Misleading band names

[PeterG]

In other words, band names that made you think of a type of music the first time you heard the name that you then realised was very different to the music they played once you'd heard it.

A few that immediately spring to mind are:

Grand Funk (Railroad) - I expected funk, disco
Jackson Heights - I expected soul, R n B, disco
Molly Hatchet - I expected heavy metal...but that was also to do with their violent album photos
The Rods - I thought, "oh God hot rodders or rockabillies" as these 3 geezers come on stage in very unmetal gear, and so I expected a boogie/bluesy/rock n roll/bar band...but then they started playing...bloody hell!!! I still think of them as America's Motorhead. Fantastic!

[Dave (in MA)]

Nels Cline Singers
Eagles of Death Metal
Ben Folds Five
Alice Cooper
J. Geils Band

[GuitarGeek]

J. Geils Band

How is their name misleading?

[Dave (in MA)]

How is their name misleading?

They kicked him out.

[JKL2000]

Iron Maiden (Much more lightweight and melodic than I expected. I didn't know they were basically power metal.)

[Gruno]

Slaughter.

The band is named after the real last name of the lead singer, Mark Slaughter. However, I knew what type of music they were making since I was friends with them. The first name they were thinking of was Slaughterhouse.

[Mythos]

Jethro Tull, which guy is Jethro again?

Queen....nevermind..

[jake]

Jackson Heights - I expected soul, R n B, disco

I would expect Bollywood music or Bhangra but there ye go.

[Progbear]

10,000 Maniacs.

[The Dark Elf]

Pink Floyd. For a band named after Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, they were not, strictly speaking, ever a blues band.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer. They were not a law firm.
The Moody Blues. Rarely moody, never blues.
Lynyrd Skynyrd. Never taught dodge ball in a gym class.
Gentle Giant. They weren't very tall at all. Little fellas, actually.

[Adrian]

Snarky Puppy. I'd expect something like a punk band, not a fusion-ish one.

[frinspar]

Iron Maiden (Much more lightweight and melodic than I expected. I didn't know they were basically power metal.)

I call shenanigans. There was nothing heavier at the time to reasonably lead anyone to expect something any more extreme.

Unless you only heard of them 5 years ago after bingeing on Obituary and Carcass.

[JKL2000]

I call shenanigans. There was nothing heavier at the time to reasonably lead anyone to expect something any more extreme.

Unless you only heard of them 5 years ago after bingeing on Obituary and Carcass.

I didn't hear any of their music until the mid 90s.

[JKL2000]

I would expect Bollywood music or Bhangra but there ye go.

LOL

Steely Dan - didn't actually have anything to do with a motorized dildo

[zombywoof]

Barenaked Ladies

[yoyiceu]

The Pretty Things

[rcarlberg]

Gong. Only occasionally used one.
Hafler Trio. Not three guys.
The Soft Machine. Rarely soft.
Mahavishnu Orchestra. Not sitar.
Pierre Moerlen's Gong. Should've been called Pierre Moerlen's Vibe.

[PeterG]

Iron Maiden (Much more lightweight and melodic than I expected. I didn't know they were basically power metal.)

They were never power metal. They started almost as a punk band, then morphed into one of the rawest of the nwobhm bands.

[PeterG]

Jethro Tull, which guy is Jethro again?

Queen....nevermind..

Why are those names misleading in relation to their music?

Jethro Tull is a perfect name for a folky, rootsy band, if you know who the real Jethro Tull was.

[Scott Bails]

Snarky Puppy. I'd expect something like a punk band, not a fusion-ish one.

Good call.


Collective Soul - Not an R&B band, it turns out.

[PeterG]

Pink Floyd. For a band named after Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, they were not, strictly speaking, ever a blues band.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer. They were not a law firm.
The Moody Blues. Rarely moody, never blues.
Lynyrd Skynyrd. Never taught dodge ball in a gym class.
Gentle Giant. They weren't very tall at all. Little fellas, actually.

hhmmmm...I think you've kind of missed the point of the thread. It isn't analysis of the names, it is how the names sit with the music.
Moody Blues I think was an ideal name for them, they were moody at times and they were blue at times.
Leonard Skinner was I beleive an Alabama teacher, and Lynyrd Skynyrd played Alabama rock.....couldn't be more appropriate unless they called themselves Alabama....but that band name was already taken

[Mister Triscuits]

I keep hearing stories about people who think the Grateful Dead were some kind of satanic heavy metal band, when they were really more



than

[PeterG]

Snarky Puppy. I'd expect something like a punk band, not a fusion-ish one.

Best call so far. First time I listened to them was only about a year ago, and I was totally expecting some sort of industrial, techno, EBM. I think a lot of people get fooled by the name Snarky Puppy because of its similarity to the name of the dark-avant industrial band Skinny Puppy.

[The Dark Elf]

The Stooges. Not one of them was named Larry, Moe or Curly. There wasn't even a Shemp.
Mothers of Invention. Not a pair of tits among them.
Steppenwolf. Herman Hesse never formed a rock band.

[The Dark Elf]

hhmmmm...I think you've kind of missed the point of the thread.

I think you missed the point that I don't care.