Music Trivia Thread

[Attyla]

I have been putting this in other threads, but am afraid I am just cluttering up those threads, so I will stop doing that and just do stuff in this one. Care to join in? I am all about learning more about music. So here we go.

Here are five artists from the UK who are really well known, and they had hits on both sides of the Atlantic, but had a lot more success in the US than in their home countries. There may be more and if you know one, feel free to join in.

First, we start with Ringo Starr of the Beatles. He had a lot of success as a solo artist in the US with a number of top 40 singles, far more in the US than in the UK. Songs like Photograph did quite well in the US, but not so much over seas

Second, Sheena Easton, she did well on both sides, but had a lot more success in the US with songs like Sugar Walls

Third, the Alan Parson's Project. They did OK in the UK but had a lot of success in the US, with songs like Games People Play

Next we have Steve Winwood who was quite successful as a solo artist, but much more so in the US

And finally, we have George Harrison, another Beatle. Had a lot of success as a solo artist in the US and was also a part of the Traveling Wilbury's.

[RunOverByHubbard]

Back to "Louie, Louie" When I was in 6th grade, someone showed me a copy of the lyrics (mimeographed copy for you old guys) and I read them and thought, wow, they really got away with something. to this day, there are lines that sound "dirty" to me. The #1 line to listen to is right after the end of the guitar solo. First, the singer comes in too early (one line is left of guitar) and says, "I stick..." then the next line is:

"I stick my finger up the hole of love." This is at 1:59. Listen to it and you will probably agree. Then he later sings, "I can't wait to take her in my arms again; I gotta, I gotta lay her again" I have read the whole story many times, but listen to it again and you'll see. In the first verse, he seems to say "If you ever go down, I'll take you home." There are other lines that are clearly disputable and mumbled, but those two are pretty darn clear. It's a cool story in any case.

[Attyla]

Which Beatle was the first to have a number one hit after they split up? And why was it controversial? In 1970, a year after the unofficial break up of the band, George Harrison released "My Sweet Lord" which rose to number one on the charts in 1971. The song, which was in praise of the Hindu god Krishna, became a bit of a problem for the former mop top because there were questions of copywrite infringement. And as a result, a lawsuit was filed because the song sounded an awful lot like "He's So Fine" recorded by the all girl vocal group the Chiffons and written by Ronnie Mack. Mack, himself, was already dead but the production company Bright Tunes Music won the suit which forced Harrison to pay 500K in penalties and also took part of the future royalties.

So why is George's name still listed as the writer? Under normal circumstances the writing credit would revert to Mack, but the judge agreed that the infringement was subconscious so Harrison retained the writing credit. And in a brilliant twist, George just went and bought Bright Tunes Music so he ended up paying himself. And Bright Tunes continued to pay George until his death for both My Sweet Lord and He's So Fine which netted the musician a nice amount of money. Mack's family pocketed much of the 500K so everyone made out in the green.

[Attyla]

Anti war songs do not usually make it big, sometimes, but certainly far less often. So a band was asked to change the lyrics. Here is the story.

It was the mid 70's and a fairly mid level band had just finished writing songs for their sixth studio album. And because this was the 70's, that meant vinyl. And because of the medium, the band picked 10 songs they thought would do well and began sequencing them for production. Problem was, their manager wanted one of the toss away songs on the album because he thought it was a hit. But he also wanted a rewrite because of the song's topic, war. So the band rewrote the song with a new theme, gangs. But they still did not like the track. And that is when the record label stepped in. They loved the song and thought it was a potential hit, so it got sequenced in. And everyone but the band was right as the song shot up the charts bringing fame and fortune to all. But this particular band took the sex drugs and rock and roll route watching their front man begin to spiral. Phil Lynott was only 36 when his addictions took his life, leaving behind a collection of hits, including that song about gangs. The Boys are Back In Town still gets heavy play on classic rock stations and members of the band still tour playing those classics in a group that only mildly reflects the classic lineup in what many view as just a cover band. And if you are ever in Dublin, there is a statue to the great bass guitarist ready for your selfie.

[Hellbound]

Anti war songs do not usually make it big, sometimes, but certainly far less often. So a band was asked to change the lyrics. Here is the story.

