Naming an album after yourself or your band is a very nice, simple route to take, but these 10 artists took the idea of a self-titled album and made it a little more complicated. Here are 10 albums that are partially self-titled.
1. John Lennon - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Though many refer to John Lennon's solo debut as simply Plastic Ono Band, its official title is actually John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, in order to avoid confusion with Yoko Ono's Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, which was recorded and released simultaneously with Lennon's album.
2. The Birthday Party - The Birthday Party (1980)
It may seem as if The Birthday Party is a traditionally eponymous album, but when it was released in 1980, the Birthday Party was still known as the Boys Next Door. The band would change its name after releasing this album, and would later reissue it under their new name.
3. Black Sabbath - Heaven & Hell (1980)
Black Sabbath's Heaven & Hell wasn't at all eponymous when it was released in 1980, but in 2006, the album's line-up of Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice reunited for a tour. In order to avoid confusion with the Ozzy Osbourne-fronted Black Sabbath line-up, the Dio-fronted line-up toured under the name "Heaven & Hell," taken from its 1980 album.
4. Talking Heads - The Name of This Band is Talking Heads (1982)
Any music snob can tell you that the name of the band that wrote "Burning Down The House" isn't "The Talking Heads," but just "Talking Heads." To clarify this point, Talking Heads bluntly titled its 1982 live album The Name of This Band is Talking Heads.
5. My Bloody Valentine - mbv (2013)
As sonically brilliant as My Bloody Valentine is, they've never been that great with titles: For the band's long-awaited third album, it went with the simple acronym mbv. I imagine that if we had to wait for Kevin Shields to come up with a better title, we would have had to wait 10 more years for the album to come out, so I don't really mind it.
6. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst (1996)
Rapper Kool Keith has recorded music under a few different personas, including Dr. Dooom, Black Elvis, and his most famous, Dr. Octagon, a time-travelling surgeon from Jupiter. The first appearance of Dr. Octagon came on Kool Keith's debut solo album Dr. Octagonecologyst, a concept album about Dr. Octagon's surreal adventures in gynecology.
7. Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Album (1996)
Aphex Twin's fourth album is technically named after himself, just not the name everyone knows him by. Aphex Twin's actual name is Richard D. James, and the cover of 1996's The Richard D. James album even features a (creepy) photo of James himself, unusual for an electronic artist.
8. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (2000)
Back when Linkin Park first formed in 1996, it was known as Xero, though it later changed its name to Hybrid Theory, and even released a self-titled EP in 1999. Though the band would soon change its name one final time to Linkin Park, it would recycle the name "Hybrid Theory" for its debut LP.
9. Madvillain - Madvillainy (2004)
Like Kool Keith, MF Doom has released music under many names, but perhaps his most acclaimed project is Madvillain, a collaboration with rapper/producer Madlib. Though the cover of the duo's debut LP simply reads "Madvillain" above a photo of MF Doom, the title is actually very slightly different: Madvillainy.
10. Minus The Bear - Menos El Oso (2005)
The title of the second album by Seattle math rock band Minus The Bear is simply a Spanish translation of the band's name: Menos El Oso. It would be as if Los Lobos released an album titled The Wolves.
What are some other albums that are only partially self-titled? Let us know in the comments section!
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