Intelligent Life On Planet Rock
Your Favourite album TITLES ever!
Posted by Five-Centres on 8 April 2009 - 9:11am.
Forget the music, some titles are ace.
Still on a Hall & Oates tip, I'll go for Abandoned Luncheonette, and add Weasels Ripped My Flesh and I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight.
And you?
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Tom Waits
Swordfishtrombones.
When asked what it meant....
.....Waits said something like " it's either an instrument that smells or a noisy fish".
Jem Finer from The Pogues has a different theory along the lines that Waits was showing a picture book to his youngest child, and on one page was a picture of a Swordfish, and the next was a picture of a Trombone. (Alphabet book?)
The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld
sets the tone of the album perfectly.
and you KNOW you can't go wrong with albums called 'The Clones Of Dr Funkenstein', 'The Motor Booty Affair' and 'Trombipulation', right?
swordfishtrombipulation
would have been a great album wouldn't it?
Sweet baby jeebers
the idea of a world in which Tom Waits and Parliament collaborated circa 1981 renders me quite, quite giddy.
Visions Of The Emerald Beyond
...is pretty up-there for chutzpah and laying down of the gauntlet of epicness and wizardry, all duly delivered. But I agree about Swordfishtrombones - what a fabulous, instantly memorable piece of absurdity. The best thing he's ever done (ie the title, not the music - can't stand his music, personally).
Phatts and Small's
"Now Phatt's What I Small Music"...
The Word had it as the best album title in an issue moons ago
but hats off to it, it never fails to make me smile.
Kirsty MacColl's Electric Landlady
According to classic albums...
.. the Hendrix album originally came back from the designers with the title misprinted as Landlady.
Throbbing Gristle
"20 Jazz-Funk Greats" - perfect, just perfect.
An honourable mention goes to Wire's "A Bell Is A Cup (Until It Is Struck)"
I think most of Zappas titles are pretty inspired.
Just a shame about much of the content.
1966 Freak Out!
1967 Absolutely Free
1968 We're Only in It for the Money
1968 Lumpy Gravy
1968 Cruising with Ruben & the Jets
1969 Uncle Meat
1969 Hot Rats
1970 Weasels Ripped My Flesh
All entirely satisfactory titles and entertaining sleeves to boot.
Lalo Schriffin
I always liked Film/TV soundtrack man Schiffrin's "There's A Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On "
Geoff Mann
Inspired Manc master of wobble, and curate in the C of E, came up with some great punning titles in the 80s.
Chants Would Be A Fine Thing
I May Sing Grace
Psalm Enchanted Evening
Prints of Peace
Still miss him, may the great Mann rest in peace
And in the same spirit as Lalo & Geoff...
...you have to admire Val Doonican's late 60s album title/sleeve combination (sleeve being Val grinning benignly in a rocking chair) called 'Val Doonican Rocks... But Gently'.
'Exile On Main Street'...
you just know the record's going to be ace with a title like that.
always been partial to
'If this is Rock'n'Roll, I want my old job back' by the Saw Doctors.
The Fall
Live At The Witch Trials. You know this will not be your average record.
Also The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead. Provocative. Gives you a good idea of where they're coming from (well, Morrisey at least).
The Nectarine No. 9
I've always had a soft spot for 'A Sea With Three Stars'.
Sounds poetic, but it's also 'C***' - geddit?!
Killdozer
Intellectuals are the Shoeshine Boys of the Ruling Elite
and
Uncompromising War on Art Under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat
are two of my faves.
Break Like The Wind - Spinal Tap
Always raises a smile.
And for sheer pretentious chutzpah I give you China Crisis' "Difficult Shapes and Passive Rhythms (Some People Think it's Fun to Entertain)".
Or "Raoul and the Kings of Spain" - Tears For Fears
Lawnmower Deth
"Oooh Crikey Missus, it's Lawnmower Deth"
A couple - I just like puns
Chris Difford - The Last Temptation of Chris
Sparks - Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins
Another pun
Voice of the Beehive - Honey Lingers (great album too).
I remember them being interviewed on R1
interviewer "...So what does the title 'Honey Lingers' actually mean..."
VOB Ladies "...er..."
Great pop album, too!
Shivaree
I Oughtta Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me Live in This Dump
Van der Graaf
H to He Who Am The Only One
Half Man Half Biscuit
Surely deserving of a mention.....
