Twenty-two years ago, a trio of guys out of East Orange, New Jersey, calling themselves New Style released a nearly un-listenable record. Independent Leaders had a few decent tracks, but it wasn't until budding producer Queen Latifah took them under her wing, and the band started calling themselves Naughty by Nature, that things really took off. On Tuesday, NBN--one of the first acts to have any sort of crossover hip-hop and pop success, let alone a lineup of No. 1 hits--released its first album as a full group in 12 years. And hearing the name again got us thinking: What other bands have torn up their original names in favor of something with a little more punch than say, "The New Yardbirds?"
Turns out the history of pop music is pretty much littered with band names that just didn't cut it. Here are 15 of the worst offenders, all mixed up. How many of them can you get?
| Band Name | Original Name |
| 1. Coldplay | a. Xero |
| 2. Green Day | b. Manic Subsidal |
| 3. Linkin Park | c. Kara's Flowers |
| 4. The Offspring | d. Teen King and the Emergencies |
| 5. Pearl Jam | e. The Young Aborigines |
| 6. Queen | f. The Quarrymen |
| 7. Radiohead | g. Sweet Children |
| 8. Sum41 | h. The Sex Maggots |
| 9. The Beatles | i. Naked Toddler |
| 10. The Eagles | j. Mookie Blaylock |
| 11. Maroon 5 | k. Starfish |
| 12. They Might Be Giants | l. Kaspir (a NOFX cover band) |
| 13. Beastie Boys | m. El Grupo De Rock And Roll |
| 14. Creed | n. Smile |
| 15. Goo Goo Dolls | o. On a Friday |
| Key: 1k, 2g, 3a, 4b, 5j, 6n, 7o, 8l, 9f, 10d, 11c, 12m, 13e, 14i, 15h | |