Neil Young celebrated his 66th birthday on November 12. So, for this episode of our trivia quiz, our questions are all about Neil. For the record, Neil Young was born in Toronto, Ontario, (Canada for those reading out of the country). When his parents split up, he moved to Winnipeg with his mother, which is where he began his music career in earnest. He later returned to Toronto, then to Los Angeles and world wide stardom. Hey, even if you're not a died-in-the-wool Neil Young fan, this quiz will be fun and if you know your music, relatively easy.
Here we go.
QUESTIONS:
1. Neil Young first came to international fame as a member of Buffalo Springfield, but before that, he was in a Toronto group with Rick James (Yes, the Motown "Superfreak" himself). What was the name of this Canadian band?
2. Buffalo Springfield's first Top 10 hit on the charts was 1967's "For What It's Worth (Hey What's That Sound)". The original members of Buffalo Springfield were Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Richie Furay, Dewey Martin and Bruce Palmer. Palmer was replaced by Jim Messina after 2 albums. When the band broke up in 1968, Stills and Young became part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Richie Furay and Jim Messina co-founded a folk/rock group that charted 13 hits between 1970 and 1989, although they only ever had 2 Top 20 hits. "Crazy", huh? Two of this groups' members later left to join The Eagles. Can you name this folk rock band?
3. Which southern U.S. rockers recorded a Top 10 hit in response to several of Neil's songs about the south?
4. Neil never really forgot his roots in Canada and has written several songs that mention his home and native land. We're looking for two specific songs. Can you name either one?
5. Neil's father was also famous, although he didn't write songs. What did he do for a living?
ANSWERS
1. The Mynah Birds was the groups' name. RIck James went on to success at Motown; Neil Young drove down to Los Angeles in a hearse, which is where he connected with Stephen Stills on the Sunset strip. The rest is music history.
2. Poco was the name of the group. Their biggest hit was 1979's "Crazy Love" which made it to # 17 on Billboards' Hot 100 chart. Two Poco members, Randy Meisner and Timothy B. Schmidt, who were in the band at different times, both ended up as members of The Eagles.
3. Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote and recorded "Sweet Home Alabama" in answer to Neil's "Alabama" and "Southern Man". In "Sweet Home Alabama", the lyrics say, "Well I heard Mr. Young sing about her. Well, I heard ole Neil put her down. Well, I hope Neil Young will remember. A southern man don't need him around nyhow." "Sweet Home Alabama" hit its peak spot, # 8 in the fall of 1974.
4. "Helpless" is one. Those lyrics are: "There's a town in north Ontario..." The town Neil's refering to is Omemee, near Peterborough. The second song we were looking for is "Journey Through The Past". Those lyrics are: "Now I'm going back to Canada. On a journey through the past. And I won't be back until February comes."
5. Scott Young was a Canadian journalist, sports writer and novelist. Scott moved to Toronto in 1941, where he worked for the Canadian Press. After World War II, Scott joined Macleans Magazine, but left in 1948 to write fiction. He later worked for the Globe and Mail newspaper as well as The Toronto Telegram, where he was Sports Editor. Scott Young is inseveral Halls of Fame and in 1993, the Scott Young Public School was named in his honour in Omemee. Scott Young passed
away at 87 in 2004.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The # 1 Albums of 1981
With just two months to go before we wrap up 2011, this time we're travelling back 30 years to the # 1 albums of 1981. Since these albums were all # 1, they should be easy to identify...and that's exactly what you have to do. Follow the clues and answer which # 1 album from 1981 we're looking for.
Here we go.
QUESTIONS
1. This album was # 1 for the first 6 weeks of 1981 and had been at the top of the album chart for the final week of 1980 as well. The album was recorded by a famous married couple and had only been released late in 1980. Sadly, there is a tragedy surrounding one of these artists, who was living in New York at the time. Can you name the artist and the album?
2. In mid September of 1981, an album from 5 British rockers jumped to # 1 after debuting the week before at # 8. This group had 8 previous # 1 albums, their first happened in 1965 and this one from '81 was their last # 1 album although they continued to tour and record. Some of their later albums did make the Top 5, one in 1995 went all the way to # 2, but they never had another # 1 album. Can you name this 'greatest rock'n'roll band in the world' and their 1981 album?
3. In August of '81, this groups' album went to # 1, replacing Pat Benatar's "Precious Time" album. It stayed at the top for 2 weeks before being knocked off by Stevie Nicks' "Bella Donna" album. Then it returned to # 1 for 5 more weeks starting the week of November 21, 1981. This album kept "Ghost In The Machine" by The Police out of the # 1 spot. This group has sold 70 million albums and had 16 Top 30 hits, including "Waiting For A Girl Like You", "Juke Box Hero" and "Urgent", all of which came from this 1981 album. The lead singer was an American from Rochester, New York while the co-founding guitar player was originally from England. Fourteen years later, the lead singer left and had a successful solo career before returning to the group, although he left again in 2003. This group is still touring, so the question is: can you name the group and name the # 1 album? (HINT: The album title was actually a number).
