The name of this band is Talking Heads

The Onion AV Club has a list of ten successful musical artists with terrible names. Although Jethro Tull is on the list, I don't think their name is that bad -- actually, I kind of like it.

[UPDATE/FOOTNOTE: The author says that "Jethro Tull" is a poor band name because everyone thinks somebody in the band is named "Jethro Tull." At this moment I feel obligated to admit that I just recently learned the truth about the Marshall Tucker Band.]

Def Leppard (originally known as Atomic Mass, says Wikipedia!) has to be on that list, for two primary reasons:

∙Spell it correctly, and its stupidity is even more apparent.
∙It was a painfully obvious ripoff of Led Zeppelin to begin with. It's practically a cryptogram (albeit a bad one) of "Led Zeppelin".

Other bad ones: Squeeze (allegedly no one in the band will admit that he is the person who named it, although sources claim it has to be Chris Difford), Cheap Trick, Spoon, Superchunk (sorry, Matt).

Trend that must end: Band names that could be "Before & After" puzzles on Wheel of Fortune. These would be the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Deathray Davies, etc. (Free pass for Camper Van Beethoven for being 15-20 years ahead of the curve.)

Name I used to think was lame, but now I think is pretty good: Screaming Trees.

Pretty bad name which has long since transcended its triviality: The Beatles.


FMFM, last week in the desert: The glorious original Motown 8-track masters of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," in contraband ProTools version (thanks to a record producer friend). Yes, I got to sit there and mix this fabulous record myself, 20 times in a row. The two-drummer lock sounded like a pair of seven-footers in the paint who somehow don't run into each other; the mysteries of James Jamerson's timing will never cease to amaze me; the funky piano sneaks up with that memorable triplet lick going into the bridge; and best of all, Marvin's foot is constantly slamming into the floor throughout the song as his vocal pushes into the red. Incredible. My musical high point of 2006. No way anything will challenge it.