“Operation: Mindcrime” always struck me as a cool title. The album itself ain’t bad either. Or maybe I just like Queensryche a little too much.
The Ween album is properly titled: “God, Ween, Satan: The Oneness.” I love Ween!
Industrial bands have fun album names: “Burnout at the Hydrogen Bar” and “Magnetic Field Remixes” by ChemLab, for instance. I could go on the one-word KMFDM titles for hours: Naive, XTORT, Nihil, Opium, Money, Angst, Agogo, Retro, Adios. And their singles: Brute, Power, Split, Vogue, Light, Virus, Godlike, Rules, Sucks. I guess since we’re doing German industrial, I have to give props to Rammstein: Herzeleid (“Wrong Heart”) and Senschuct (“Longing”). The English translations aren’t necessarily so cool, but the German is fun to say.
-Ben
More great “not really an album title” album titles: Intravenus de Milo Smell the Glove Shark Sandwich, and Spinal Tap Sings “Listen to the Flower People” and Other Favorites
I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned ELO’s No Anwser. Not exactly witty or euphonious, but it’s got a great story behind it.
I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink Merle Haggard The Birth of the Cool Miles Davis Regretfully Yours Superdrag Plastic Seat Sweat Southern Culture on the Skids
Hark the Village Wait
Please to See the King
Below the Salt
Commoner’s Crown
Parcel of Rogues
Now We Are Six
Ten Man Mop or Mr Reservoir Butler Rides Again (no, I don’t know what it means either) Bedlam Born
Well, I’d have to say: Rock and Roll Killing Machine by Drowningman. Actually, their other titles Still Loves You and How They Light Cigarettes in Prison aren’t bad either. Answer That and Stay Fashionable - AFI
S&M Airlines - NOFX
MY Father, My King - Mogwai
By citing the V-Roys, Ben reminded me of a couple more:
Just Add Ice - the V-Roys first album
and while it wasn’t his strongest effort, Steve Earle’s live album Shut Up and Die Like and Aviator had a great title!
The Harder They Come, The Harder I Get - Ted Nugent The Shit Hits The Fans - The Replacements (live release) You’re Getting Even While I’m Getting Odd - J. Giels Band, which gets bonus points for including the song title “Californication”, predating RHCP by over a decade. Sheik Yerbouti - Frank Zappa
For sheer juvenile tastelessness:
Beyond the Valley of the Assfuckers - The Queers Let 'em Eat Pussy - Nashville Pussy
And my favorite conversation with a radio station phone screener went something like this:
(Phoning in a suggestion for the all album show)
Me: Next week could you play Something Else By The Kinks?
Screener: Sure, what do you want to hear?
Me:Something Else By The Kinks
Screener: I know, but you gotta be more specific…
A real-life who’s on first moment.
Who’s Next and Who’s Last could fall into that trap as well.
Other titles with great (well, interesting) stories behind them.
“Best of the Beatles”: This is an album put out by Pete Best, the original drummer of the Beatles. Some would say intentionally misleading, but whatcha gonna do: The guy’s name IS Best.
“U2”: This is an album by a band called Negativland. They put the U2 REAL BIG, and the Negativland [sub]real small.[/sub] They thought it was real funny. U2’s label didn’t.
“John Henry”: This is an album put out by They Might Be Giants. TMBG used to be just two guys, making most of their music with the aid of synthesizers and drum machines. This was there first album with the help of a “real” band: guitar player, bass player, drummer. (Those who know the story of John Henry will recall a tale of a man who sought to prove that people were better than machines, and did so, only to have it be the last thing he ever did.) Oddly enough, this was not their last album.
Somebody else mentioned the Vandals a while back. I’m not really a huge fan of their stuff, but I’ve always liked one of their album titles: When in Rome, Do as the Vandals Do
of the V-Roys