Bands and brands

[evilC]

This morning, on the way to work, I was briefly stuck behind a courier van belonging to a company by the (heinous) name of 'Quicksilver Messenger Service'.

I actually groaned.

Any other examples of band names being taken in vain?

[Renart]

Bands and brands

Huh. I wonder how many people even get that reference. I didn't realize they were even known much outside the Bay Area. My aunt used to have this Quicksilver Messenger Service poster hanging in one of her bathrooms and as a child I found it very fascinating and befuddling.

The only thing like this I can think of is the sex toy company I see advertised in the back of Harper's called Good Vibrations, but that's named after a song, not a band.

[ursus arctos]

Bands and brands

The Pet Sounds scarf bag.

The California Dreaming bikini.

LA Woman sunglasses.

There are a zillion of these.

[WOM]

Bands and brands

Renart wrote:

I didn't realize they were even known much outside the Bay Area. My aunt used to have this Quicksilver Messenger Service poster hanging in one of her bathrooms and as a child I found it very fascinating and befuddling.

Cool Aunt.

I don't think they had much of an audience anywhere beyond them what's already into the Dead and other Bay Area groups. I just don't think they did much that set anyone's world on fire. They don't fall into the 'criminally underrated' camp like Moby Grape do, by any stretch.

[Renart]

Bands and brands

Yeah, I know I've heard them, but am having trouble remembering their music. Lots of other music from the era is much better known, so I'm wondering if the people behind the U.K. courier service are thinking of it as an inside joke.

My aunt and my parents have lots of old San Francisco rock show posters, of varying quality. My dad worked for the Family Dog (the promotion company) for a while when he first moved to San Francisco. I grew up around this stuff, and it's only as I've grown older that I've realized how cool some of it is.

[WOM]

Bands and brands

Too cool.

[ursus arctos]

Bands and brands

My brother-in-law has a hallway full of Avalon Ballroom posters that pre-date that one. Including some of these.

Wonderful stuff.

I used to have a promotional Moby Grape beret, WoM.

[Renart]

Bands and brands

That's a nice collection, ursus, and some of those are very familiar. The Mouse ones are generally the best, in my opinion. These posters are worth a lot of money now, which causes my papa a great deal of frustration as he wishes he had taken better care/kept better track of his.

(Incidentally, the Thirteenth Floor Elevators and the Sir Douglas Quintet are my favorite bands from this scene. I'm trying to imagine what kind of business you could start using their names.)

[WOM]

Bands and brands

ursus arctos wrote:

I used to have a promotional Moby Grape beret, WoM.

Used to?

No...no, I don't want to know.

[ursus arctos]

Bands and brands

Birthday present to an ex-bassist friend who worshiped them.

She still wears it.

[WOM]

Bands and brands

Whew. That had 'bag of clothes to Oxfam' written all over it.

[Renart]

Bands and brands

More bands should do promotional berets.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Bands and brands

In the interests of accuracy it's worth pointing out that a courier company called 'Quicksilver Messenger Service" was who the band was named after. So in a sense it's bringing the name back home. (Not geographically obviously)

Great live band BTW, never really had a song them bust 'em wide open unfortunately but when Shady Grove shows up on shuffle it still gives me a buzz.

[Alderman Barnes]

Bands and brands

A flatmate of mine achieved one of the high points in his life by asking John Peel to play something by the Quicksilver Messenger Service, a request with which Peel approvingly complied.

I thought it was bloody awful, to be honest.

[linus]

Bands and brands

The QMS are one of those bands that have a very high ratio of great visuals to quality music. I've been pretty disappointed with their music as well despite being a huge fan of that scene.

[dalliance]

Bands and brands

More bands should do promotional berets.

The upshot of this might be a Curiosity Killed The Cat comeback. Not a risk worth taking.

[Renart]

Bands and brands

Ha, I had forgotten about them. According to their wiki:

"Ben Volpelierre-Pierrot was best known for wearing a Frank Spencer-style beret in most pictures of the band. He later revealed it was in fact a peaked fisherman's hat, turned round with the peak to the rear so that it resembled a beret."

All these years and he had me completely fooled!

[adams house cat]

Bands and brands

There used to be a garden maintenance outfit in San Juan County New Mexico called Pure Prairie League. They went bust.

I like Quicksilver Messenger Service.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Bands and brands

Did PPL precede the band?

Then, of course there's the Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company who did.

Precede the band, I mean.

[adams house cat]

Bands and brands

I doubt it. The owner/founder was a fairly young guy. A friend defended him on a DWI. He maybe got the name from his Dad's record collection.