• From: Canada.gif
  • Registered: 2002-09-29
  • Posts: 226

Topic: Three vs. 3

I don't mean  to get philosophical over this, but what's up with the interchangeable "Three" and "3" in the bands name on the new record?   I've always found the "3" a bit of a second thought after the "Mojave" name as the band really wanted to go with just "Mojave".   It made sense at first when it was just Neil, Rachel, and Ian as official band members.  But when Simon and Alan joined, well it really lost it's original meaning.   I picked up the new cd at a local HMV that has never carried other M3 cd's to my knowledge and they had made out their new A-Z flap in their POP/ROCK section which read "Mojave Three".   This seemed out of place to me.   I'm just ramblin'......

LouSilva's Website

  • Registered: 2004-04-01
  • Posts: 4

Re: Three vs. 3

i've always assumed it was a reference to the late great Spacemen 3 who also, incidentally grew and reduced band size as times went on

anyway for that reason alone it should definitely be the number rather than the word, but other than that, i like it and think you should just listen to the records, enjoy, and you may find it doesn't really matter anymore... ;-)

  • From: West Country Boy
  • Registered: 2005-12-29
  • Posts: 302

Re: Three vs. 3

I think you'll find that it has nothing to do with Spacemen 3 atall...

The band were called Mojave initially, and had to change it as there was already a German band out there called Mojave - I believe there are some promo CD's of Ask me Tomorrow with just 'Mojave' on them as the band name.

I'm guessing the 'three' came from the fact that three of them were all together in Slowdive previously.

Last edited by inaomutui (2006-06-23 10:35:58)

  • Registered: 2004-04-01
  • Posts: 4

Re: Three vs. 3

ooh...

  • From: germany
  • Registered: 2002-06-05
  • Posts: 205

Re: Three vs. 3

tjw50 wrote:

i've always assumed it was a reference to the late great Spacemen 3 who also, incidentally grew and reduced band size as times went on

yeah, in an (old) interview which i read recently (not sure where i found it) neil said he kind of liked the idea that their name is similar to spaceman 3's., well, both containing the 3.

but i guess what inaomutui says is right nevertheless.

justicia's Website

  • From: germany
  • Registered: 2002-06-05
  • Posts: 205

Re: Three vs. 3

by the way, i've got a nada surf-t-shirt that has a big 03 on it and the name nada surf :-)



how about this ;-) :

Meaning of the Number 3

The number 3 symbolizes the trilogy. The trinity of body-mind-spirit, life-substance-intelligence, force-matter-consciousness, Creation-preservation-resolution. The family-father, mother, and child. The three dimensions. The three postulates-the thinker, the thought, and the thing. The past, present, and the future. Such people are generally fat and optimist. It represents idealism, higher education, foreign travel and religion. The number 3 is number of optimism, movement, and expansion. It is the symbol of Jupiter. The colors that harmonize with the number 3 vibration are: all autumn colors, such as yellow and burnt orange, rust.... also, turquoise and sky blue. The number 3 people often share a love of purple with the number 1 people.

http://www.rajunasrefuge.com/3.html

and here are some more interesting facts and speculations about the number 3:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_%28number%29

they forgot to mention mojave 3 though:

   * Three is important to popular American rock group, The White Stripes, and has become one of the trademarks of their style. Their third single was entitled The Big Three Killed My Baby and in 2005 their lead singer has changed his name to Three Quid.

    * It is also is in the name of many music groups, including Three Dog Night, 3 Doors Down, Three Days Grace, and 3 Inches of Blood. The band (3) uses the number alone as its moniker.

Last edited by justicia (2006-06-27 11:39:10)

justicia's Website

  • From: West Country Boy
  • Registered: 2005-12-29
  • Posts: 302

Re: Three vs. 3

This, on Rachel's myspace site mentions where the band got the name Mojave 3 from....

School Of British Indie Rock
May 17, 2006
Story by: Amanda Farah

College students can now take an academic look at the life of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll with the July release of the textbook Empire of Dirt by Dr. Wendy Fonarow. After 13 years of buddying up to musicians (she is responsible for Mojave 3's name), fans and industry types, and earning a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from UCLA, Dr. Fonarow is now ready to share her in-depth study of the culture of British independent music. With cultural examinations of concerts as representations of contemporary attitudes toward youth and an exploration of the true role of groupies, Empire of Dirt looks less like what is assigned in Sociology 101 and more like the recent slew of books about trends in music (think John Harris' The Last Party and Simon Reynolds' Rip It Out And Start Again).

Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Music will be available for general and academic consumption in July from Wesleyan University Press.

Last edited by inaomutui (2006-07-03 14:20:42)

  • From: West Country Boy
  • Registered: 2005-12-29
  • Posts: 302

Re: Three vs. 3

..but what we need to know is, did she give them just the 'Mojave' or the '3' too? wink

  • Registered: 2006-07-20
  • Posts: 2

Re: Three vs. 3

Hi, here is the story.  I had run into Rachel at Dublin Castle and she asked me to come to the mastering at Abbey Road.  When I got there, Ian, Neil and Rachel were trying to come up with a new name to match the new line-up, new direction, and new label.  Neil and I had discussed the direction of the album and I had reframed it in spatial terms.  So my first suggestion was Mojave as I had always thought that was a beautiful name.  Everyone like it, but we bounced around a few other names.  In looking into it, there had previously been a Mojave and someone else suggested the 3.  It was initially because there were three of them, but it's never as simple as that.  The fact was it resonated, in the same way that the Mojave desert resonated.  It was all in the matter of about 45 minutes that it was all decided.  On the three vs. 3, look into the use of "and" and "&," there are often bands that go between spelling and symbol.  It often has to do with the aesthetics of a particular album cover.

  • From: West Country Boy
  • Registered: 2005-12-29
  • Posts: 302

Re: Three vs. 3

ProfessorW wrote:

Hi, here is the story.  I had run into Rachel at Dublin Castle and she asked me to come to the mastering at Abbey Road.  When I got there, Ian, Neil and Rachel were trying to come up with a new name to match the new line-up, new direction, and new label.  Neil and I had discussed the direction of the album and I had reframed it in spatial terms.  So my first suggestion was Mojave as I had always thought that was a beautiful name.  Everyone like it, but we bounced around a few other names.  In looking into it, there had previously been a Mojave and someone else suggested the 3.  It was initially because there were three of them, but it's never as simple as that.  The fact was it resonated, in the same way that the Mojave desert resonated.  It was all in the matter of about 45 minutes that it was all decided.  On the three vs. 3, look into the use of "and" and "&," there are often bands that go between spelling and symbol.  It often has to do with the aesthetics of a particular album cover.

Thanks very much for that! I take it that you are Wendy Fonarow? I've heard lots of good things about your book, is it possible to order directly from you?

  • Registered: 2006-07-20
  • Posts: 2

Re: Three vs. 3

I know it's on Amazon and available at Barnes and Nobles.  Selling it is probably the only thing the publishers don't have me do myself.  I'm glad to be of help.

Last edited by ProfessorW (2006-08-02 14:17:26)