Feb 072013
Townspeople, it’s time we determine—once and for all—Rock’s Worst Album-Naming Pattern. The selection committee, led by Townsman Al, has determined a half dozen worthy contenders. I challenge any one of you to get turned on by even one of these artist’s album-naming pattern. Even when you were a teenager you knew the following nominees were lame. The nominees and the RTH People’s Poll for Rock’s Worst Album-Naming Pattern follow…after the jump!
The Super Bowl of rock ‘n roll album-naming patterns.
- Chicago (I, II, III, IV…XIV)
- The Who (Who’s Next, Who Who Are You, Who Came First, Who Am I…)
- Greg Kihn (Rockihnroll, Kihntinued, Next of Kihn, Kihnspiracy, Kihntagious, Citizen Kihn…)
- Fiona Apple (When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He’ll Win the Whole Thing ‘fore He Enters the Ring There’s No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won’t Matter, Cuz You’ll Know That You’re Right; The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do)
- The Police (Outlandos d’Amour, Regatta de Blanc, Zenyatta Mondatta)
- Led Zeppelin (II, III, IV)
- Peter Gabriel (Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel)
Which artist displays Rock's Worst Album-Naming Pattern?
- Chicago (35%, 14 Votes)
- Greg Kihn (35%, 14 Votes)
- The Police (10%, 4 Votes)
- Fiona Apple (8%, 3 Votes)
- The Who (5%, 2 Votes)
- Peter Gabriel (5%, 2 Votes)
- Led Zeppelin (3%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 40
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Somehow Greg Kihn has made Sting and Led Zeppelin seem subtle…
Yes, his cutie-pie, self-referential approach put him way over the top of The Police’s mugging “clever” and “exotic” album titles and the pomposity of any band relying on Roman numerals. I hate Roman numerals, by the way. When I am King of the World they will be outlawed.
Somewhat off topic, but what about album titles named after a song, but the song isn’t on that particular album?
I can’t think of one right now but I’m sure it’s happened several times. Or am I dreaming this?
“If You Want Blood,” AC/DC. The album is a live document from their Powerage tour, the song is from their *subsequent* album, the awesomely great “Highway to Hell.”
Yes, that’s a Last Man Standing we should conduct separately some day – perhaps beginning this afternoon. I’ve thought about that before. Houses of the Holy, for instance, does not contain the song by the same name. I didn’t know about that AC/DC song.
If we expand the LMS to allow for bonus tracks on CD reissues, there are instances from the Elvis Costello reissue catalog that also come to mind.
A previous LMS for songs that came out after an album with the same name: https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/only-man-standing
It is accomplished! See new thread here: https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/last-man-standing-album-titles-not-including-songs-by-the-same-artist-that-you-would-expect-to-find-on-that-particular-album
DAMN! Ignore what I just posted.
Glad to see Chicago no longer in the lead. Zeppelin pulled the same trick, so they should cancel each other out and in any case, Peter Gabriel’s Seal/Sons of George Foreman naming policy was worse, since he couldn’t even be bothered to give the Roman Numerals.
Side note: Bad Company had the decency (?) to put a song called Bad Company on their album called Bad Company. Why didn’t Seal or Peter Gabriel ever get around to putting a song called “Seal” or “Peter Gabriel” on one of their albums called Seal or Peter Gabriel?
Greg Kihn “wins” this one. Why? Check out his discography:
1976 Greg Kihn
1977 Greg Kihn Again
1978 Next Of Kihn
1979 With The Naked Eye (as Greg Kihn Band)
1980 Glass House Rock (as Greg Kihn Band)
1981 Rockihnroll (as Greg Kihn Band)
1982 Kihntinued (as Greg Kihn Band)
1983 Kihnspiracy (as Greg Kihn Band)
1984 Kihntagious (as Greg Kihn Band)
1985 Citizen Kihn
1986 Love & Rock & Roll
1992 Kihn of Hearts
1994 Mutiny
1996 Horror Show
Let’s assume that, after Next of Kihn, he hadn’t yet decided to stick with the idea, hence two album break of Kihn-puns before Rockihnroll shows up in 1981. What happens in 1986 when he puts out Love & Rock & Roll? Out of horrible puns? And does he come up with Kihn of Hearts – a real stretch – in 1992 and is so impressed with it that he rushes an album out for it, but isn’t able to find anything at even that level in ”94 and ’96?
Nothing against Kihn personally, who appears to be a nice guy and does good charity work and I enjoy “The Breakup Song” and “Jeopardy” for what they are and all that, but those Kihn-puns are the Hawaiian shirt of album titles.
Ha ha. That’s hilarious. I knew there were a few examples. I should have known they’d have been identified already by this crowd!
AM, do you realize that Chicago is up to XXXIV? If any compilations and windy-city suburban projects become involved, they could overtake the Super Bowl roman numeraling.
I hope I’m in L before they are.
I’m still waiting for his regional country/folky albums, Kihntucky Rain and Mull of Kihntyre.
Zeppelin gave up on the roman numerals before it got too overbearing. I always thought the 4th album was ZOSO . Gabriel is fine because the cover shots were memorable enough to talk about the records (car, scratch, melting face). Kihn is a bad joke taken too far but Fiona Apple is kind of a slap at her audience. And I’m willing to forgive a lot for art-school girls.
There is the Journey Triptych
Departure
Captured
Escape
I thought at some point they switched to actual names but I confess to just picked a number, make that Roman numeral, out of the air.
Kind of like the Kihn thing, I also grew tired of the Kinks “K” for “C” bit.
But I’ll make the case for the Who as the winners of this category. Chicago and LZ seem like “oh let’s be cool and do this” but they were wrong. Kihn is just sophomoric; I can’t see granting some high school idea of clever the title of Worst.
But The Who? First time it was clever (and not in a high school version of clever). But with the exception of Townshend’s solo Who Came First which was a clever twist on the idea the others are too clever by half (which phrase I’ve never understood while at the same time understanding exactly what it means), especially extending it to an autobiography. So the Who wins Worst by taking a good idea and driving it into the ground.
Honourable (dishonourable?) mention to first-wave punk band UK Subs (fronted by Charlie Harper, who managed to squeeze into the punk scene despite being older than Pete Townshend). Their first album was “Another Kind Of Blues”, followed by “Brand New Age”, “Crash Course” and so on through the alphabet; they’ve made it to X (“XXIV”) and have promised to begin again at A in due course…
Please, God (or patrock), let Journey complete that series with Hanged.
I…actually think that’s kinda cool. But then, I grew up in a town where the streets did that.