4. This was the most successful album of 1981 staying at # 1 for 15 weeks. This album, which sold 10 million copies, first hit # 1 the week of February 21st and stayed on top for 6 weeks before being toppled by "Paradise Theatre" by Styx. The album returned to # 1 two weeks later (the week of April 18th), and remained for 3 weeks before being knocked off, once again, by "Paradise Theatre". The following week, May 16th, they took over the # 1 spot and fought it out for 6 more weeks until the week of June 27th when Kim Carnes' "Mistaken Identity" album captured the top position. This was the groups'ONLY # 1 album. Their name came from a fire truck manufactured by the man who also launched the Oldsmobile. What's the name of the group and their # 1 album?
5. This artist has written several # 1 country hits over the years, but her only # 1 pop single happened in 1981, in fact it was on her only # 1 album from the same year. Ironically, this artist DIDN'T write her # 1 hit, which went on to win Grammy Awards for Record and Song of the Year. She's written songs recorded by Barbra Streisand and Kenny Rogers and later worked with him on several hit songs. She was a former member of The New Christy Minstrels, which is where she met her husband, Dave Ellingson (yeah that one won't help you at all). So who is this accomplished singer, songwriter? (HINT: Don't be 'Mistaken' about her 'Eyes').
ANSWERS
1. The album was "Double Fantasy" from John Lennon & Yoko Ono. Lennon was fatally shot on the evening of December 8, 1980 as the duo returned home to the Dakota after completing mixing a song of Yoko's at a New York recording studio. Lennons' two previous # 1 albums were in 1974 with "Walls and Bridges" and "Imagine" in 1971.
2. The 5 British musicians should have given it away. So should 'the greatest rock 'n roll band in the world' clue. It was The Rolling Stones with their 1981 # 1 album, "Tattoo You". Their previous #1 albums were: 1965's "Out of Our Heads", "Sticky Fingers" in 1971, "Exile On Main Street" in '72. In '73, it was "Goat's Head Soup" followed by "It's Only Rock 'N Roll" in ';74. Two years later in '76 came "Black And Blue", then "Some Girls" in 78. It was another two years in 1980 before "Emotional Rescue" became their latest # 1 album followed by '81's "Tattoo You".
3. Foreigner was the group we were looking for. Their '81 album was titled "4". The group was founded in 1976 by Brits Mick Jones and Ian McDonald along with American singer Lou Gramm. Gramm left in 1990, returned in '92, then left for good in 2003. Jones is the only original member still with the group "4" was Foreigner's only # 1 album, although they came close on a number of occasions (1978's "Double Vision" made it to # 3). Foreigner is currently touring and for those in the Southern Ontario area, they will be playing Casino Rama in Orillia the nights of December 2 and 3rd, then it's on to Phoenix, Denver, Chicago, Cleveland etc until early March of 2012. Their official website is foreigneronline.com.
4. This 15 week # 1 champion was "Hi Infidelity" by REO Speedwagon. The band formed in 1967 and built their reputation during the 1970's, culminating with this album in 1981. Their debut album "REO Speedwagon" was released in 1971. 2011 is the 30th anniversary of "Hi Infidelity" and this past June, the group played a Milwaukee summer fest.
5. Kim Carnes took "Bette Davis Eyes" (written by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss) to # 1 for 9 weeks in the late spring of 1981. The year before, she had two Top 10 hits, including a # 4 success with "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer", a duet with Kenny Rogers and a # 10 hit with her cover of the Smokey Robinson song, "More Love". The album that "Bette Davis Eyes" was on, "Mistaken Identity" hit # 1 on the album chart for 4 weeks starting the week of June 27, 1981. "Bette Davis Eyes" is song # 268 on the "Songs of the Century" list, compiled by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment For The Arts. Kim never again had a # 1 single or album, but her current album is called "Chasin' Wild Trains". She lives in Nashville these days and her official website is kimcarnes.com.
Here we go.
QUESTIONS
1. This album was # 1 for the first 6 weeks of 1981 and had been at the top of the album chart for the final week of 1980 as well. The album was recorded by a famous married couple and had only been released late in 1980. Sadly, there is a tragedy surrounding one of these artists, who was living in New York at the time. Can you name the artist and the album?
2. In mid September of 1981, an album from 5 British rockers jumped to # 1 after debuting the week before at # 8. This group had 8 previous # 1 albums, their first happened in 1965 and this one from '81 was their last # 1 album although they continued to tour and record. Some of their later albums did make the Top 5, one in 1995 went all the way to # 2, but they never had another # 1 album. Can you name this 'greatest rock'n'roll band in the world' and their 1981 album?
