Three bands, one name, all beloved. There have been multiple bands with the same name before. There was Nirvana before Nirvana. A Skid Row before Skid Row. But rarely have there been more than two notable bands with the same name. Enter The Loved Ones (and The Loved Ones and The Loved Ones), who not only rocked in three separate decades, but who impressed critics in all three as well. Here’s a breakdown:

Band: The Loved Ones
Locale: Melbourne, Australia
Loved: 1966 – 1967
Legacy: Short-lived but long-remembered, this 1960s Australian garage rock band was inspired by the British invasion. Their first single “The Loved One” hit number 2 on the Australian pop charts. 15 years later, the song hit the charts again when fellow Aussies INXS released it as a single.
Look: Mod
The Loved Ones – “The Loved One”

Band: The Loved Ones
Locale: Berkeley, California
Loved: 1992 – 1993
Legacy: Funky, soulful garage-y quartet led by retro-rocker Bart Davenport who released a pair of critically-acclaimed records on Hightone in the early ’90s. Guitarist Xan McCurdy later joined Cake.
Look: Strangely, also mod
The Loved Ones – “You Better Do Right”

Band: The Loved Ones
Locale: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Loved: 2003 – present
Legacy: Featuring ex-members of several influential punk rock bands, The Loved Ones released their first LP on Jade Tree before joining the Fat Wreck roster and adding a guitar player. The band recently snagged the attention of The Hold Steady, whose various members guest on the band’s latest record “Build and Burn.”
Look: Punk
The Loved Ones – “Louisiana”

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