Terrible Groups Named After Locations

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Almost without exception, bands/groups named after places SUCK. Also, the larger the place named, the more the output absolutely blows. Thus Boston is awful, America dire, Europe even worse, Asia diabolical.

Which groups typify this? Which, in your opinion, are exceptions?

― suzy, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I liked the first 2 albums by Chicago!

― tarden, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Portishead

― mark s, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Canada has the highest shit-to-bearable ratio of any country when it comes to bands. There was an awful band called Toronto, and while they would be shunned as mucoidal waste in any other country, actually were midway down the table by Canadian standards.

― tarden, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

i like the idea of bands being named after places but the examples given are bad bands i agree.

a short lived electronic project i had was called archway library. at this point i hadn't seen how drab archway library is.

i think there should be a band called 'akron, ohio'

― gareth, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Can I have The Art Ensemble of Chicago and The New York Art Quintet as examples of groups named after locations who DON'T suck, or does it have to be one word? And I've never ever heard anything by Hatfield and the North (AFAIK) - do they suck?

― Andrew L, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Don't forget Kansas. (on second thought, do your best to forget Kansas.)

― fritz, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

East 17

― Madchen, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Hatfield and the North = named after a ROADSIGN!!

― mark s, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Does Warsaw count?

― tarden, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

What exactly were Hatfield and the North like, Mark? They feature heavily in Jonathan Coe's 'The Rotters' Club', the title even coming from one of their albums I understand. I'd never heard of them before.

― Nick, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

They're one of the minor "Canterbury" groups, so SoftMachineCaravanEgg-ish, I assume.

― mark s, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

boards of canada (bit of a stretch), manitoba, of montreal...

― fritz, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

is a body of water a "place"? if so, i give you The Dead C.

― duane, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Ohh, God, Kansas...I used to have the 9-year-old's version of an existential crisis whenever Dust In The Wind played on my dad's car radio. Shudder.

How about the prog pand Pangaea or the punk band Gondwanaland? Thanks to the magic of Plate Tectonics, these places are no more.

― suzy, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Chilliwack !!

"gonegonegone she been gone so long, she been gonegonegone so long"

― Patrick, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

If there was a band called Akron, OH, I would be honor-bound to buy all of their albums, seeing as that's where I was born.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

St. Etienne (exception), Japan (can't remember enough to comment)

― m jemmeson, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

hatfield and the north were one of a string of "canterbury sound" jazz- prog lite bands formed by dave stewart (NB NOT the "great film director" who used to be in the eurythmics). The sound of all of these bands was defined by shifting/complex time signatures, long instrumental breaks (more organ/woodwind, less guitar), complex vertical and horizontal arrangements, weird/quirky/sometimes irritating "posh brit" vocals, and use of lots of "little" sounds making up a big(ish) sound (eh vox/farfisa organs, not hammond, which most bands of this sort couldn't afford). At its best, it walks the tightrope between creepy reggie-perrin-theme-tune MOR and far out prog in a most intriguing way. At its worst, its just boring tight-assed jazz-rock-lite noodling. Most of what was released during the lifetime of stewart's bands is worth listening to IMO. I can't think of *anything* recent influenced by canterbury music, with the sole exception of Ultramarine's "United Kingdoms", so it retains a kind of exoticism. Also, it makes you think of suburbia & privet hedges (UK equivalent of US white picket fence) which is fine by me! If this hasn't put you off completely, then the first hatfield album (on virgin - I forget the title - cover has suburban houses w/some weird imagery in the sky) is the best "starter". Other bands featuring dave stewart, before he went adult-pop-mor in the '80's are:

Uriel/Arzachel

Khan

Egg

(Hatfield)

National Health

Be aware that some of these albums feature STEVE HILLAGE. He was pretty good back then, tho' (IMO) certainly better than goddamn-awful system7, anyway.

Oh, and Japan were great BTW

x0x0

― Norman Fay, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Country-rock fuckers ALABAMA.

― alex in nyc, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Sleater-Kinney! Named after a road in Olympia or something. And they sure suck.

― adam, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Bradford.

Texas, god forbid.

Fotheringay (an exception, IMHO).

Do Boards of Canada count? They're an exception too, in my book ...

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Hey, when we toured the Pacific Northwest last year, we purposely stopped at a Dennys near Olympia, just so that we could say "Hey, we had breakfast on Sleater-Kinney!" We were so ridiculously impressed.

― masonic boom, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

denver is actually a pleasant little home-made pop band, but i think he has changed his name since my last encounter.

― keith, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Linkin Park totally sucks. But it's not a good example because Lincoln Park is in New Jersey anyway (making fun of Jersey, c or d?).

