My Favorite Band Logos

Ever since I was scribbling the Led Zeppelin logo on my Trapper Keeper as a kid, I have been interested in rock band logos. Here's a few thoughts on some of them. However, I should mention that my favorites are not necessarily the most recognizable. For example, I think the Rolling Stones lips logo would never have been considered so great if it were the trademark for say, Wild Cherry or Seals & Crofts. If you want to see a good definitive list of great band logos go here. If you just want to see a bunch of personal favorites, read on.

As a general rule, I don't like heavy metal logos. I've certainly adorned my fair share of high school notebooks and lockers with their emblems, but they just seem kind of hokey now (i.e. AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Metallica). They sort of remind me of Spinal Tap's cliche trademark. I knew a guy in high school who got a Ratt tattoo. Man, I bet he's regretting that decision now.

I will make an exception for KISS. For some reason, their logo is just awesome to look at up on stage and really exemplifies the grandeur of the band. You could spell "smurf" in this font and it would look cool.

I really like the logo for The Cramps. It's reminiscent of those EC horror comics like Tales from the Crypt - a really cool look that is often imitated (i.e. The Misfits and the legions of other horror themed bands). One look at a Cramps album cover and you pretty much know what you're in for.

Wearing a Carpenters t-shirt was a sure fire way to get your ass kicked in junior high, but I cannot tell a lie - I dig their logo.

For some reason, one of my favorite quotes of all time is from the 1999 MTV Music Awards when Jim Carey said "Would it kill you to play a little Foghat?" Amen, brother. MTV could use a little Foghat these days. Their logo is awesome too.

Fleetwood Mac's logo looks a lot like Led Zeppelin's (which looks like the Yardbirds), but if I had to choose, I'd pick Zeppelin's as a favorite. This is an example of where the lettering is a bit fancy, but not too much - some bands put so much detail into their name that I can barely read it (like the logo for the Quicksilver Messenger Service). Zep's angel image is pretty cool too, but not as good as The Grateful Dead's skull.

The Commodores have a logo that is just too tricked out - I think simplistic logos like the Nike swoosh are the way to go, not gigantic shiny metallic behemoths. Of course, this was the late seventies.

You have to also consider whether the logo matches the music. If the Captain & Tennille had a font similar to the Commodores (or worse, The Cramps... egad!) it would completely misrepresent the music. Thus, their swirly cursive fits the duo perfectly.