Worst prog band names - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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Equality 7-2521 View Drop Down

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Posted: February 03 2009 at 09:41

Yes
Caravan
Starcastle
Egg
ELP
Focus
Symphony X
Kamelot

Oh god so many

"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "

Toaster Mantis View Drop Down

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Posted: February 03 2009 at 09:43

Negoba wrote:

I don't know coming up with band names is something you do over beers and it seems like a good idea at the time

Isn't that how the Smashing Pumpkins came up with their name? I remember them saying in an interview that they tried to come up with the stupidest band name they could. LOL

A lot of the death bands just border on the stupid.

There is no doubt that The Cadaveric Manifesto takes the cake in that category. First, the word is "cadaverous" not "cadaveric", and this is particularly egregious coming from a band who have English as their first language. Second, what use would a cadaver have for a manifesto?

Edited by Toaster Mantis - February 03 2009 at 10:42

"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook

The Pessimist View Drop Down

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Posted: February 03 2009 at 10:16

Having said all this, Van Der Graaf Generator doesn't even sound like a band name. I tell people that they are my favourite "old-school" band and they're like... "That's their name?"

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ten years after View Drop Down

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 03:57

Equality 7-2521 wrote:

Yes
Caravan
Starcastle
Egg
ELP
Focus
Symphony X
Kamelot

Oh god so many

I can see what you mean with Yes, Caravan and Egg. Camel is a pretty mundane name as well. ELP is OK, i think. A simple list of the band members is never going to make the top ten of best band names but i don't think it can go in the worst names (unless there were 6 or 7 members of the band or they had really silly names).

IMO Focus is a neat name - simple but powerful. However, whoever came up with the album name Mother Focus should be shot

easytargets View Drop Down

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 04:21

The Pessimist wrote:

Having said all this, Van Der Graaf Generator doesn't even sound like a band name. I tell people that they are my favourite "old-school" band and they're like... "That's their name?"

I have the same thoughts about them.When I recently saw them live

most people were asking me Van der what? Someone said to me - Are they Dutch?

And when I came to the point of explaining the meaning of the band´s name it only

became even worse.

The water rushes over all
cities crash in the mighty wave;
the final man is very small,
plunging in for his final bathe

Visitor13

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 12:55

Genesis. Exodus. Any other bands named after great literary works.

If you have the balls to pick a name like that, you must have the talent to create music of comparable value. Doesn't work any other way.

ClemofNazareth View Drop Down

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 14:22

Visitor13 wrote:

Genesis. Exodus. Any other bands named after great literary works.

If you have the balls to pick a name like that, you must have the talent to create music of comparable value. Doesn't work any other way.

Along the same lines, The Greatest Show on Earth was a pretty presumptuous band name.

"Peace is the only battle worth waging."

Albert Camus

Visitor13

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 15:34

Heh, that one's more silly/ironic than anything. Not the best name out there, but not the worst, IMO.

ClemofNazareth View Drop Down

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 15:56

Visitor13 wrote:

Heh, that one's more silly/ironic than anything. Not the best name out there, but not the worst, IMO.

On the other hand, The Happiest Band That Ever Played wasn't as pompous as The Greatest Show on Earth, but it also was kind of silly.

3 was a pretty crappy prog band name as well; neither Emerson nor Palmer seemed to be very good at naming bands.

"Peace is the only battle worth waging."

Albert Camus

CPicard

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 16:27

I still have a difficulty with the name of the Muffins. Not enough pompous for me.

manofmystery View Drop Down

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 17:30

One and two word names lead to the most iconic bands so don't go writing off bands name because its simple. Yes, Egg, Caravan, Camel, Focus, Gong, Gryphon, Magma, The Nice, Rush, and even The Band (not prog but fitting), to name a few, are all fine examples of simple yet iconic band names.

Here are some lame ones (including many one/two worders that just don't pack any punch):

- Dream Theater

- Ambrosia

- Neu! (avoid punctuation in names)

- Audience

- Babe Ruth (now I like the bambino as much as anyone but I don't get this as a band name)

- Bozzio, Levin, Stevens (ELP already did the 3 name thing)

- Dixie Dregs (just unappealing sounding)

- The Flower Kings

- Frumpy

- Glass Hammer

- Gravy Train (this is a bit unfair as had the awful Gravy Train!!!! had not come along later this would be a fine name)

- Horslips

- Jody Grind

- Kansas

- Love

- S.B.B. (avoid punctuation in names)

- Slapp Happy

- Starcastle

- Wallenstein (better suited for a deli, not to sound insensitive

)

hmmmm, seems the great majority of the bands I listen to have short names.

Edited by manofmystery - February 07 2009 at 17:32

Time always wins.

CPicard

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 17:40

manofmystery wrote:

- Bozzio, Levin, Stevens (ELP already did the 3 name thing)

Well, I think a lot of jazz bands already did the 'three-name thing' BEFORE ELP.

popeyethecat View Drop Down

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 19:01

Ugh, I agree with Dixie Dregs, Frumpy, Horslips and Slapp Happy. They all just sound horrible!

Anirml

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 20:08

Boxer

Jo Jo Gunne

Marshall Tucker Band

Made In Sweden

Organisation

Whistler

Bang

Dream Theater

Starcastle and Bang is very bad names imo.

Edited by Anirml - February 07 2009 at 20:11

manofmystery View Drop Down

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Posted: February 07 2009 at 22:42

CPicard wrote:

manofmystery wrote:

- Bozzio, Levin, Stevens (ELP already did the 3 name thing)

Well, I think a lot of jazz bands already did the 'three-name thing' BEFORE ELP.

Jazz, pfffft, that hardly matters

Time always wins.

Jozef

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Posted: February 09 2009 at 14:47

The only ones that come to mind are Mother Gong, Supersister and Black Bonzo. LOL

POSW

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Posted: February 09 2009 at 18:20

IMO, post-rock band names win this thread. Easily.

Scanning the list of bands on the genre page brings up all of these.

Auto!Auotmatic!!
Everything Is Made In China
Flying Saucer Attack
God Is An Astronaut
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
If These Trees Could Talk
Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia
Set Fire To Flames
Souls Vibrating In The Universe
Sweep The Leg Johnny
This One Will Destroy You
World's End Girlfriend
You.May.Die.In.The.Desert.

and Last But... I mean last but not least, the aforementioned Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start

I'm PriestofSadWings at Metal Archives.

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manofmystery View Drop Down

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Posted: February 09 2009 at 22:24

POSW wrote:

IMO, post-rock band names win this thread. Easily.

Scanning the list of bands on the genre page brings up all of these.

Auto!Auotmatic!!
Everything Is Made In China
Flying Saucer Attack
God Is An Astronaut
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
If These Trees Could Talk
Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia
Set Fire To Flames
Souls Vibrating In The Universe
Sweep The Leg Johnny
This One Will Destroy You
World's End Girlfriend
You.May.Die.In.The.Desert.

and Last But... I mean last but not least, the aforementioned Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start

these are actual band names? good god

Time always wins.

manofmystery View Drop Down

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Posted: February 09 2009 at 22:57

and to add to my earlier list:

Supertramp (didn't take this band seriously for the longest time because of their name)

Alan Gowen, Phil Miller, Richard Sinclair, Trevor Tomkins (more of a list)

and maybe this is the place to ask this:

is it Kebnekajse or Kebnekaise? Last FM (which is not very reliable admittedly) wants the former but here we list the ladder

Time always wins.

tszirmay

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Posted: February 09 2009 at 23:01

Nice Beaver from Holland. err..... actually its pretty clever way of getting attention......

I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth.