble and Christian Frederickson's first cassette recording was called "Rachel's Halo" (named not after later band member Rachel Grimes but after Noble's car), but when the band began in earnest, they dropped the "Halo." Plenty of people still think that they're The Rachels, though.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 17 April 2009 19:25 (seventeen years ago)

(clue: they are my favourite band)

Sub Hairless Humans?

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 17 April 2009 19:26 (seventeen years ago)

Fugazi?

― Ismael Klata, Friday, 17 April 2009 19:28 (seventeen years ago)

Oases?

― Ismael Klata, Friday, 17 April 2009 19:31 (seventeen years ago)

Styx? I can't bear the tension.

― Ismael Klata, Friday, 17 April 2009 19:33 (seventeen years ago)

Educate thyselves, heathens:

http://www.gutsofdarkness.com/images/pochettes_200/272_8058.jpg

― Young Chizzy (country matters), Friday, 17 April 2009 19:35 (seventeen years ago)

what

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 17 April 2009 19:36 (seventeen years ago)

Stick that in yr xls and smoke it! I remember when you said you associated me most with SFA...these guys are even more my thing.

Also, Youthmovies deserve some sort of a mention here

― Young Chizzy (country matters), Friday, 17 April 2009 19:37 (seventeen years ago)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Wn-QLU6CLDc/SZzPI5EYAeI/AAAAAAAABdk/hXlfWJII3SE/s320/beautiful_freak_the_eels.jpg

― DavidM, Friday, 17 April 2009 19:44 (seventeen years ago)

3D's

― sonderangerbot, Friday, 17 April 2009 19:45 (seventeen years ago)

Bastards
― The Unbearable Skegness of Being (NickB), Friday, April 17, 2009 9:15 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
Is there a better song ever written than 'Shit For Brains' by the Bastards?
― The Unbearable Skegness of Being (NickB), Friday, April 17, 2009 9:17 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark

― nabisco, Friday, 17 April 2009 19:48 (seventeen years ago)

there is no winning, basically, is my point

― nabisco, Friday, 17 April 2009 19:48 (seventeen years ago)

Gonzales

― henry s, Saturday, 18 April 2009 02:17 (seventeen years ago)

I'm convinced that many bands aren't really sure themselves if there is a definite article.

― Mark, Saturday, 18 April 2009 03:57 (seventeen years ago)

clouds (the aussie band) - i think they were named after the robert forster song (which had no 'the' in the title obv)

― pale spector (electricsound), Saturday, 18 April 2009 04:05 (seventeen years ago)

Wavves

I think this type of name is in or heading that way

― filthy dylan, Saturday, 18 April 2009 06:12 (seventeen years ago)

Insides

Tindersticks

― Duke, Saturday, 18 April 2009 10:42 (seventeen years ago)

I would love to try and claim that Harmonia is meant as the plural of Harmonium.

― Duke, Saturday, 18 April 2009 10:44 (seventeen years ago)

Pyramids

(LJ, you should seriously check out their eponymous album from last year)

― dada wouldn't buy me a bauhaus (aldo), Saturday, 18 April 2009 11:01 (seventeen years ago)

ok shall

― Young Chizzy (country matters), Saturday, 18 April 2009 11:04 (seventeen years ago)

Mountains

― Number None, Saturday, 18 April 2009 11:13 (seventeen years ago)

Creatures
Cranes

― Alex in NYC, Saturday, 18 April 2009 11:19 (seventeen years ago)

Creatures have a The

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/03/Creaturesfeast.jpg

(do wiki images work?)

― Bostin' Legal (sic), Saturday, 18 April 2009 12:02 (seventeen years ago)

Givegoods

― Bostin' Legal (sic), Saturday, 18 April 2009 12:04 (seventeen years ago)

Pretty sure Cranes had a "The Appalling" at the start of their name? It always used to get printed like that.

― Pat Phoenix Wright, Messageboard Attorney (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 18 April 2009 12:05 (seventeen years ago)

Hmm. So you're right (re: Creatures). Sorry about that.

Cranes still go by simply "Cranes" (at least as far as their album covers are concerned).

― Alex in NYC, Saturday, 18 April 2009 12:09 (seventeen years ago)

Thorns

― DJ Khaled El-Amin (dyao), Saturday, 18 April 2009 13:48 (seventeen years ago)

Lovvers. Who I think were around before Wavves.

― emil.y, Saturday, 18 April 2009 13:50 (seventeen years ago)

yes

― Sandy Blair, Saturday, 18 April 2009 17:52 (seventeen years ago)

Doves
Bows

― SORCEROUSES..roll on stage! (Pillbox), Saturday, 18 April 2009 18:07 (seventeen years ago)

Hymns, whose Daytrotter version of "Time Told Me" is really good.

― myndbloom, Saturday, 18 April 2009 19:57 (seventeen years ago)

wings

― domma sonner (k3vin k.), Thursday, 23 April 2009 23:50 (seventeen years ago)

FOO FIGHTERS

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 24 April 2009 02:34 (seventeen years ago)

Single-word plural bands without definite articles

― domma sonner (k3vin k.), Friday, 24 April 2009 02:36 (seventeen years ago)

Sugababes

― late adopter, Friday, 24 April 2009 02:44 (seventeen years ago)

Klaxons

― late adopter, Friday, 24 April 2009 02:45 (seventeen years ago)

It is interesting how most of these bands I itch to put a "the" in front of, but Battles for example would sound silly as "the Battles", in fact I'd never even thought of it.

Is it Chameleons or the Chams?

― one art, please (Trayce), Friday, 24 April 2009 06:04 (seventeen years ago)

Oh and Verve of course (at one stage anyway)

― one art, please (Trayce), Friday, 24 April 2009 06:05 (seventeen years ago)

wait, thats not plural, poop.

― one art, please (Trayce), Friday, 24 April 2009 06:05 (seventeen years ago)

Chromatics

― DJ Khaled El-Amin (dyao), Friday, 24 April 2009 07:06 (seventeen years ago)

Wings is an amazingly great example, very nearly as early as Nick B's Trees citation, and fucked if I've ever heard of Trees.

― Bostin' Legal (sic), Friday, 24 April 2009 12:55 (seventeen years ago)

Trees were a UK folk-rock band very in the style of Fairport or Steeleye. Probably more of a Jefferson Airplane vibe going on than those though. Now that I think of it though, I think there was actually a totally different Trees from the US who were around in the 60s, so maybe they're the guys that are ultimately to blame for all this malarkey?

― Enemy Insects (NickB), Friday, 24 April 2009 13:13 (seventeen years ago)

FOO FIGHTERS

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Thursday, April 23, 2009 9:34 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Single-word plural bands without definite articles

― domma sonner (k3vin k.), Thursday, April 23, 2009 9:36 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Ha, I was drunk when I posted that.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Friday, 24 April 2009 13:21 (seventeen years ago)

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