"C.S.I Ambleside" / "Four Lads Who Shook The Wirral" / "Trouble Over Bridgwater" / "Actung Bono" /"Voyage To The Bottom Of The Road"
Not forgetting
"Back in the DHSS"
Even better...
Cammell Laird Social Club
more
Camel - I Can See Your House From Here
The Fugs - It Crawled into my hand, honest
Leslie Ughams - What's an Ughams? (note: I have never seen or heard this one)
Squeeze - Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti (even better: the tour was called Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti En Routti)
Sp.
This is an Uggams: http://divasneedlove2.blogspot.com/2008/12/leslie-uggams-whats-uggams-19...
Now you can see and hear.
Welcome To Wherever You Are
I always thought Welcome To Wherever You Are was a good title (INXS).
Really?
I've always thought it was a terrible title. Right up there with the worst of the "sounds deep but means nowt" titles (see also Seven and the Ragged Tiger and Yourself or Someone Like You)
Things May Come And Things May Go
But The Art School Dance Goes On Forever.
Good Call...
'ow about the follow up: "Thousands On a Raft"
The ONLY concept album about beans on toast, floating down a river, with Concorde crashed behind them. I kid you not!
A Meal You Can
Shake Hands With In The Dark
Culture Club
I'm no Culture Club fan , but the album titles were excellent:
. Colour by Numbers
. Kissing to be Clever
. Waking Up with the House on Fire
"Visionary Position"
by Panic Room
"Surrender to the Rythm"
by Brinsley Schwarz
"Systematic Chaos"
by Dream Theater
"Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots"
by The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips always have good ones, how about "Transmissions From The Satellite Heart", "In A Priest Driven Ambulance" and "Telepathic Surgery", to name but 3 more.
A Few...
Sisters of Mercy - "Some Girls Wander By Mistake"
Icicle Works - "If You Want to Defeat Your Enemy Sing His Song"
And, of course
Fiona Apple - "When the pawn..."
Greatest Hits
Ought to be as it says on the lid, but how often have these been of 1 low-achieving 45 and some miscellaneous filler. And by the time Volume 3 arrives...........
For sheer ridiculousness alone...
Vigil In The Wilderness Of Mirrors/Fish
"Bouillabaisse"
was the title of Fish's 'best of' comp, which I reckon is a brilliant title!
A Few More
Hairway To Steven - The Butthole Surfers
The Off White Album - Martin Newell
And for norwegian readers only:
Lisa Gikk Til Helvete - Monster Blomster
Sentimental Hygiene
by the late Warren Zevon and The Late Great Townes Van Zandt (by then still alive Townes Van Zandt) released at the ripe age of 28.
I like
PSB minimalism (even that sounds like one of theirs!):
Please
Actually
Introspective
Behaviour
Discography
Very/
Relentless
Alternative
Bilingual
Nightlife
Release
PopArt
Fundamental
Yes
...how cool are they?
Very
Caravan
Cunning Stunts
Popular To Contrary Belief
...by Robin & Barry Dransfield.
honourable mention to the Kursall Flyers comeback album: 'A Tour De Force Is Forced To Tour'.
Thankfully, nobody was forced to listen.
What about some Jazz titles ...
Roland Kirk: We Free Kings
Lee Morgan: The Sidewinder
Dexter Gordon: Our Man in Paris
Oliver Nelson: The Blues and the Abstract Truth
Charles Mingus: The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Hank Mobley: No Room for Squares
nice!
Much as I love TBSATSL
it is trumped by the genius of 'Mingus Ah Um' in the titles stakes.
We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
Death Cab
Doughnut In Granny's Greenhouse
Let's Make Up and Be Friendly
Electro-shock Blues
Jesus Of Cool
The Abominable Showman
Nick Lowe deserves his own wing...
... in the museum of great album titles, not least for his best-of set, "16 All-Time Lowes", and 1977's "Bowi" EP, named of course in response to Bowie's "Low" album...
And whoever thought of calling Bette Midler's greatest hits album "The Best Bette" deserves a pint, too.
I have it
Yo la Tengo- I am not afraid of you and I will kick your ass
A pedant writes
I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass
3 favourites
Microdisney - We hate you South African Bastards - which makes their politics very clear and is bizarrely misleading as to the nature of the music
Talking Heads 2nd album was clearly named in response to their critics - More songs about Buildings and Food.