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I like that idea about the bigger the place, the dumber the band. Except, Earth were quite good, I thought. And Black Sabbath were first called Earth. Maybe the counter goes back to zero at the planetary level, so if there was a band called 'Galaxy' they'd suck. Oh, there was a band called Galaxy 500, and they set music to a song Jonathan Richman did acapella (sp?). I can't remember whether it was good. No doubt there's been a band called Cirius or Dogstar or something. What about bands called after places that no longer exist? What are they like?

― Maryann, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Wasn't 'Dogstar' Keanu Reeves' band?

― tarden, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

'Places that no longer exist' - there's a lot of great names waiting to be taken! Weimar Republic, Tenochtitlan, Greater East Asian Co- Prosperity Sphere, anyone?

― tarden, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

so, Brad Pitt's band should be named after the galaxy Sirius is in (earth's galaxy?) And Luke Perry's band should be called 'Intergalactic' or whatever the thing larger than our galaxy is. Maybe 'Deep Space' though that's a good name. Maybe he should play in Deep Space.

― maryann, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

There's supposed to be this late 60's electronic band called The United States Of America that are supposed to be really good. I've never heard them, though.

― Croooooow, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

they're ok, but overrated. bit like broadcast. well, sort of.

― gareth, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

"thing larger than our galaxy" = cosmos (ie the whole she-bang). But if there hasn't been a COSMOS already I'd be quite surprised. What abt madey-up places? Lemuria? Gondal? Lothlorien? Cair Paravel? (Last two'd be rubbish, surely...)

My band which is mine will be called SHALLOW SPACE!

― mark s, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Oi Gareth, don't dis Archway Library. Okay musically its collection is slack but it has an unparalleled selection of Far Eastern movies (unparallelled in North london anyway - outside the really shambollic but excellent video shop on Archway Road).

― Pete, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Bunches of galaxies are called CLUSTERS, surely. Though despite being an Official Expert on Cluster I don't know if that's where they got their name from.

― Tom, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Sorry, Galaxie 500 were actually named after a make of car, not an astronomical phenomenon. (Dronerock trainspotting is what I'm here for...)

― masonic boom, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

And, it goes without saying that Galaxie 500 are *NOT* crap. However, Luna (arguably a placename band, named after the Latin name for the moon) are quite regrettable. So there you go.

― masonic boom, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Luna named for Luna Park, no? In — ?? — New York somewhere... In somewhere somewhere: I have a nice postcard.

― mark s, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

D'oh! You are right! Luna Park was an amusement park later turned drug-ridden crime den. I think it might have been in Coney Island, but it was definitely in NYC. Hey, it's early and I haven't had any caffeine yet.

― masonic boom, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

archway library just isn't as grandiose as i imagined it might be. well, obviously its not grandiose at all. but it is a bit crap, everything is always out. north library, off holloway rd is superior.

― gareth, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

London place-names in the service of horrible metal bands: King's X, Arsenal...

― suzy, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

...Chelsea, the Leyton Buzzards...

― tarden, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

hackney hardcore. they were good. "caught me burnin' up"

― gareth, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

How about the band UK? I haven't really heard them, but the members involved in the project (Allan Holdsworth, Bill Bruford, et al) indicate that it may at least be tolerable to fans of prog rock (or completely intolerable to the rest of us).

― Sean Carruthers, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

postcoders here zipcoder to some East 17 or All Saints, maybe Aspic Chimera.

― bill, Wednesday, 20 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

What about Clearlake? I know it's a made-up place name but they're actually pretty good. Maybe if bands can be bothered to invent place names, they may make good music, as opposed to some lazy fucker who just sticks a pin in a map. Worth bearing in mind...possibly.

― Add, Thursday, 21 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

fort lauderdale? never heard them though.

asia fields. supposedly named after some playing fields in oldham. think they were an inspirals related baggy group, can't remember what they sounded like.

― gareth, Friday, 22 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Baggy alert: Northside, Paris Angels...

― suzy, Friday, 22 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

What about Otis Reading?

Sorry, I do apologise.

― jamesmichaelward, Friday, 22 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I was in a band named CHRISTCHURCH, which was also the name of the city where we lived. It was a very good band but became the matrix of much skinhead attention (-> violence) as Eddie the singer refused to renounce his skin "image" (the skins were his "family", the racist implications of the shaven head & swastikas were of of no concern to him because that was mere mundane politics & his concerns were more on a cosmic level, etc). so maybe place-names-as-band-names are just a CURSE.

