Chances are you did, with those names being discarded by some of Australia’s biggest bands.

Because one of the most crucial decisions a rock band will ever make is what to call themselves. And it’s surprising how many get it wrong, choosing some bizarre title which, on reflection, they wisely decide to change.

For instance, The Golliwogs, Mookie Blaylock, Smile and The Young Aborigines all switched names early on to become Creedence Clearwater Revival, Pearl Jam, Queen and The Beastie Boys respectively.

There are many Aussie acts which also started life with an unrecognisable name.

Scroll through our flipcards to see who changed either for legal reasons or just due to good old common sense.

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Swinging Monkey Cocks

Became: The Avalanches

MELBOURNE band The Avalanches took a while to pick a name, which they’d eventually borrow from a US surf rock band who only made one album way back in 1963. Ironically The Avalanches are still yet to follow up their only album, 2000’s iconic samplefest Since I Left You. The band initially planned to change their name at every live show and only keep the name they had when a record company signed them. Their first four names were Swinging Monkey Cocks, The Squid Hats, Quentin’s Brittle Bones and Whoops Down Syndrome, but luckily were signed on their fifth band name, The Avalanches.

The 4 Trax

Became: Human Nature

In 1989 The `Naitch formed a doo wop band at school called The 4 Trax, inspired by the names of some of their favourite Motown bands. Still teenagers, they were also singing Motown songs at school concerts. By 1996 they’d signed with Sony Music and updated their name to Human Nature, partially inspired by the Michael Jackson song and partially because singing was in their human nature. Naaawww. In a full circle moment, they’re now again playing Motown songs during a lengthy Las Vegas residency and have never had a line-up change, something many bands inching up to 30 years together can’t claim.

The Mullanes

Became: Crowded House

When Split Enz ended in 1984 Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester (who’d only just joined the band) decided to form a new group. The Mullanes was selected as Mullane is Neil Finn’s middle name and also his mother’s maiden name. Their record label hated the name and also their second suggestion, Largest Living Things. They didn’t choose the name Crowded House until their self-titled album was finished, the moniker inspired by the cramped living conditions at the West Hollywood flat they shared while making the 1986 album that would give the world Don’t Dream It’s Over.

Rishikesh

Became: The Vines

Beatles fans Craig Nicholls and David Olliffe picked the band name Rishikesh from the Indian city where the Fab Four visited an ashram in 1968. But when they started playing gigs in 1994 the name began being misprinted as Rishi Chasms. Nicholls’ father was in a band called The Vynes, so he tweaked the spelling but kept a phonetic tribute. The Vines would go on to grace the cover of American Rolling Stone and score international hits with Get Free, Ride and Highly Evolved.

Farm/Schwampy Moose

Became: Midnight Oil

The DNA of Midnight Oil can be traced back to a teenage Jim Moginie and Rob Hirst in 1971 playing Beatles covers in northern Sydney in a band called Schwampy Moose. In 1976 they chose the name Farm and auditioned for singers, where they met Peter Garrett. The name Midnight Oil was chosen out of a hat, on a piece of paper supplied by former member Peter Watson. He was kicked out of the band soon after giving it the name that would later be chanted across arenas. Well, at least the `Oils!’ bit.

Spiff Rouch

Became: Australian Crawl

IN 1976 James Reyne fronted Spiff Rouch who put on their own gigs in Melbourne’s beachside suburbs. They’d hire a local hall and play for punters. Spiff Rouch featured Reyne, Guy McDonough, Bill McDonough, Simon Binks and Robert Walker. By 1978 Spiff Rouch split into two camps, one becoming The Flatheads, the other Australian Crawl. Reyne said he chose the name to go against the fashion of the time to sound punky or new wave. “We didn’t wanna have a name The Somethings,” he says. “We wanted to stand out. And the other thing was a lot of us had been swimmers. But it had nothing to do with any sense of being Australian or I love Australia.”

The Rattlesnakes

Became: The Bee Gees

BARRY Gibb formed The Rattlesnakes as a skiffle group in Manchester in 1955. His brothers Robin and Maurice would join, as well as some neighbours. Barry Gibb painted the band name on the side of his tea chest bass. The Gibb family moved to Australia in 1958 and met Brisbane DJ Bill Gates. He introduced them to speedway promoter Bill Goode, who booked them to perform in 1960. The name The Bee Gees was chosen as BG were the initials of the two Bills and Barry Gibb, not as a reference to The Brothers Gibb as many believe.

The Moonshine Jug and String Band

Became: The Angels

JOHN and Rick Brewster formed The Moonshine Jug and String Band in 1970, their sound including kazoo and banjo. Doc Neeson joined in 1971 (then known as Doc Talbot) and the band released two singles. In 1974 they changed their name to The Angels, inspired by a barmaid called Angel they met in Adelaide. There’s also a rock myth that Bon Scott told them “The Angels was a catchy name.” They tweaked the name to Keystone Angels due to another band called Red Angel Panic. They played Sunbury in 1975 as The Keystone Angels before dropping Keystone for the release of Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again later that year. They’d later have to become Angel City when signed to a US label due to an American band called The Angel.

