# Why so few "The \_\_\_" bands anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 4, 2002, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923 "2002-09-04T05:40:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/21 "2002-09-05T10:07:42Z")
What about The Whitlams, The Verve, The Charlatans, The Cure, The Wallflowers and The Avalanches? **j\_kat\_251** : I’m overwhelmed by your knowledgeable cynicism and wit. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/22 "2002-09-05T10:12:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elfkin477 \* > \*\*Personally, I don’t like band names with “the” in them. It makes it harder to calogue my cds…I know there are others here that anal, so don’t laugh at me. 🙂 \*\* Uh, you skip the “the” when alphabetizing, you know. That means CDs by “The The” don’t even get included at all! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/23 "2002-09-05T19:26:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by j\_kat\_251 \* > \*\*Notice all the new “The” bands suck ass, whereas for the most part, the 60s and 70s “The” bands were good. \*\* _The Dandy Warhols_ most certainly do not suck. If you want to find a trend to bands that suck look to bands with numbers in their names. The exceptions being _U2_…that is all. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/24 "2002-09-05T21:47:59Z")
808 State isn’t bad. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/25 "2002-09-05T23:05:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adam yax \* > \*\*If you want to find a trend to bands that suck look to bands with numbers in their names. The exceptions being _U2_…that is all. \*\* You got that backwards. 311 _doesn’t_ suck. U2 _does_ suck. You can thank me later for clearing that up 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dryga\_Yes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@Dryga\_Yes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dryga_Yes)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/26 "2002-09-05T23:31:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adam yax \* > \*\*_The Dandy Warhols_ most certainly do not suck. If you want to find a trend to bands that suck look to bands with numbers in their names. The exceptions being _U2_…that is all. \*\* _ **NO.** _ MC5, Spacemen 3, Kid 606, Deltron 3030 and Prefuse 73. You can thank me later. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![riserius1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@riserius1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/riserius1)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/27 "2002-09-06T03:47:35Z")
Even though its members have referred to it with THE in front of it, every single release by the Eagles simply refers to them as Eagles. Chris W ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/28 "2002-09-06T13:17:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adam yax \* > If you want to find a trend to bands that suck look to bands with numbers in their names. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dryga\_Yes \* > _ **NO.** _ > > MC5, Spacemen 3, Kid 606, Deltron 3030 and Prefuse 73. > > You can thank me later. 😉 Good stuff – I also believe you’d be hard pressed to say that any of these bands suck: Mojave 3, 3 Mile Pilot, Dirty 3, Gang of 4, June of '44, 5ive Style, Jurassic 5, Ben Folds 5, And 6 Finger Satellite and 7 seconds both put out about one or two decent albums, as well as a bunch of miserable ones. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/29 "2002-09-06T15:08:37Z")
When we went to see Weezer in San Antonio, we decided to visit my grandparents, who live near the venue. I had called a few days earlier to let them know we were coming, and had mentioned that we were going to see Weezer. Having raised my mother and her siblings through the “The” era of band naming (heself being of the “X and the y’s” era), when we were headed out the door to the concert, she expressed her sincere hope that we would enjoy watching “The Weezers” ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/30 "2002-09-06T22:43:34Z")
The Dropkick Murphys can go either way regarding “the”. I usually put it in because it makes it sound underground and trendy. Other good “The” bands that are kinda new: The Breeders The Dwarves The Verve The Offspring (debate me in another thread if ya hafta) The Queers ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/31 "2002-09-06T23:02:00Z")
Yes I was wondering what the OP was talking about. It seems thanks those untalented hacks “The Strokes”, we have a proliferation of ‘the’ bands nowadays. I can only pray this trend passes quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Lockfist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/838e76/32.png) [@Lockfist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockfist)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2002, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/32 "2002-09-07T05:29:09Z")
**The Haunted** and **The Crown** are excellent bands. The former being a neo-thrash band in the likes of **Slayer** , while the latter chruns out some seriously groovy death-thrash-n-roll… ---
**Author:** ![Genseric](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Genseric](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genseric)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2002, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/33 "2002-09-07T05:52:10Z")
More fairly contemporary “The” bands I just thought of. The Lemonheads The La’s The Jayhawks The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Cardigans The Black Crowes The Goo Goo Dolls The New Radicals ---
**Author:** ![HalberMensch242](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@HalberMensch242](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HalberMensch242)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2002, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/34 "2002-09-07T18:47:16Z")
you guys are also forgetting… The Faint The Black Heart Procession The Delgados The Cancer Conspiracy The Donnas The Used ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/35 "2002-09-08T23:31:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > \*\*Uh, you skip the “the” when alphabetizing, you know. > > That means CDs by “The The” don’t even get included at all! \*\* It would be wrong to leave the “the” out, it’s part of their name. So you have to have them be “Offspring, The” or “Smithereens, The” which looks dumb in my spreadsheets. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/36 "2002-09-09T14:51:16Z")
RealityChuck said: > [@](#): > > True fans of one particular band will recognize that they were usually billed as “The Pink Floyd.” The band went downhill when they stopped using “the.” Pink Floyd started going downhill in 1968? Boy, it’s been one hell of a roller coaster ride, then. I don’t know if I could hold 1973’s legendary _Dark Side of the Moon_ up to 1967’s _Piper at the Gates of Dawn_ without laughing. I always thought most of the early Syd Barrett stuff sounded like a fairly decent imitation of many 60s rock bands, except on _way_ better acid. Barrett’s impending insanity made it all the more tripped-out. Musically, though, I prefer the later stuff. Hell, I think 1994’s _The Division Bell_ is a more enjoyable listen than _Piper_. New & Improved Scott said: > [@](#): > > I actually like The Strokes, The Hives, and The White Stripes. I’m sorry that The rest of you prefer The boybands and The pop tarts and The ego driven shock-rockers and shock-rappers out there today. Uh, did anyone in this thread even allude to a boyband or rapper? Everyone in this thread who didn’t like the bands you mention seems to be waxing nostalgic about older bands whose names started with “the.” For the record, yes, those three bands _do_ suck. Bad. Their lead singers are so annoyingly atrocious that you could put the good qualities of all three together and they still would sound infinitely worse than one raspy Bob Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/37 "2002-09-09T15:59:24Z")
The Smashing Pumpkins The Coral The Vines The Hives The Strokes ---
**Author:** ![Petey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f1d935/32.png) [@Petey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petey)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923/38 "2002-09-09T23:03:53Z")
I’m surprised nobody remembers that in **The Commitments** a character says that all the best bands have a “the” in their name. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-the-___-bands-anymore/126923.md?page=1)