― duane zarakov, Friday, 22 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

i always liked the idea that sl2 were named after a slough postcode. i have no idea if this is true, and, of course, sl2 were not terrible

― gareth, Monday, 25 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Skipping 26 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

i forgot Bradford. and i'm from Bradford. like, duh

― gareth, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I love that whenever someone is defending their favorite bands, they speculate that anyone who was critical of them "...probably likes Madonna or Backstreet Boys."

I guess if they knew enough to say "you probably like (take your pick...) Joy Division, Husker Du, Nick Cave, My Dad is Dead, etc...." they wouldn't still be listening to the likes of Kansas.

.. Although I've got to defend some of these bands - not for being good - but for having a loyal fan base... I think bands like Modern English, the Smiths, Psychedelic Furs, Echo & the Bunnymen .. will meet the same fate one day (hopefully soon), where the erudite new critics say that the music is crap & the lyrics are uninspired. This 'Art/prog' genre started as audiophile, turned into poodlerock, then buttrock, and now I think 'geezer rock'... as all music does when the fans get older and the youth don't care for it.

― Dave225, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The question, since I posed it, was a joke question. Not an attack on genres I don't like. But since I'm here and have just seen a few prime examples of sense-of-humour bypass in showin' love for Kansas et al and was attacked first, I might as well respond with the necessary 'silly little boy' kiss-off that always comes in handy on these occasions.

― suzy, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

And really, any one who gets that hysterically offended by Asia or Kansas putdowns the way these chuckleheads have deserve this sort of kiss off.

― Nicole, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

What, people deserve to be condescended to for having a minority taste?

― dave q, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The one band that comes to mind is Japan... and they were a talented bunch. Their album "Tin Drum" still is one of my favorites by far. I think the claim that bands named after regions suck by definition is a bit silly to start with. What's in a name? It's the music that counts.

― Richard, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

That's funny. "geezer rock". Dude, I'm 20. And I'm not offended by any means. I'm just expressing my opinions, just as you all are.

I do listen to jazz, by the way. I'm not completely about prog rock, as I mentioned in my last post. There is actually a band today that incorporates jazz into their music, yet they are a prog band. They are called The Flower Kings. (my god! they didn't name their band after a city!)Check them out...it's some pretty interesting stuff.

"Open your eyes and turn off your mind Step right up folks and you will find A growing trend An epidemic Spread with Zen and hypodermics

Just close your mind you can find all you need with your eyes

The big machines take care of you Until you kill yourself And then the sales go through the roof Calculated, Formulated Feed my head with simple thoughts And let me breathe instead of being taught All bottled up and tearing at the seams I'm bored Just let me breathe...

A daily dose of eMpTyV Will flush your mind right down the drain Shannon Hoon and Kurt Cobain, Make yourself a household name

Just close your mind you can find all you need with your eyes

Strike up your best angst ridden posture Manufactured anger Let's not forget my legacy All my heroes have failed me Now they're dead and buried...

Just close your mind you can find all you need with your eyes

The big machines will take care of you Until the fashion fades and the checks go through My bankroll's red And my face is blue And still they'll turn their backs on you for someone new

Feed my head With some real thoughts And let me think instead of being taught I'll say things You won't believe Just stand back...Just let me breathe..." -Just Let Me Breathe, Dream Theater

― Landon, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Someone has so blatantly not read enough of this thread to know what he's talking about. I mean, it only took 18 posts for a major Canterbury prog discussion to spin off . . . .

― Nitsuh, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Boston was one of the best radio bands of the 70's; they were way more consistent than the likes of Cheap Trick, and the only reason their meticulous productions aren't as celebrated by the hipsters as "Pet Sounds" or whatever is because they weren't inspired by drugs or dementia (it's easier to make VH-1 documentaries about chemically-imbalanced lunatics who can't raise their children properly than it is about engineers, I guess). Weezer fans who don't like Boston are just as deluded as Radiohead fans who don't like Kansas (that, or they prefer bands with short hair, which is as valid reason as any I suppose). America probably is crap, though I've only heard "Horse With No Name". I can't even imagine what Europe's non-"Final Countdown" songs sound like (I'm guessing they're sort of like Survivor's non-"Eye of the Tiger" material), but I'm actually kind of curious to find out. Asia will get no defense from me: the idea of a bunch of clasically-trained tax-exiles dumbing-down their sound to write hits for the "masses" without even hiring a Britney/Steve Perry-like stooge to sing them is too cynical for even me to stomach, and their songs aren't even any good. The prog maxim: When your ego is massive but your aesthetics are questionable, you're much better off indulging yourself than trying to figure out what pop music's all about. (IOW, I would like to hear Asia's studio jams).