The Farriss Brothers

Became: INXS

NOT a particularly inspired name, but there were three Farriss Brothers in their line-up. Legend claims they formed in 1977 on the night Elvis Presley died. They relocated from Sydney to Perth in 1978, playing around the local area. Their manager Garry Morris suggested they change their name once they moved back to Sydney. The name In Excess was one option, which the band changed to INXS to make it shorter and more punchy when used on gig posters. There was talk they would revert back to their original name after singer Michael Hutchence’s death, but realised INXS is a more successful brand, even without its most charismatic member still around.

Crush

Became: Savage Garden

Back in 1993 people still used newspaper classifieds to find like-minded musicians. That’s how Daniel Jones found Darren Hayes. Jones was looking for a singer for Red Edge, a covers band playing on the Gold Coast. They’d soon start writing their own material and chose a new name, Crush. Hayes would later use the name for one of his solo singles. The singer read The Vampire Lestat and was impressed by the line “the mind of each man is a savage garden.”

Allison Gros/Mississippi

Became: Little River Band

NAMED after a folk song song, Allison Gros formed in Adelaide in 1970 and featured Graeham Goble. They moved to Melbourne in 1972 and became Mississippi with new members including Beeb Birtles and Derek Pellicci. By 1975 they’d met singer Glenn Shorrock (from the Twilights) and manager Glenn Wheatley and changed their name to Little River Band after spotting the name while driving to a gig in Geelong. LRB would go on to crack America, although they’d lose the name to a former member in what has become a bitter dispute. A version of LRB, with no original members, now tours the US souring plans for the original band to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

The Runaway Boys

Became: The Living End

IT would not be the last time Chris Cheney and Scott Owen paid tribute to Brian Setzer, with The Runaway Boys taking their name from the Stray Cats’ song Runaway Boys. They morphed from a cover band (playing Clash and Stray Cats songs in a punk/rockabilly style) to The Living End, taking the name from the movie Rock Around the Clock.

Steelemore

Became: Empire of the Sun

WHEN Luke Steele, of the Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau got together they initially just mashed their surnames to christen their new project. Later they’d borrow the name of a JG Ballard novel Empire of the Sun, which was later turned into a film by Steven Spielberg.

Baby Grande

Became: The Church

IN the mid `70s Steve Kilbey and Peter Koppes played in a glam rock band called Baby Grande. A few years and a few bands later and the pair were reunited. Kilbey initially wanted them to be named The Church of Man.

Kid Galahad and the Eternals

Became: The Saints

KID Galahad featured Chris Bailey and Kuepper, taking their name from an Elvis Presley movie. In 1974 they changed the band name to The Saints and developed the style that would see their single I’m Stranded hailed as one of the pioneer punk tracks.

Colours

Became: The Waifs

SISTERS Donna Simpson and Vikki Thorn formed a folk duo, Colours, in 1992, playing Bob Dylan and Everly Brothers tunes. Touring in a Kombi van, they met Josh Cunningham in Broome, inviting him to join after a ten minute jam session. They then changed the band name to The Waifs, a major improvement on Colours. Thankfully they dropped spelling it as WAiFS too.

Innocent Criminals

Became: Silverchair

FORMED in 1992 in Newcastle, Innocent Criminals started entering talent competitions with all members still in their early teens. They were spotted by an SBS TV show called Nomad, who championed an early version of Tomorrow. Signed by Murmur Records, they changed their name to Silverchair inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia. That left Ben Harper free to use Innocent Criminals as the name for his backing band.

Dalsy

Became: The Triffids

DALSY was a name that reflected David McComb and Alan `Alsy’ MacDonald starting a ‘multimedia project’ in Perth in 1976 while they were still in high school. Phil Kalulas would soon join and the band became Blok Music, then Logic before settling on The Triffids in 1978, inspired by the novel The Day of the Triffids.

Duosonic/High Fidelity/Mojo Filter

Became: Jet

INSPIRED by Oasis, You Am I and the Easybeats, Melbourne’s Nic and Chris Cester took a while to find the right name for their band, borrowing it from Paul McCartney and Wings’ 1973 anthem Jet. They’d go on to sell over six million albums on the back of their own anthem, Are You Gonna Go My Way?

Candy Spuds/Spiderbaby

Became: Spiderbait

STRAIGHT outta Finley, Kram, Janet and Whit were Candy Spuds for one night only. Their chosen name, Spiderbaby, was ruined when they found out there was already a US band who’d had the same idea. A slight tweak and Spiderbait was born.

Also

Orange - what Cold Chisel were first known as

The Escorts - the first name for The Seekers

Down the Line - the initial name for Zoot

Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls - a PC uproar saw the name (from Walk on the Wild Side) changed for the US to The Messengers

The Change - became Noiseworks

Living Single - turned into Eurogliders

Temper Temper - The Temper Trap’s first idea for a name

Teenage Radio Stars - an early incarnation of Models

Final Solution - became Died Pretty

Jazz Cat - later turned into The Cat Empire

Fish of the Day - would become Something For Kate

Shy Imposters - morphed into The Sunnyboys

Freud’s Pillow - and you thought Eskimo Joe was a bad name - this was their first idea

Sons of the Vegetal Mother - an early version of Daddy Cool