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The world's biggest bands might all be household names now. But what if they'd continued under the original monikers? Here are the tales of ten mega bands who underwent names changes early on...

Feedback - U2

The Dublin four piece first went out under the name “Feedback” after the wailing sound emanating from a teenage Edge's guitar amplifier. That was soon ditched in favour of The Hype, but still unsatisfied they then settled on U2, which was one of six names suggested to them by a friend. The name refers to the high altitude American spy plane of the same name which was widely used during the Cold War.

The Quarrymen – The Beatles

The Liverpool skiffle group formed by a teenage John Lennon, also featuring Paul McCartney and George Harrison. They tried out other names - Johnny and the Moondogs, Long John and The Beetles and The Silver Beatles, before finally settling on The Beatles in 1960. The insect reference is thought to be a nod to Buddy Holly and The Crickets, of whom the Fab Four were huge fans.

The Detours – The Who

The 60s Mod rockers were formerly The Detours. They then hanged their name to The Who, thanks in part to Pete Townsend's grandmother, who would always refer to popular bands as "The Who?"

However Their first manager renamed them The High Numbers, under which they released one unsuccessful single. When EMI dropped them the band sacked the manager and went back to being called The Who.

Mr Crowe's Garden - The Black Crowes

The Georgia natives originally called themselves Mr. Crowe's Garden, after a favourite children's book. The name change came upon signing with Def American Records in 1989 and was suggested by a producer they were working with at the time.

Starfish – Coldplay

The four University College London students played their first gigs as "Starfish" but then borrowed the name Coldplay from a friend's band that was no longer together. The original Coldplay took the name from a book of collected poems.

Sweet Children - Green Day

The US grunge rockers wisely ditched Sweet Children in favour of Green Day - slang term for spending a day smoking marijuana. Three guesses what singer and main song writer Billie Joe Armstrong was into doing at the time...

Mookie Blaylock – Pearl Jam

The Seattle rockers took their first name in honour of the NBA legend Mookie Blaylock, who played point guard for New Jersey Nets and Atlanta Hawks during the 90s. Trademark problems forced a change with “Pearl” referencing singer Eddie Vedder's grandma, Pearl Brunner, and “Jam” added after seeing s show by the group's hero Neil Young.

Tea Set – Pink Floyd

Exactly what drugs were responsible for calling a band Tea Set has never been fully revealed. Amazingly the band found themselves on a bill as another band with the same name so Syd Barrett came up with The Pink Floyd Sound, after two blues but the definite article was still used regularly until 1970 when they became Pink Floyd.

Smile – Queen

Freddie and the gang signed to Mercury Records in 1970 as Smile but the name didn't hang around for long. Freddie then came up with Queen, a name he'd had in his head for some time. “It's just a name, but it's very regal obviously, and it sounds splendid,” he said in an interview. “It's a strong name, very universal and immediate. It had a lot of visual potential and was open to all sorts of interpretations. I was certainly aware of gay connotations...” No sh*t....

The Rain – Oasis

The original members of Oasis minus Noel Gallagher were called The Rain. After Liam became singer, he dragged in his brother Noel who was a roadie for Manchester band the Inspiral Carpets at the time. The name change was inspired by an Inspiral Carpets tour poster - one of the venues on it was the glamorous Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon.