3. Beastie Boys — Thick Like Beyonce’s Leg:
The Beastie Boys’ Mike Diamond stirred up some shit earlier this year when he told British Radio Station XFM that the band originally wanted the title of The Mix-Up to be Thick Like Beyonce’s Leg. How do you go from one the best titles of all-time to The Mix-Up? The old-school Beastie Boys never would have let that happen.
4. Eric Clapton — The Best Guitarist In The World: There’s One In Every Crowd:
In 1975 Eric Clapton tried to name his new album The Best Guitarist In The World: There’s One In Every Crowd as an answer to all of the people who called him “God.” Clapton commented on the situation in Conversations With Eric Clapton:
“[It was going to be called] ‘The Best Guitarist In The World – There’s One In Every Crowd’. They didn’t approve of that one either. I was the only one who thought it would be a good idea. In fact, I’m not sure whether I could have lived with it. Most people would have taken it the wrong way. They would have thought I was being serious. But I am! I am the best fucking guitarist in the world!!(Laughs)”
EC wound up dropping The Best Guitarist In The World part and released the mediocre There’s One In Every Crowd to minor commercial success.
5. Metallica – Metal Up Your Ass:
Metal Up Your Ass started out as the name of a live demo Metallica recorded in 1982. The band liked the title so much that they tried to use it as the name of their first studio album on Megaforce Records. Megaforce rejected both the name and the cover art that the band submitted, leading Metallica to rename the album Kill ‘Em All, which apparently was fine with the label. Confusing.
6. Nirvana – I Hate Myself and Want to Die:
Nirvana wrote I Hate Myself and Want to Die for inclusion on their third studio album. When the time came for Nirvana to name it, Kurt Cobain suggested I Hate Myself and Want to Die. Ironically, Cobain later decided against the title because he feared the sarcasm of the title would be lost on some fans and critics. Not only didn’t the title stick, but the song itself was cut from the album that eventually became In Utero. The track finally was released on the Beavis and Butthead Experience compilation just before Cobain hated himself enough to die.
7. Bryan Adams – Hasn’t Heard of You Either:
Believe it or not there was a time when people weren’t familiar with the name Bryan Adams. Adams’ debut album sold so poorly that the Canadian rocker decided to call his sophomore release “Bryan Adams Hasn’t Heard of You Either.” A&M considered the title “too provocative,” leading Adams to rename the album You Want It You Got It. Just a few short years later Adams would hit the big time by releasing an incredible string of hit records before jumping the shark in 1991 with the release of the super corny (Everything I Do) I Do It For You.
8. Alice In Chains – Tripod:
When we told Team HLA about this B List our buddy bl002e brought up Alice In Chains’ eponymous album from 1995. The cover art for the album features a three legged dog, leading most AIC fans to refer to this release as Tripod. We can’t really confirm that Alice In Chains actually intended to name the album Tripod, but we did come across a few websites say “originally titled Tripod” when talking about the album. If that works for Wikipedia that works for us.
Do you know of any other rejected album titles? Let us know with a comment…
5 Responses
Trey wanted to name Shine, “A Circular Dive.”
Not an album title, but did you know that Joan Jett wrote “I Hate Myself For Loving You” as “I Hate Myself Because I Can’t Get Laid”? Her producer Kenny Laguna told us the story in a Songfacts interview, and I’ve had greater respect for Joan ever since. Desmond Child, who helped smooth out Aerosmith and Bon Jovi, convinced her to put “Love” in the title for the purpose of making a hit.
Really, shrooms? I heard Shine was originally titled “A Career Nose Dive.”
I heard Shine was “Shit”
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r134/johnnygoff/jackson_millie.jpg
this is one of my faves here…millie.