Which in turn lead to the Undertones More songs about Chocolate and Girls.
3 quite wonderful records.
The Revolution Starts At Closing Time
by the 'seminal' Serious Drinking. Great band name as well. Norwich's answer to HMHB.
Song titles included:
Bobby Moore Was Innocent
Countdown to Bilko
The Weird Son of Angry Bastard
Spirit of '66
(in which 'George Cohen' neatly became 'Leonard Cohen' inviting a delicious vision of Laughing Len jigging on the Wembley turf in a red England shirt)
Album must be worth a fortune now. Came with a free beermat, as I recall.
I preferred...
"They may be drinkers Robin, but they're still human beings"
Viva
Viva Dead Ponies by the Fatima Mansions
Viva Hate by Morrissey
Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot by Sparklehorse
More Morrissey
Your Arsenal
Fence Collective
"The Fall Of The Third Keich".
Keich = a Scottish word for poo.
no one here
spells keech with an 'i'
Keich
It seems King Creosote, James Yorkston, Pictish Trail and the other Fencers spell it that way though.
A Scottish pal tells me...
whatever way you spell it, it doesn't rhyme with Reich
I'll let Nyah Fearties have the final say
A KEECH IN A POKE, FOR NOSEY FOLK! Released in 1994 Cassette album recorded in various locations at various times throughout 1993/94. The first track was recorded in 1990 and sent to the Scottish World Cup squad as a morale booster though never released. There were 3 versions of this tape all with different covers but the same tracks. A version of "Campbleton Loch" was recorded spookily on the same evening that Andy Stewart died! The best tracks from this appear on the "Skud" compilation but overall this tape is pretty patchy with too many instrumentals and an uneven sound
http://www.nyahfearties.co.uk/
Meh
Young people these days ... And aren't all those folk from Fife? My grandma used to say, "They're a' queer in Fife..."
it looks like a pun...
...but the vote from this part of the West of Scotland is to pronounce keech with the same "ee" as "teeth", whether it is spelled keech or keich. So it only looks like a pun. I've never heard it pronounced to rhyme with Reich, anywhere.
Four favourites
Joni Mitchell's "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" - just for the poetry in the title
Stereolab's "Space Age Bachelor Pad Music" - just for doing what it says on the tin
and Julian Cope's "Peggy Suicide" and "Jehovakill" (originally titled "That'll be the Deicide"
Hellbent On Compromise
Can I get a shout out for Mr Edwyn Collins here? Can't say I ever heard the LP in question but I always rated the title very highly. In a sort of "oh Oscar, I wish «I'd» thought of that" kind of way.
I like this one:
"You Bought It - You Name It" by Joe Walsh. I haven't heard it and have no desire to, but a great title it is. When I checked Amazon to see if had remembered it correctly, I found that Mr Walsh also had an album called "The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get". Funny man!
Uncle Joe
is (was?) a genius... listen to all of his albums, especially the live one,,"You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind",.... now THERE'S a title!!
The Doobie Brothers
What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits.
How about...
Lambchop - 'Aw C'mon'/'No, You C'mon'
Nick Lowe - 'Jesus of Cool'
The Flaming Stars - 'Bring Me the Rest of Alfredo Garcia'
Honorary mention to The Who ('Who's Next', 'Who's Last', 'Who are You'...)
Oops, sorry, DogFacedBoy
'Jesus of Cool' had, rightly, already been mentioned. Maybe I should just re-name myself 'Beard', since I clearly can't see the posts properly...
Ian Dury And The Blockheads
New Boots And Panties!!
Licensed To Ill - Beastie Boys
Weapons Of Grass Destruction - Hayseed Dixie
If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle And Sebastian
Wincing The Night Away - The Shins
Nilsson Schmilsson - Harry Nilsson
Illinoise - Sufjan Stevens
Underworld
Dubnobasswithmyheadman
Second Toughest in the Infants
but
SEcond Toughest.....was originally going to be called "Tonight Matthew we're going to be Underworld" which is even better
El-P
I'll Sleep When You're Dead
And cheating slightly as it's an E.P., not an album:
No Education = No Future (Fuck The Curfew) by Mogwai
Pillows & Prayers
...the early-80s Cherry Red comp, sold for next to nothing in hip record stores as far afield as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Nothing like a bit of well-deployed alliteration. I also like the fact that, without being obvious about it, it evokes the mood of the music inside.
