Desert Island Discs Part Seven Quiz

Answer: Get Off Of My Cloud

"Get Off Of My Cloud" gave The Rolling Stones a number one hit for three weeks on the UK singles chart in 1965. It was number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 the same year.

"Get Off Of My Cloud" was the last of five consecutive UK number one hits by The Rolling Stones. It followed "It's All Over Now" (1964), "Little Red Rooster" (1964), "The Last Time" (1965) and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965). This had previously only been achieved by Elvis Presley and The Beatles. My favourite "Stones" music is from the period before founding member Brian Jones left the group on the 9th June 1969. He died less than month later on the 3rd July 1969. He was found in his swimming pool and the coroner's verdict was "Death by misadventure".

Question supplied by shipyardbernie.

Answer: John Joe Kelly

A bodhran is a hand-held drum, usually about 35 to 45 cm (14" to 18") across and played with one stick (think large tambourine without the bells!)
Although it takes a craftsman to make a good one, usually from stretched goatskin, I think I could manage to cobble one together if I was on the desert island long enough. The speed and rhythm comes from the wrist action of holding the one stick and beating the bodhran with each end. The talent comes from realising it should be the subtle under-note rather than the loud bashing you often hear in folk clubs.

Question suppplied by Waitakere.

Answer: He was killed in an accident

This is one SAD song, guaranteed to make the coldest-hearted person cry! The boy's father was an over-the-road truck driver, trying to get home in a blinding snowstorm, but was killed in a wreck. The boy, whose CB name is "Teddy Bear", is crippled, and says over the radio that his one wish is to go for a ride in an 18-wheeler again. Red Sovine is the the driver who answers the boy's call on the radio. He decides his load can wait, asks the boy for his address, and heads to the house. The suprise when he arrives is to see trucks lined up for blocks, all there to give the boy a ride! Then the drivers all take up a collection for the boy and his mother, and she offers her thanks and prayers to all of the drivers who made her son so happy. She signs off as "Mama Teddy Bear."

"Breaker 1-9
Came a voice on the air
Just one word of thanks
From Mama Teddy Bear
We wish each and every one
A special prayer for you
Cause, you just made my little boy's
Dream come true
I'll sign off now
Before I start to cry
May God ride with ya
10-4
And goodbye."

Question submitted by kennell

Answer: George Harrison

Eric Clapton and George Harrison became close friends during the late 60s. At that time Harrison was married to Pattie Boyd, who Harrison met whilst filming "A Hard Day's Night", and Clapton fell in love with her. In 1974 Harrison and Boyd divorced and she married Clapton in 1979. Harrison attended the wedding along with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

"Layla" was written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon when they were members of the band "Derek and the Dominos". It appeared on their album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs", released in November 1970. Clapton had a hit twice with this song, firstly in 1972 and then again 20 years later when it appeared on his "Unplugged" album.

Question supplied by wenray.

Answer: The Moonlight Sonata

The piece's popular name "The Moonlight Sonata" derived from a comment by German poet/critic Ludwig Rellstab who compared it to the moon shining on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. The epithet stuck and it has been known as the "Moonlight Sonata" ever since.

The piece's full title is "Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2," and it was dedicated to Beethoven's 20-year-old pupil Giulietta Guicciardi, an Austrian Countess who he had the hots for, despite his emotional ties to her cousin, Josephine Brunsvik. His official involvement with either woman was unthinkable given his social station (i.e. a commoner), but the latter is widely believed to have been the love of his life.

It is one of Beethoven's most popular compositions and has been chosen over twenty times on "Desert Island Discs".

Question supplied by scotsbluebell.

Answer: U2

"All I Want is You" is my favorite track from my favorite U2 album. U2 also released a feature film titled "Rattle and Hum" that same year. Many critics said it was a bit over the top and self-indulgent, but I loved it! I saw it five times in the theater, I believe.

In 1988, Van Halen released "OU812", and Bon Jovi released "New Jersey". Def Leppard didn't release an album that year.

Question supplied by rebelyank.

Answer: Fat Man

According to the liner notes of "The Story of Blue Beat: The Best In Ska 1960", Derrick Morgan's "Fat Man" is "pre-ska Boogie Shuffle" and is "loosely based on the Bop-A-Loos' 1955 US R&B hit, "South Park Mambo." It's not clear when it was recorded, or which label originally released it in Jamaica, but in the UK it was put out by Blue Beat in 1960.

In the song, Derrick pleads with the fat man to leave his girl alone, get one of his own, and accuses him of trying to steal her. He never actually says he's jealous, but he's worried that if she goes with the fat man, he'll be left all alone. This lament is all backed up with bluesy/jazzy sax, and a Bolero style rhythm section. Fabulous.

When ska really kicked off, Morgan was at the forefront, and he embraced rocksteady too. In both sub-genres, Morgan recorded classic after classic, from the highly political "Forward March" to the rather silly (yet none the worse for it) "Moon Hop".

Question supplied by thula2.

Answer: They have a thick mane of fur around their necks

The Norwegian Forest Cat originated in Norway, naturally! They have medium-length hair, with the thicker mane around their necks. They are well adapted to colder climates, as their hair gets thicker in cold weather and is waterproof. They come in all colors, and are very good with people. They can live for 14-16 years. A perfect "possession" to take with me!

Question submitted by kennell

Answer: Dictionary

Although the Greeks were known to have compiled lists of changing words and various English scholars had compiled Latin dictionaries, notably Sir Thomas Elyot who brought out, 'A Latin-English wordbook' in 1538, it was Robert Cawdry's, "Table Alphabeticall - a table alphabeticall of hard usual English words" complied in 1604 which is regarded as the first, really comprehensive lexicon of known words.

However none of these books contained definitions of the words, or any indication of how to use them. It was Samuel Johnson, commissioned by a group of London booksellers in 1746 who put together a comprehensive dictionary with explanations and indications of usage.

It took him almost nine years, working mostly alone and by hand, with occasional clerical help. He was paid 1,500 guineas for the task. This dictionary remained the definitive lexicon for 173 years, until the Oxford English Dictionary was compiled.

Question supplied by Waitakere.

Answer: Neil Young

"A Man Needs a Maid" is on the groundbreaking Neil Young album "Harvest" which sounds as fresh as ever despite having been recorded in 1972. Jack Nitzsche and the London Symphony Orchestra raise it to almost sublime heights in this fan's humble opinion. Background vocals were provided by Crosby, Stills & Nash. The Neil Young-penned "Helpless" is on the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album "Déjà Vu".

Incredibly, Neil Young has rarely been chosen, and then mostly by Brits, while Pink Floyd songs have been chosen over twenty times on the show by folk as diverse as flautist James Galway, English rugby player Brian Moore, politician James Cameron, Hollywood star George Clooney, cricketer-cum-politician Imran Khan, silver-screen legend Omar Sharif, and novelist Paulo Coelho amongst others.

Whilst Randy Bachman and Bryan Adams are both Canadian, neither had a hand in writing the songs mentioned.

Graham Nash has worked with Neil, and might have had a hand in writing some of his songs, but he was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.

Question supplied by thula2.