The Great British Brands: Are They Still British?

You may be aware that some of the famous British brands are owned by someone else. Someone who’s located in a foreign country. Someone who is definitely not British.

It may be most obvious in auto. Rolls-Royce and MINI, for example, are owned by BMW. Range Rover and Land Rover are both owned by the Indian company Tata.

Now, how about the rest of them?

Methodology

1. Did a Google search on “British brands”
2. Came up with a list of 25
3. Figured out where the headquarters are
4. Created some snazzy graphs

Results

• As you can see, it’s basically half and half
• Not too surprisingly, the good ol’ US of A is the leader
• More surprisingly, is India, at second. In addition to the Rovers mentioned above, there’s also Tetley. This one makes a ton of sense, as India’s where most of the world’s tea comes from.
• Germany’s the only other country that has more than one
• The Netherlands actually comes in for half a credit, with Durex (condoms) being co-located in the two countries

• I’ve already talked about auto
• Food includes companies such as tea (3 companies) & candy (4)
• 1-offs include things like clothing (Burberry), financial (Barclays), insurance (Lloyds) & others

• One-offs are pretty much half and half
• Grocery (Sainsburys and Tesco) are just local brands (unlike, say, Aldi or Lidl, from Germany)
• Food & auto are about a third British

What’s really not covered here is the degree that foreigners own the premier British brands. For example, who even knew Skittles or Twix were British originally? At the same time, what could be more British than Rolls-Royce or Tetley?  

Super Bands That Never Quite Happened

 There’ve been a lot of super bands over the years – Blind Faith; CSNY; The Good, The Bad & The Queen; even the Travelling Wilburys. Here’s a sampling of what might have been.  

I’m also sharing any pix that came up when I entered in the new band name on Google Images.  Enjoy!

Buffalo Springfield + Lovin Spoonful = Buffalo Spoonful

Though Lovin Springfield would be a good house band for The Simpsons

Modest Mouse + Depeche Mode = Modest Mode

Depeche Mouse is pretty good too

Pink Floyd + Deep Purple = Pink Purple

Now goes by the name Mauve

Rolling Stones + Stone Roses = Rolling Stone Roses

I see I wasn't the first to think of this

Moody Blues + Moby Grape = Moody Grape

Mamas & the Papas + Mothers of Invention = Papas of Invention

Queens of the Stone Age + Mothers of Invention = Stone Age Mothers

Original name: The Queen Mothers

Black Sabbath + Yardbirds = Blackbirds

Actually, the name of several bands

Bad Company + Green Day = Bad Day

I understand "Green Company "was also in the running

Ben Folds Five + Fall Out Boy = Ben Falls Out

Formerly known as the Fallout Five

Neutral Milk Hotel + Black Eyed Peas + Stone Temple Pilots = Neutral Eyed Pilots

"Best Sunglasses for Pilots" (thrustflight.com)

Aerosmith + Portishead = Aerohead

I understand, though, that "Aeroport" tested well in Europe

Grateful Dead + Def Leopard = Dead Leopard

With new band members Don and Eric

Led Zeppelin + Deaf Leopard = Led Leopard

LED Leopard Neon Light Sign (wayupgifts.com)

Lynyrd Skynyrd + Def Leopard = Lynyrd Lepyrd

Leonard Elementary School, Troy MI

The Mamas and the Papas + Big Brother and the Holding Company + Sly and the Family Stone = The Mamas, The Papas, Big Brother & the Family

Strawberry Alarm Clock + Blue Oyster Cult + Quicksilver Messenger Service = Strawberry Oyster Service

Oysters with Champagne Strawberry Mignonette (sprinklesandsprouts.com)

Band of Horses + Crazy Horse = Band of Crazy Horses

Band of Horses has covered "Powderfinger"

Black Sabbath + Black Flag + Black-Eyed Peas + Black Mountain Boys + Black Rebel Motorcycle Club + Ladysmith Black Mombazo = Black

