Friday, March 31, 2017

The Sound And The Fury: Band Logos!


Martinex1: We talk about graphic art a lot, but usually in terms of comics and related materials.  But what about the logos for our favorite bands?   Our friend Doug suggested this topic, and we are happy to oblige.  

What are your favorite band logos?   What were the best and what were the worst?   How many t-shirts did you have emblazoned with the emblems?  Some bands had more than one recognizable logo.  Some were iconic and some were really forgettable - what do you think about these images?

Share your thoughts on any and all band logos today!   Here are just a few to get your thoughts racing!











































17 comments:

Charlie Horse 47 said...

Cool subject! "Who" was always my fav logo. The upward arrow seemed to mirror Townsend's guitar "wind mill" in some way.

Still got my Stones 83 concert shirt. Was contemplating wearing it to embarrass my kids. Most teens and under have heard of Beatles and at least some Beatles songs; they may have heard of the Stones; and generally they have never heard of the other bands above based on informal polls done shuttling kids and their friends to various events. What a difference a generation makes. Then again, I don't break out "The Ink Spots" either, LOL.

Anonymous said...

The one that immediately sprang to mind was the Rolling Stones tongue logo. I'll also mention the ABBA logo which had the two B's back-to-back.

Humanbelly said...

It's like flipping through the album racks in the record department, isn't it?
KANSAS sticks in my mind, although that may be as much from their cover art as it is from their logo. . .

As I scrolled down, I was getting worried that you weren't going to have the Beatles repped-- although that would be kind of understandable, since over the single decade-ish of their career they rather pointedly didn't settle into or rely on one trademarked logo or image. . .

HB

Anonymous said...
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david_b said...

Whaaaat, no Monkees guitar logo..? Sheesh guys, you're killin' me here. :)

Anonymous said...
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ColinBray said...

Now you're talking! There is a stage in everyone's life when the only purpose in forming a band is to design the band logo.

Fine sample above, but it's hard to see beyond The Specials. I hadn't appreciated before how the Two Tone bands (Madness, Selector, Specials etc.) ripped the Kinks logo. Maybe it was just a coincidence...

For the punkers I would add Dead Kennedys, Misfits, Corrosion of Conformity, Operation Ivy and (especially) Black Flag.

Aphex Twin has a cool logo too. Very partial to that one.

It's only a short step to favorite band t-shirts...

Charlie Horse 47 said...

Likewise! I've read the history behind it, but keep forgetting! Just curious if new bands still have labels given they don't have albums???

Charlie Horse 47 said...

Colin B - please stop with the good memories, you are distracting me from work! I am now joyfully remembering listening to Madonna's song over and over on the beach on the south coast of Spain 30 years ago. And, I prefer those memories to sitting in Chicago where it is 40° and rainy and windy and just generally sucks for weather right now. LOL!

Anonymous said...

Sloppy stenciled CHEAP TRICK. Still have my t-shirt....

Garett said...

The Kinks with the feet is fun! Hadn't seen that before. Kiss is simple but recognizable. Also like Red Hot Chili Peppers and that font for the Doors. At a recent comic con there were classic concert posters for sale, with cool psychedelic colors and letter fonts and imagery. Perhaps concert posters can be a future post subject?

Here's the logo for my band Sweet Vintage Rides: https://www.facebook.com/SweetVintageRides/
I think it works really well with the band name, and we sell t-shirts at our shows. Fans and waitresses at the venues often wear our shirts when we come to town.

Martinex1 said...

Garett thanks for sharing that!

I like the Monkees, Kansas, ABBA, and Cheap Trick suggestions. I should have thought of those. The Monkees in particular was quite good.

There sure are a lot of bands that added wings to their logos - and most of them are "blah" to me.

As far as concert t-shirts, concert posters, album art, etc - keep those thoughts for some of our future Sound and Fury posts! Much more to come in future installments...

Personally I've always liked the Public Image Limited and the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well. Still relatively simple but striking nonetheless.

Mike Wilson said...

Judas Priest and Metallica immediately sprang to mind when I read this.

Humanbelly said...

Styx-!
Did we miss them? They held onto that logo for quite awhile-!

HB

Doug said...

I love all the suggestions, and the post looks great with all the logos. Fun day!

Doug (former card-carrying member of the KISS Army)

Redartz said...

Boy, you all have covered the range well! Can't think of one to add.

Back in the wacky, swingy 70's, I had a Wings belt buckle with that logo above, done up in multicolored glitter.

Back in the cool, edgy 80's, I had a Police concert hat with that logo. And a badge emblem.

Garrett- That Kinks logo is sharp indeed! Never saw it before either.

Graham said...

Those bring back some fond memories. I remember most of those well. Several years ago, my brother (who has all the music talent in the family.....he makes cigar box guitars now) and some of his friends were going to put together a band and they spent more time trying to work up a logo than they did on what music they were going to play. :)

Last week, I saw Chicago on tour......their logo was pretty memorable, too. I remember the different looks it would have on their album covers. Another good one was the R&B band the Commodores.

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