Others: Chicago -- I like "25 or 6 to 4", "Saturday in the Park, " and "Free-Form Guitar", but the shlock-ballad period post-1976 was truly unfortunate (without Terry Kath they were useless anyway). Earth -- I don't like _Earth II_ at all but I love all the other albums. How about bands that should be named after where they were from? I think The Doobie Brothers (San Jose), Slipknot (Iowa), Primus (El Sobrante), and Boulder (Aurora, Ohio) should all change their names.

― Kris, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Those lyrics above are completely abysmal. It's like the Tap have come back, or never went away...

― suzy, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Kris - word on Chicago. But re Boston - Robin Zander DIDN'T sing like he'd been castrated at the age of 7, unlike Brad Delp.

― dave q, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

What, people deserve to be condescended to for having a minority taste?

No, anyone getting hysterically offended over a put-down does though. Who really cares if someone puts down a band I like? I'm certainly not going to write a ten paragraph diatribe crying about it.

― Nicole, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

A daily dose of eMpTyV

Do you see what they've done here? It's very, very clever.

― Nick, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I don't think anyone should be put down for taste or "lack of taste" as others may say. I'm still not sure what kind of bands Suzy is into so there is no way to make a comparison. Or does this mean that non- location bands are bad-ass? If so I should go back and listen to Wham, Silverchair and the Don Johnson album (He-He).I happen to like just about every style of music out there with a few exceptions. As far as substance, the question was a joke. However as far as fun goes, nothing says foreplay like a good argument.

― Michael K., Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Don Johnson album...my god...lol

Why do I picture Suzy rolling her eyes at everything posted here?

I'm not offended by anything anyone's said here, or any dislike of bands that I do like. I don't care. The only thing that bothers me is that Suzy hasn't once mentioned what it is she is into. It's been nothing but negative remarks...in a very I-am-the-only-worthwhile- band-critic-on-the-planet attitude.

Tell us, Suzy, what you like to listen to.

― Landon, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Robin Zander DIDN'T sing like he'd been castrated at the age of 7, unlike Brad Delp

Brad Delp's voice has never bothered me; actually the way it is makes Boston sound kind of like an electrified version of the Mormon Tabernacle or something. Add years of whiskey/cocaine abuse to that voice and lower the production about a thousand rungs and "Smokin'" becomes "Angel Dust" by Venom! (by way of "Hot For Teacher", perhaps). I dunno, I've never really listened to all that much Cheap Trick but Zander sounds like an even bigger wuss to me.

Where does "Africa" by Toto fit into this? India Arie?

― Kris, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Shit, those lyrics are a scream. Landon actually has a point about Suzy, though.

One word, repeated from way upthread (five months back): FOTHERINGAY. Now, they were good.

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Okay, I never do this list because I always forget stuff, not because I've been challenged to duel by dorks at dawn ;). First love: Johnny Cash. As kid: Bowie, ELO, Blondie, Simon and Garfunkel, girl groups all the way through to Go-Gos. Adolescent love: Smiths, all Manchester and Liverpool punk and post-punk, New Wave and New Romantics inc. Japan, Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Prince, Aztec Camera and all Postcard, lots of Creation stuff starting with Mary Chain, Stone Roses and most Manchester/Hacienda stuff. '90s: all Riot Grrrl bands, Orbital, Nirvana, Pulp, Suede, Blur exc. first LP, St Etienne, Stereolab, Air, Daft Punk. Now I like Ladytron, Stereo Total, and a bunch of other stuff.

I dislike prog as a genre, have an allergy to brass instruments in most cases but the only band I really cannot stand is Oasis. Bit difficult when Alan McGee is a friend!

― suzy, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

>>>>Sleater-Kinney! Named after a road in Olympia or something. And they sure suck.

grrrrrrr, screw you you BOY!!!! best band EVA!!!

― di, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

nobody said nazareth!

― di, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Siouxie is great. I especially like The Creatures. Saw them live in Austin, Tx at Liberty Lunch a couple years ago. Great show.

Now that I see what you like, I can understand why you don't like prog. That's fine. It's all cool.

Believe it or not, my great grandmother babysitted Johnny Cash.

― Landon, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Johnny Cash is the one person in all of music that I would quake around upon meeting. My mum tells me I used to find all black clothes when I was about four and dress up in them just to go up to people and say 'hello, I'm Johnny Cash.'

