Apr 282010
 

Name a band that changed their name by either adding OR subtracting a word or words but not doing both.

Adding AND subtracting to a name does not count (eg, Jefferson Airplane to Jefferson Starship, which involved the deletion of “Airplane” followed by the addition of “Starship”).

Also, the name change must have occurred before the band made their mark and not later on, when they are doing their Big Cash-In tour with some new guys (eg, The Cars to The New Cars).

I’ll start: The Silver Beatles to The Beatles.

Share

  77 Responses to “Last Man Standing: Name That Tunesmith”

  1. Mr. Moderator

    Jefferson Starship to Starship.

    LMS!

  2. misterioso

    Young Rascals to Rascals.

  3. Mr. Moderator

    cdm, I need a ruling on instances of “New” versions of bands. Your rule is clear regarding after-the-fact cash-in bands, but what about “New” bands that actually followed directly from the old version? I’m thinking of The Animals/The New Animals, which I think is how they actually billed themselves after adding some band members and expanding their consciousness, man.

  4. mockcarr

    Small Faces to Faces

  5. Mr. Moderator

    Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to Crosby, Stills & Nash.

  6. hrrundivbakshi

    J. Geils Band to, for one album, “Geils.”

    Which was a stupid move!

  7. Mr. Moderator

    [Adjusts Pince Nez…] Stupid move, indeed, but the subtraction of two parts of the name should disqualify this entry. Judges, I want to remain my crown as Last Man Standing. I’m pretty sure there are NO other instances of bands changing just one thing in their name. Thanks.

  8. hrrundivbakshi

    Double-reverse pince-nez on you, Mod! The original rules clearly state:

    …by either adding OR subtracting a word *or words*…

    I am still LMS!

  9. The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo became Oingo Boingo. Then they became Boingo. Danny Elfman joked that they would one day just become “O.”

    LMS!!!!

    TB

  10. Van Der Graaf Generator to just Van Der Graaf.

  11. Mr. Moderator

    Damn you and your double-reverse pince-nez, HVB!

    The J. Mascis-led Dinosaur had to add “Jr.” to their name so as not to conflict with some Dead-related band.

  12. Wire to Wir

  13. Mr. Moderator

    As alexmagic often says, if this were a Battle Royale rather than a Last Man Standing cherguervara would be parading around the ring with two silicone-infuse women and hoisting the belt over his head. As it is, enjoy the view from the top…while it lasts.

  14. Chicago Transit Authority to
    Chicago.

  15. “New” bands do not count.

  16. BigSteve

    Wire to Wir came to my mind too, but the rules say adding or subtracting a word, and ‘e’ is not a word.

    The post-Garcia Grateful Dead became just The Dead.

  17. I hadn’t considered dropping or adding a letter (as in Wire/Wir) but that is allowable.

    However, the Grateful Dead chugging along as the Dead is no different than the New Cars or the Funky Meters. Now please hand the belt back to shawnkilroy.

  18. Palace Brothers to Palace and back again to Palace Songs.

  19. bostonhistorian

    Allergy medicine is making the rules difficult to comprehend. Does The Specials to The Special AKA count?

  20. bostonhistorian

    And if “the name change must have occurred before the band made their mark and not later on” is held to, I would say The Beat having to become The English Beat.

  21. misterioso

    Big Audio Dynamite to Big Audio Dynamite II to Big Audio.

  22. bostonhistorian

    The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were just The Bosstones in their early days.

  23. sammymaudlin

    The Apples to The Apples in Stereo.

    L to the M to the S baby.

  24. bostonhistorian

    Madness changed their name to The Madness for an album after Mike Barson left the band.

  25. This one is phonetic, and thus probably will not count but…

    When “The Dream” found another band with the same name, they became “Extreme.”

  26. alexmagic

    Does The Charlatans being the Charlatans UK in America count?

  27. BigSteve

    Crosby Stills & Nash to Crosby Stills Nash & Young.

  28. misterioso

    The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band to Bonzo Dog Band. And let me preemptively lay claim to all subsequent variations as well.

  29. mockcarr

    If you can add letters then, the Bangs became the Bangles, and sadly, likely a lot less loose. Easier to type than say.

  30. Electric Light Orchestra became ELO II, which turned back into ELO only to become The Orchestra. Ugh. did anybody ever go see The Orchestra? I suppose I should go ahead and disqualify this suggestion as we all know that ELO II and The Orchestra were cash-ins post-Lynne. I just wanted to bring up The Orchestra.

    TB

  31. The Talking Heads to just The Heads. w/o David Byrne of course. David did not the humour in the name of thier album No Talking Just Head.

  32. The Orchestra is indeed disqualified, making mockcarr the LMS, until…

    Armada changed its name to Rod Torfulson’s Armada

  33. Rod Torfulson’s Armada changed its name to Rod Torfulson’s Armada Featuring Herman Menderchuk.

  34. How about the Southern Death Cult -> Death Cult -> The Cult we all know from She Sells Sanctuary, Love Removal Machine?

    I’ve been lurking and waiting for such a (not so) grand entrance.

  35. Nice entry into the fray, k. You can proudly claim to be the Last Man Standing, for now….

    …I got nothing.

  36. hrrundivbakshi

    Can I have a ruling? Bob Seger System to just plain old Bob Seger.

  37. hrrundivbakshi

    Belay that ruling — I have a corker in reserve. The Five Stairsteps (of “Ooh Child” fame) later became simply “Stairsteps.”

    I am the last man standing!

  38. alexmagic

    TB – I did, in fact, see an “ELO II” show before they had to change their name to The Orchestra. I think I was a victim of karmic retribution a few years later when Lynne canceled his abbreviated ELO “Zoom” tour shortly before it made its way here.

    Ambrose Slade -> Slade

  39. Oh, Oh. How about John Couger Melloncamp to John Melloncamp?

  40. bostonhistorian

    The Parliaments to Parliament to Parliament Funkadelic

  41. I disqualify myself, but I want to take this off the table: Spinal Tap to Spinal Tap Mark 2.

  42. While we’re at it:
    The Originals –> The New Originals

  43. bostonhistorian

    Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels to Detroit, which released a great cover of Sweet Jane.

  44. hrrundivbakshi

    Johnny Cougar to John Cougar Mellencamp.

    LMS!

  45. bostonhistorian

    Herman and the Hermits to Herman’s Hermits

  46. Mr. Moderator

    The Beat –>The English Beat

  47. BigSteve

    Salif Keita’s group The Rail Band, so named because they played at the railway station hotel in the Malian capital, later became the Super Rail Band, and also, not to string this out, Bamako Rail Band and even Super Rail Band of the Buffet Hotel de la Gare, Bamako.

  48. Jean-Paul Sartre Experience –> JPS Experience

    LMS!

  49. Blink 182 were originally called Blink. I’d say they should’ve kept it, but then maybe they should never have started in the first place.

  50. Mr. Moderator

    The Pink Floyd –> Pink Floyd

    Last Man Standing!

  51. bostonhistorian

    The Fabulous Wailers—->The Wailers

  52. BigSteve

    Foetus Under Glass, You’ve Got Foetus On Your Breath and Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel all became just Foetus.

  53. The Easy Cure became The Cure

  54. plasticsun

    Tyrannosaurus Rex to T.Rex? I’m not sure if I’m reading the rules correctly – I don’t suppose “yrannosaurus” is a word.

  55. plasticsun

    Okay here’s one that I believe counts – Pogue Mahone to Pogues

  56. What up, people? How about a little (Chicago) Climax Blues Band?

  57. Oops, the factcheckers tell me it’s actually Climax (Chicago) Blues Band.

  58. bostonhistorian

    The Nipple Erectors became The Nips….what is it with Shane Macgowan bands?

  59. Did that ELO Zoom tour ever actually happen? I know there is a DVD called “Zoom Tour”, but that was just a taping for PBS. I think the tour was cancelled by Sony due to terrible sales for Zoom. I never saw ELO II ir The Orchestra, but I wanted to see Jeff Lynne/ELO on that tour.

    TB

  60. I am kicking myself for not getting some of these. I’m choking big time.

    A brief reminder: The name change had to take place before the band in question made it’s mark. Thus, names like T-Rex and the Pogues count. Names like Detroit and Spinal Tap Mk 2 do not.

  61. Leslie Phillips switched from Christian music to pop and changed her name to Sam Phillips.

    Last Man Standing for at least two minutes!

  62. bostonhistorian

    Okay, I’ve been saving my ace in the hole…Pixies in Panoply became, you guessed it, Pixies

  63. bostonhistorian

    The Spinners are one of those bands which had to change their name for use in another country, like Squeeze having to be “U.K. Squeeze” in the United States for their first couple of albums.

  64. Wham was Wham UK for their 1st album. After Wham, I believe Andrew Ridgely (sp?) changed his name to “mud.”

  65. Chunk became Superchunk. Does them adding a word directly onto their name rather than alongside it disqualify them?

  66. It does not. Congratulations sourbob, you are currently the Last Man Standing.

  67. The Salvation Army –> The Three O’ Clock

  68. what laura says thinks and feels > what laura says

  69. bostonhistorian

    Paul Revere and the Raiders changed their name to “The Raiders” and then scored their biggest hit, Indian Reservation

  70. dios -> dios (malos)

  71. I have a one-letter change:

    Pogo, due to trademark reasons, changed their name to Poco.

  72. misterioso

    Barry and the Remains became The Remains. By the way, anyone seen the documentary that came out last year on them?

  73. the can > can

  74. The Serfers –> Green on Red

  75. the stooges > iggy and the stooges

  76. Chris Stamey and the dB’s –> the dB’s

Lost Password?

 
twitter facebook youtube