It was the mid 70's and a fairly mid level band had just finished writing songs for their sixth studio album. And because this was the 70's, that meant vinyl. And because of the medium, the band picked 10 songs they thought would do well and began sequencing them for production. Problem was, their manager wanted one of the toss away songs on the album because he thought it was a hit. But he also wanted a rewrite because of the song's topic, war. So the band rewrote the song with a new theme, gangs. But they still did not like the track. And that is when the record label stepped in. They loved the song and thought it was a potential hit, so it got sequenced in. And everyone but the band was right as the song shot up the charts bringing fame and fortune to all. But this particular band took the sex drugs and rock and roll route watching their front man begin to spiral. Phil Lynott was only 36 when his addictions took his life, leaving behind a collection of hits, including that song about gangs. The Boys are Back In Town still gets heavy play on classic rock stations and members of the band still tour playing those classics in a group that only mildly reflects the classic lineup in what many view as just a cover band. And if you are ever in Dublin, there is a statue to the great bass guitarist ready for your selfie.

Thin Lizzy is a very underrated band

[RickRyb]

Best protest song is Steppenwolf "Monster"

[Attyla]

In the 70's we lost most of the members of a famous southern rock band. Yea, we all know the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Many of the band lost their lives in 1977 and several others were injured. But the story did not start there. Another famous band had also looked to use a plane to make touring easier and they actually passed on that very plane because they thought the plane looked sketchy. They also did not like records on how the plane was maintained. And even though it was the 70's, seeing the pilots drinking nearby was not offering up any confidence so the band passed on the plane. And who was this band? Well, they had their own problems and even broke up for a while but in the 80's had a massive resurgence when one of their licks was used in a song. And even two of their members joined in to make the song that much bigger. That's right, Aerosmith was close to flying the friendly skies in the very plane that took the lives of several members of that iconic band who just recently lost the last founding member to old age.

[Attyla]

There are bands that spend years trying to get discovered. And then there are bands that happen overnight. The Cars, they were instant hits. Here is the story.

Formed from pieces of several other bands, the Cars came together when Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr, frustrated by their bands, came together and that was the nucleus of the Cars with Ocasek being the primary writer. They quickly added a lead guitar player and a drummer. Their drummer, David Robinson is responsible for the look the band adopted. When Greg Hawkes joined the band as their keyboardist, his talent really drove the band. And like most bands of the 70's, they got some studio time and created a demo. And they started handing out the recordings to anyone who would listen. That demo fell into the hands of DJs at WCOZ in Boston where the band was gigging. The DJs saw the talent immediately and put it on the air. The phone's blew up as listeners heard "Just What I Needed" and that unique sound. Orr's vocals were strong and Hawkes' haunting synth play drove the song. And what happens when a new band gets that kind of reaction? Yep, the labels came running. Ultimately, the Cars would sign with Elektra and rerecord the album with three songs charting off their freshman album.

The Cars would go on to a successful career well into the 80's until Ocasek got bored being in a band and wanted a solo career. Orr would do some solo work and the others would do some studio work. They united one time to do an interview with an obviously sick Benjamin Orr, who sadly would die of cancer at age 53. The band went on to do a few reunion tours but did not replace Orr on those tours with Hawkes playing bass in his absence. Ocasek would marry a supermodel and he passed at age 75 but not before the band was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame where they would play one last time without the late Orr.

But the story has not been finished. Recently, the band discovered some tracks that had been laid down in the 80's featuring both Ocasek and Orr playing and singing. They are now in the studio going over the material with the intention of creating one last Cars album with all five original members playing original works written by Ocasek and featuring Orr on vocals. I know, given Ocasek's personality that he would hate this, but it is a nice tribute to Benjamin Orr who just wanted to be a performer, which is what he did nonstop until the cancer made that impossible.

[Dr Death]

There are bands that spend years trying to get discovered. And then there are bands that happen overnight. The Cars, they were instant hits. Here is the story.