Talking Heads + Jefferson Airplane = Talking Airplane

From the Duchess of York’s Budgie series

Nickelback + Soundgarden = Backgarden

Arctic Monkeys + Flying Burrito Brothers = Flying Monkeys

With the Wicked Witch of the West on vocals

Men Without Hats + My Morning Jacket = Men Without Jackets

"Without My Morning Hat" was another possibility

Blink-182 + Maroon 5 + Matchbox Twenty = 182+5+20 = 207

AC/DC + ZZ Top = AC/DC/ZZ

Guys with long beards and sunglasses in schoolboy outfits & wearing beanies

Franz Ferdinand + Country Joe & the Fish = Franz Ferdinand & the Fish

Cod, Franz Ferdinand Bar, Steyr, Austria

King Crimson + Small Faces = Crimson Faces

Beach Boys + Beastie Boys = Beachy Boys

pour votre plaisir d’ecoute 

Iron Butterfly + Butthole Surfers = Iron Butthole 

"Butterfly Butthole" just didn't have the same ring to it

Motorhead + Smashing Pumpkins = Motorpumpkins

A Motown group out of Chicago

Smashing Pumpkins + Limp Bizkit = Smashing Bizkit

Oh, so close

Rage Against the Machine + Florence and the Machine = Rage Against Florence

Ditto

Cheap Trick + Sex Pistols = Cheap Sex

Somebody else beat me to it 

No Doubt + New Order = No Order

Ditto

Pure Prairie League + Blue Oyster Cult = Pure Prairie Oysters

Yum …

Foo Fighters + Flaming Lips = Flaming Foo

A foo dog is a “traditional Chinese architectural ornament known in colloquial English as foo dogs or lion dogs.”  This particular one just so happens to be flaming.

Catherine Wheel + Van Halen + Dinosaur Jr = Catherine Van Halen Jr.

Was she the lead singer?

Bon Jovi + Joy Division = Bon Jovi Division

Garden State angst

Jesus & Mary Chain + Alice in Chains = Jesus, Mary & Alice in Chains

Glasgow, meet LA

Blood, Sweat & Tears + Tears for Fears = Blood, Sweat & Fears

So, another Aussie band

Pearl Jam + Guns ‘n Roses = Pearls ‘n Roses

The two actually had planes to tour together in 1993

Chemical Brothers + Cocteau Twins = Chemical Cocteau

Members of the 2 bands actually played together in the band Snowbird

The Shins & The Strokes = The Shrinks

You know, there’re a lotta bands out there

Blur + Pulp = Blurp

Absolute dream group for Britpop fans

Goo Goo Dolls + Lady Gaga = Goo Goo Gaga

More popular with a younger crowd, I understand

Red Hot Chili Peppers + Fleetwood Mac = Red Hot Chili Mac

Please note the jalapenos

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young + Emerson, Lake & Palmer = Emerson, Stills, Nash & Palmer LLC

Attorneys at law

Coldplay + Radiohead = Headcold

Oddly not already taken

And here are a few I couldn’t find any pix for:

• 8 Nine Inch Nails + Iron Maiden = Nine Inch Maiden
• My Bloody Valentine + REO Speedwagon = My Bloody Speedwagon 
• Deaf Leopard + Led Zeppelin = Deaf Zeppelin
• Jethro Tull + Molly Hatchet = Jethro Hatchet
• Death Cab for Cutie + A Tribe Called Quest = A Death Cab Called Quest
• Guided by Voices + Kings of Leon + System of a Down = A System Guided by Leon
• Electric Light Orchestra + Creedence Clearwater Revival + Bachman Turner Overdrive = Electric Clearwater Overdrive 
• Panic at the Disco + Rage Against the Machine = Panic Against the Disco Machine 
• Huey Lewis & the News + Paul Revere & the Raiders + Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers = Huey Revere & the Newsbreakers
• Lynrd Skynrd + Marilyn Manson = Lynrd Mansyn
• Electric Light Orchestra + Flying Burrito Brothers + Grand Funk Railroad = Electric Burrito Railroad