3. In August of '81, this groups' album went to # 1, replacing Pat Benatar's "Precious Time" album. It stayed at the top for 2 weeks before being knocked off by Stevie Nicks' "Bella Donna" album. Then it returned to # 1 for 5 more weeks starting the week of November 21, 1981. This album kept "Ghost In The Machine" by The Police out of the # 1 spot. This group has sold 70 million albums and had 16 Top 30 hits, including "Waiting For A Girl Like You", "Juke Box Hero" and "Urgent", all of which came from this 1981 album. The lead singer was an American from Rochester, New York while the co-founding guitar player was originally from England. Fourteen years later, the lead singer left and had a successful solo career before returning to the group, although he left again in 2003. This group is still touring, so the question is: can you name the group and name the # 1 album? (HINT: The album title was actually a number).
4. This was the most successful album of 1981 staying at # 1 for 15 weeks. This album, which sold 10 million copies, first hit # 1 the week of February 21st and stayed on top for 6 weeks before being toppled by "Paradise Theatre" by Styx. The album returned to # 1 two weeks later (the week of April 18th), and remained for 3 weeks before being knocked off, once again, by "Paradise Theatre". The following week, May 16th, they took over the # 1 spot and fought it out for 6 more weeks until the week of June 27th when Kim Carnes' "Mistaken Identity" album captured the top position. This was the groups'ONLY # 1 album. Their name came from a fire truck manufactured by the man who also launched the Oldsmobile. What's the name of the group and their # 1 album?
5. This artist has written several # 1 country hits over the years, but her only # 1 pop single happened in 1981, in fact it was on her only # 1 album from the same year. Ironically, this artist DIDN'T write her # 1 hit, which went on to win Grammy Awards for Record and Song of the Year. She's written songs recorded by Barbra Streisand and Kenny Rogers and later worked with him on several hit songs. She was a former member of The New Christy Minstrels, which is where she met her husband, Dave Ellingson (yeah that one won't help you at all). So who is this accomplished singer, songwriter? (HINT: Don't be 'Mistaken' about her 'Eyes').
ANSWERS
1. The album was "Double Fantasy" from John Lennon & Yoko Ono. Lennon was fatally shot on the evening of December 8, 1980 as the duo returned home to the Dakota after completing mixing a song of Yoko's at a New York recording studio. Lennons' two previous # 1 albums were in 1974 with "Walls and Bridges" and "Imagine" in 1971.
2. The 5 British musicians should have given it away. So should 'the greatest rock 'n roll band in the world' clue. It was The Rolling Stones with their 1981 # 1 album, "Tattoo You". Their previous #1 albums were: 1965's "Out of Our Heads", "Sticky Fingers" in 1971, "Exile On Main Street" in '72. In '73, it was "Goat's Head Soup" followed by "It's Only Rock 'N Roll" in ';74. Two years later in '76 came "Black And Blue", then "Some Girls" in 78. It was another two years in 1980 before "Emotional Rescue" became their latest # 1 album followed by '81's "Tattoo You".
3. Foreigner was the group we were looking for. Their '81 album was titled "4". The group was founded in 1976 by Brits Mick Jones and Ian McDonald along with American singer Lou Gramm. Gramm left in 1990, returned in '92, then left for good in 2003. Jones is the only original member still with the group "4" was Foreigner's only # 1 album, although they came close on a number of occasions (1978's "Double Vision" made it to # 3). Foreigner is currently touring and for those in the Southern Ontario area, they will be playing Casino Rama in Orillia the nights of December 2 and 3rd, then it's on to Phoenix, Denver, Chicago, Cleveland etc until early March of 2012. Their official website is foreigneronline.com.
4. This 15 week # 1 champion was "Hi Infidelity" by REO Speedwagon. The band formed in 1967 and built their reputation during the 1970's, culminating with this album in 1981. Their debut album "REO Speedwagon" was released in 1971. 2011 is the 30th anniversary of "Hi Infidelity" and this past June, the group played a Milwaukee summer fest.
5. Kim Carnes took "Bette Davis Eyes" (written by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss) to # 1 for 9 weeks in the late spring of 1981. The year before, she had two Top 10 hits, including a # 4 success with "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer", a duet with Kenny Rogers and a # 10 hit with her cover of the Smokey Robinson song, "More Love". The album that "Bette Davis Eyes" was on, "Mistaken Identity" hit # 1 on the album chart for 4 weeks starting the week of June 27, 1981. "Bette Davis Eyes" is song # 268 on the "Songs of the Century" list, compiled by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment For The Arts. Kim never again had a # 1 single or album, but her current album is called "Chasin' Wild Trains". She lives in Nashville these days and her official website is kimcarnes.com.
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