Formed from pieces of several other bands, the Cars came together when Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr, frustrated by their bands, came together and that was the nucleus of the Cars with Ocasek being the primary writer. They quickly added a lead guitar player and a drummer. Their drummer, David Robinson is responsible for the look the band adopted. When Greg Hawkes joined the band as their keyboardist, his talent really drove the band. And like most bands of the 70's, they got some studio time and created a demo. And they started handing out the recordings to anyone who would listen. That demo fell into the hands of DJs at WCOZ in Boston where the band was gigging. The DJs saw the talent immediately and put it on the air. The phone's blew up as listeners heard "Just What I Needed" and that unique sound. Orr's vocals were strong and Hawkes' haunting synth play drove the song. And what happens when a new band gets that kind of reaction? Yep, the labels came running. Ultimately, the Cars would sign with Elektra and rerecord the album with three songs charting off their freshman album.

The Cars would go on to a successful career well into the 80's until Ocasek got bored being in a band and wanted a solo career. Orr would do some solo work and the others would do some studio work. They united one time to do an interview with an obviously sick Benjamin Orr, who sadly would die of cancer at age 53. The band went on to do a few reunion tours but did not replace Orr on those tours with Hawkes playing bass in his absence. Ocasek would marry a supermodel and he passed at age 75 but not before the band was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame where they would play one last time without the late Orr.

But the story has not been finished. Recently, the band discovered some tracks that had been laid down in the 80's featuring both Ocasek and Orr playing and singing. They are now in the studio going over the material with the intention of creating one last Cars album with all five original members playing original works written by Ocasek and featuring Orr on vocals. I know, given Ocasek's personality that he would hate this, but it is a nice tribute to Benjamin Orr who just wanted to be a performer, which is what he did nonstop until the cancer made that impossible.

I know I'm in the minority but, I couldn't stand the Cars...still can't. I thoroughly detested all of the new wave sounding stuff.

[Attyla]

I know I'm in the minority but, I couldn't stand the Cars...still can't. I thoroughly detested all of the new wave sounding stuff.

Hawkes is still considered one of the very best keyboardists in all of rock. Ocasek was insufferable but Orr was always a very quiet and humble man. I liked some of their stuff, primarily off their first two albums. But they did not grow as musicians for the most part.

[raider_kin]

This 3 member band of singer/songwriter/musicians released their first hit single, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" in 1969. They were a supergroup of sorts, each member coming from an already established and successful band. One of them was English.

Who were they?
What were their previous band names?
Who was the non-American?

Bonus question: after their first album they added a fourth member. Who was that, and where did he hail from? (and what was his previous band?)

[raider_kin]

Hawkes is still considered one of the very best keyboardists in all of rock. Ocasek was insufferable but Orr was always a very quiet and humble man. I liked some of their stuff, primarily off their first two albums. But they did not grow as musicians for the most part.

Heartbeat City is a great, GREAT album.

[Attyla]

This 3 member band of singer/songwriter/musicians released their first hit single, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" in 1969. They were a supergroup of sorts, each member coming from an already established and successful band. One of them was English.

Who were they?
What were their previous band names?
Who was the non-American?

Bonus question: after their first album they added a fourth member. Who was that, and where did he hail from? (and what was his previous band?)

CSN with Stills being British. They would go on to add Canadian Young to the lineup. Still love their harmonies. I actually have a CD of this album in my lineup. I need to plug it in.

[Attyla]

This 3 member band of singer/songwriter/musicians released their first hit single, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" in 1969. They were a supergroup of sorts, each member coming from an already established and successful band. One of them was English.

Who were they?
What were their previous band names?
Who was the non-American?

Bonus question: after their first album they added a fourth member. Who was that, and where did he hail from? (and what was his previous band?)

CSN with Stills being British. They would go on to add Canadian Young to the lineup. Still love their harmonies. I actually have a CD of this album in my lineup. I need to plug it in.

[raidersince63]

Still have "Deja Vu".

[raider_kin]

CSN with Stills being British. They would go on to add Canadian Young to the lineup. Still love their harmonies. I actually have a CD of this album in my lineup. I need to plug it in.

Yup, most unique, and SO beautiful vocal harmonies.

PS Previous Bands:

Crosby: The Byrds
Stills: Buffalo Springfield (Young also)
Nash: The Hollies