New kids on the block

Name game: New Kids, others have been around that block
new kids on the block

Had the members of New Kids on the Block realized they’d still be recording 20 years after You Got It (The Right Stuff), they might have chosen a different name.

With this week’s release of Summertime, the group’s first single since 1994, the reunited New Kids (aka NKOTB) are no longer new or kids. Demographically speaking, they might more accurately be called New Dads in the Gated Community. For USA TODAY, Brian Mansfield examines how six other acts have played the name game of obsolescence.

The Beach Boys The year: 1961The problem: CredibilityThe (attempted) solution: As Brian Wilson grew more serious about crafting miniature pop symphonies like Pet Sounds and Smile, some critics had difficulty getting past the group’s name and its carefree early records. Eventually, the music won over most doubters, and when the nostalgia wave hit in the ’70s, the name was golden again.

The Young Rascals The year: 1964The problem: A British band with a similar nameThe (attempted) solution: When The Rascals signed to Atlantic Records in the ’60s, Borrah Minevitch and his Harmonica Rascals objected to the newcomers’ name. So the group’s manager changed it to the Young Rascals, much to the chagrin of a band that aspired to more than teen stardom. After two years of hits like Good Lovin’ and Groovin’, the group reverted to The Rascals and continued with an additional two years of hits, including A Beautiful Morning and People Got to Be Free.

The Grateful Dead The year: 1965The problem: It’s difficult to stay grateful when your members actually start dying.The (attempted) solution: After losing guitarist Jerry Garcia in 1995, members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann continued to perform, first as the Other Ones, then as simply The Dead.

Jefferson Airplane The year: 1965The problem: Changing members, changing timesThe (attempted) solution: The San Francisco rockers most famous for White Rabbit and Somebody to Love had splintered by 1974. Singer Grace Slick and guitarist Paul Kantner rebuilt under the name Jefferson Starship. When Kantner left in 1984, “Jefferson” went, too, and the group went on to have its biggest commercial successes with hits such as Sara and We Built This City. Versions of Starship and Jefferson Starship remain active.

The Jackson 5 The year: 1966The problem: Changing numbers.The (attempted) solution: The siblings eventually included six brothers and three sisters. With Jermaine Jackson staying at Motown when the rest of the group moved to CBS in 1975, and with Michael Jackson eyeing a solo career, changing the name to The Jacksons allowed the actual lineup to be more fluid.

Backstreet Boys The year: 1993The problem: Outgrowing the name. As country singer Trace Adkins observed on The Celebrity Apprentice, “Aren’t the Backstreet Boys, like, Backstreet Old Guys now?”The (attempted) solution: Nick Carter and Brian Littrell have released solo side projects; Kevin Richardson left the group in 2006. With three of the four members now in their 30s, they continue to record and tour as Boys, though at a more modest level than during their stadium-filling heyday.
via AP