Also: Pour Down Like Silver, by Richard & Linda Thompson. Something about that poetic simile, in tandem with the portrait of Richard in exotic Muslim garb on the front (Linda looking stunning on the back), and subtly embossed lettering, make this one of the most evocative and alluring album packages ever.
Roger Buys a Fridge
The Bowles Brothers Band
The Jam
Sound Affects
Snuff
I've always had a soft spot for the full title of snuff's first album 'Snuffsaidbutgorblimeyguvstonemeifhedidntthrowawobblerchachachachachachachachachacha-
chayouregoinghomeinacosmicambience'
I've done this before, but here goes
Psychic, Powerless... Another Man's Sac ~ Butthole Surfers
Creamcorn from the Socket of Davis ~ Butthole Surfers
You Goddamned Son of a Bitch! ~ The Revolting Cocks (also one of my fave videos)
Welcome to Mexico Asshole ~ Pigface
Eat Shit You Fuckin' Redneck ~ Pigface
A Slight Case of Overbombing ~ The Sisters Of Mercy (originally the working title for 10,000 Revs unreleased debut, Chris Starling's old band)
They Came From The Stars I Saw Them
I guess it was inevitable that they would call an album 'We Are All In The Gutter But Some Of Us Are Looking At They Came From The Stars I Saw Them'.
nope
not really
Firesign Theater
Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death.
and more from the above
I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus
Don't Crush That Dwarf
Hand Me the Pliers
How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All
Mo' Jazz, daddi-o
Ornette Coleman Quartet - The Shape Of Jazz To Come
Ornette Coleman - Tomorrow Is The Question!!
Charles Mingus - Mingus, Oh Yeah.
Charles Mingus - The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
Alice Coltrane - P'tah The El-Daoud
Sun Ra - Space Is The Place
and - The Cramps - Gravest Hits.
Ian S, above, reminds me of "album titles that never were"
one Super Furry Animals album was provisionally titled "Text Messaging Is Killing The Pub Quiz As We Know It".
gotta be.... squirrel and
gotta be....
squirrel and g-man 24 hour party people plastic face carn't smile (white out)
second
bummed
third
pills and thrills and bellyaches
fourth
it's great when you're straight (yeah)
It was acceptable in the 80s...
Diamond Life
The Lexicon of Love
Fela Kuti
A purveyor of the finest....
Expensive Shit
Coffin For Head of State (he was in "opposition")
Before I Jump Like Monkey Give Me Banana
Go Shout Plenty
Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense
and of course..... Live in Amsterdam
Flux Of Pink Indians
With their sunnily titled, "The Fucking Cunts Treat Us Like Pricks" was always going to struggle musically to live up to the title...
Should imagine it's a turntable favourite with Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) from "In The Loop" though.
Amon Duul 2
"Hawk Meets Penguin" - although the album title isn't as good as the track names:
"Meditative Music From The Third O Before The Producers" & "One Moment's Anger Is Two Pints Of Blood"
Other faves:
"Ege Bamyasi" - Can
"F# A# (Infinity)" - Godspeed You Black Emperor
"Cleanse, Fold and Manipulate" - Skinny Puppy
Richard Thompson again
for "(guitar, vocal)"
Well, it made me smile. Likewise
"Eponymous" by REM
And for entirely different reasons, I rather like
"The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place" by Explosions in the Sky.
And in a similar vein...
... to the REM title, Marc Almond's (well, Marc & The Mambas') "Untitled" album, which (but of course!) included the title track.
Bowles Bros
Obviously the other person that bought this one. Named for eponymous pedal steel player Roger Rettig - seen pushing his fridge on the textured cover.
Albion Doowah
by Cat Mother and The All-night Newsboys
The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes
by The Very Things
And that's
How we got "Wuthering Heights"
The Shend
is legend, he crops up in The Bill as a heavy every so often.
Only bald fat bloke I saw that fronted a band and looked just right.
Mr. Shend, I salute you!
colossal youth
by young marble giants.
The combination of album title and band name evoked for me an ineffable enigma.
Another one
by Cat Mother and the All Night News Boys
The Street Giveth... and the Street Taketh Away