― suzy, Tuesday, 13 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I get you as well. I love "The Man in Black", didn't really get the Smiths or Morissey, I enjoyed Punk and New Wave. I even dared to go see a concert with The Judys, the Dishes and the Missiles(?)because I liked "Gyana Punch". As far as Oasis, I think the egos outweigh the talent. I've heared of Aztec Camera but I don't know their music. My cd collection has anything from "The Three Tenors" to "Pebo Bryson" and "Fuel" to the "Goerge Strait" box set. I'm not actuall a big fan of Prog persay; but I really love vocal driven music. And as far as Boston, I'm impressed with anyone who can produce an album like that in their garage studio in the 1970's.

― Michael k., Wednesday, 14 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

three weeks pass...

Nobody mentioned...

Geneva -- totally bearable

Oslo -- never heard

Tøyen (the part of Oslo where I live, actually) -- OK from what I've heard

And Barcelona! What I've read seems promising. Are they any good?

― OleM, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Geneva were crap. I like Fotheringay.

― Robin Carmody, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

That's three times now, Robin :)

I lived a couple of miles away from Fotheringay for a while.

It was a great song before it was a band, as is Banks of the Nile.

There. Will that do?

― David, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Oh, what if they're named after two locations?

Buffalo Springfield?

― David, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I know. I mention them every time this thread is revived. One of ILM's great running jokes.

It was a great song before it was a band, yes, as is "Banks of the Nile". "Nothing More" is also great. But "The Sea" is the greatest.

Where were you? Oundle? Cotterstock?

RPC

― Robin Carmody, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Barcelona are okay.

― james, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Worked in Oundle for ?? 4 years. Beautiful part of the country.

― David, Sunday, 9 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

It is, despite being home to a certain A. Sanderson. Still, it's Labour now.

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Heaven 17

(Do they count?)

― jamesmichaelward, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

one month passes...

Mission of Burma. Are they the exception to the rule?

― alex in mainhattan, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Fotheringay!

(giggles hysterically at the inevitably of his saying this whenever this thread is revived)

― Robin Carmody, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Do Montrose Avenue count? They had a cool tune "Where Do I Stand".

― Craig, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

And I like Madison Avenue.

― adam, Saturday, 9 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Which makes them good.

― adam, Saturday, 9 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

one month passes...

Buffalo Springfield have got to be an exception surely...and while we're on the subject of Amnerica, they were good technically and wrote some 'nice tunes' and they contributed the guitar riff to the last Janet Jackson single too (I mean, of course, her producer ripped it off)

― Paul, Monday, 1 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Afrika Bambaataa not a band but still refuting the rule. Especially as he named himself after a continent.

― alex in mainhattan, Tuesday, 2 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Buffalo Springfield wasn't really named after a location though. So the exception may be that a band named after an object that was named after a location is alright.

― Dave225, Tuesday, 2 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

America was great in that "I only want to hear them one day out of the year and then pretend they don't exist" way.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 2 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

another one for the canadians: chilliwack.

― fields of salmon, Tuesday, 2 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Dude, Chilliwack was mentioned like a year ago. There really should be a band called Hamilton though. Maybe there is?

― Kim, Tuesday, 2 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

one year passes...

I find that when I pronounce the name of the neighborhood on the Northside of Chicago as "Linn-kinn Park," all of my companions nearly die of laughter and most strangers within earshot get a giggle, too. And if I repeat it, the funny doesn't end.

― E. (ebb), Thursday, 20 November 2003 16:48 (twenty years ago) link

The Poconos.

OK, so I'm being self-effacing there.

― mike a (mike a), Friday, 21 November 2003 00:26 (twenty years ago) link

I have a theory that the closer you are to the place that a band names itself after, the less of a chance that you'll like the band. For instance, I live in California, and when I heard there was a band in England called Santa Cruz, I automatically thought to myself, "Damn, they must suck". Same goes for the band from Texas called Vallejo (although I later learned that Vallejo was actually the last name of one of the band members, so maybe it doesn't count).

Not mentioned yet: Flin Flon. Especially because all of their songs are also titled after towns in Canada.

― Nick Mirov (nick), Friday, 21 November 2003 02:01 (twenty years ago) link

Münchener Freiheit were actually really great. Sure, the production sounds kinda naff today, but the tunes and vocal harmonies were really great.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 November 2003 02:04 (twenty years ago) link

Reading the posts by Scott and Landon upthread makes me realise there were a couple of sensible posters here back in 2001.
I mean, sure, I disagree with the mention of Europe in the same league as those other, talented, musicians. But generally, they have a lot of points.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 November 2003 02:07 (twenty years ago) link

Vallejo is indeed garbage. Confirmed.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 21 November 2003 02:51 (twenty years ago) link

Let us not forget the Bay City Rollers - a band of Scots who named themselves after a city in Michigan that they'd never actually visited.

― mike a (mike a), Friday, 21 November 2003 03:16 (twenty years ago) link

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.