Hepcat421: Beck and Bjork are not bands. I won’t comment on the bands that I feel support Mr Bangs’ point. Like Korn, Slipknot, Audioslave… OK, maybe I will… just a bit.
Odds.
Sigh… people are always dissin’ my boys in Styx. I love them.
Critically acclaimed as good, huh? Just about across the board every band/musician the critics love I think is overrated, and the ones I like they dismiss, so I don’t think I can help you out on this one.
Bands I really dig (and some have already been mentioned) are:
Styx
Journey
Triumph
Rush
Foreigner
Zebra
Queen
Aerosmith
Asia
Genesis
Gotthard
TNT
Tyketto
Yes
Streets
Tesla
Transatlantic
Now to be fair, we should just stick with one name bands that were around prior to Lester Bangs’ quote.
How was Yes overlooked?
Sublime
Goldfinger
Offspring
?
They seem to be succesful/good.
According to their albums it’s Ramones not The Ramones
Devo
James
Hum
Pavement
It should also be remembered that Bangs himself was in a band called … Birdland (one word). And yes, they were indeed pretty ordinary 
Lester Bangs… now that’s a funny name!
Holy Crap. You mean I’m not the ONLY one who has heard of Tyketto? You, sir, have excellent taste in music. 
More one-word bands, excluding those with a The:
Ricochet
Nelson
Fastball
Animotion
BR-549?
Cinderella
Whitesnake
Roxette
Firehouse
Icehouse
Lifehouse
Wayne
Republica
Ratt
Winger
Sevendust
Autograph
Haddaway
Shenandoah
Steppenwolf
How 'bout:
Kraftwerk
Lush
Low
Mogwai
Japan
Main
Looper
James
Godflesh
X
Fear
Electronic
Delerium
Curve
Coil
Can
Autechre
Rapoon (woo! Yay Rapoon! … oops, got carried away there.)
Recoil
Rush
Scorn
Seefeel
Slowdive
Moose
Yello
and on and on and on…
NOFX
Dope
Godsmack
Queen
Pantera (and a damn fine automobile, I may add)
Soulfly
Journey
and would “Creedence” count?
a few off the top of my head, with out looking in my CDs, and trying not to repeat.
Do compound word name bands really count? I’d say that is a slight grey area.
What about bands that insist on one name but every one calls them ‘the ______’? For example ‘Ramones’ vs. ‘The Ramones’. Is this because the band is actually good and would therefore violate the rule if we didn’t attach the ‘the’?
By the way, most of the one name bands that people have provided as counterexamples I’ve never heard of or at least haven’t really heard them. I’d say that means they suck. (OK, I’m kidding).
Has no one mentioned Eurhythmics?
Looks like Lester was an idiot. If you say Queen is a bad band, you don’t deserve to own a cd player.
Has no one mentioned Eurythmics?
Looks like Lester was an idiot. If you say Queen is a bad band, you don’t deserve to own a cd player.
Deicide, Therion, Nightwish, Megadeth, and Joydrop all come to mind as counterexamples.
Dammit, now you got me started…
Biohazard, Testament, Clutch, Tristania, Sirenia, Amorphis, Brujeria, Opeth, Nile, Samael, Annihilator, Sepultura, Death, Kansas, Kittie, Disturbed, Emperor, Satyricon, Impaled, Regurgitate, Mortician, Discount, Jawbreaker, Brad, Candlebox, Collide, Crisis, Petra, Gorgoroth, Tiamat, Zao, Yattering, Terrorizer, Tree, Underoath, Naglfar, Nasum, Soilwork, Rhapsody, Kamelot, Macabre, Immortal, Edenbridge, Dredg, Decapitated, Darkane, Carcass, Cathedral, Winter, Vomitory, Vader, Skinless, Suffocation, Overkill, Obituary, Mastodon, Marduk, Incantation, Fleshgrind, Exhumed, Deceased, Dismember, Carnage, Brutality, Beherit, Berzerker, Siebenburgen, Rage, Adagio, Anthrax, Queensryche…
Not all critically acclaimed, but they’re not all bad, either.
I can’t find the quote. Can anybody else?
Not mentioned yet (going through my MP3 list at work):
Blindside
Dio (not sure if this counts since he is often referenced by his full name Ronnie James Dio)
Dokken
Endo
Haste
Mudvayne
Mushroomhead
Nickelback
Peach
Pitchshifter
Prime
Rainbow
Skrape
Stereomud
Switched
Systematic
Taproot