Desert Island Discs Part Three Quiz

Answer: The Shadows

"Wonderful Land" was number one for eight weeks on the UK singles chart for The Shadows in 1962. It did not chart in the US.

The Shadows (at the time "Wonderful Land" was recorded) were Hank Marvin (lead guitar), Bruce Welch (rhythm guitar), Jet Harris (bass guitar) and Tony Meehan (drums). By the time "Wonderful Land" was released, Tony Meehan had left and been replaced by Brian Bennett. Jet Harris left while "Wonderful Land" was still at number one and was replaced by Brian Locking. The Shadows had changed their name from The Drifters after being threatened with legal action by the US group The Drifters. The Shadows were the backing band for UK superstar Cliff Richard and continued in that role for most of the '60s even after their solo instrumental successes. Many future UK guitar heroes played air guitar to The Shadows records, I must find a guitar shaped piece of driftwood on my desert island so I can continue playing along with "Wonderful Land".

Question supplied by shipyardbernie.

Answer: Barbra Streisand

On my desert island I shall want to sing, and who better to try and emulate than Barbra Streisand? Her songs cover just about every feeling from elation to grief.

I also admire the lady because she has never bowed (as so many do, to their cost) to the pressure of Hollywood to change her appearance. She's defied critics, some of whom are clearly envious of her multiple talents and perfectionism.

Question supplied by Waitakere.

Answer: Báthory

Bathory formed in Sweden in 1983, and although other members are credited on the first four albums, the "band" is generally considered the brainchild of multi-talented Quorthon who wrote everything, sang, and was a multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, drums and keyboards). From the fifth album, "Hammerheart"(recorded 1989), until Quorthon's death in 2004 it was a one-man band.

My track choice is on Bathory's sixth opus and although it's not necessarily either my favourite track or album (they are all fabulous), it does offer value for money for a castaway as it lasts over 14 minutes.

The origin of the band's name is clouded in mystery. Seminal black metal band Venom had a song called "Countess Bathory" on their groundbreaking album "Black Metal" which came out in 1982, but Quorthon vehemently denied having ever heard the band prior to forming Bathory. Whatever the truth might be, the name was rather fitting as the band's early stuff was as brutal and grisly as Countess Elizabeth Báthory's atrocious behaviour. She is often referred to as "The Blood Countess" due to the countless girls she is reckoned to have tortured and murdered. Legend has it that she bathed in their blood in an attempt to retain her youth.

Regarding the red herrings: Vlad the Impaler was a member of the Drăculesti dynasty and was also known as Vlad III Drăculea, aka Dracula. He inspired Bram Stoker to write the 1897 novel "Dracula". Bela Lugosi played Count Dracula in Universal Studios' 1931 classic horror film, "Dracula". Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 - 1990.

Question supplied by thula2.

Answer: None shall sleep

Calaf, an unknown prince, falls in love at first sight with Princess Turandot, who is a very beautiful but cold woman. Any man who wishes to marry her has to answer three riddles and failure to answer correctly would mean a beheading! Calaf correctly answers the riddles but Turandot still refuses to marry him. Calaf gives her a chance to get out of marrying him by challenging her to guess his name by dawn the following day. If she cannot guess his name, she must marry him, but if she does, she may execute him.

Turandot then declares that none of her subjects shall sleep that night until she knows the name of the prince, and if they fail to find his name, they will all be executed.

That night Calaf hears people searching for his name and he sings the words that he has heard Turandot speak to her subjects: "Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma! Tu pure, o Principessa, nella tua fredda stanza, guardi le stelle che tremano d'amore, e di speranza!". (English translation: "None shall sleep! None shall sleep! Even you, O Princess, in your cold bedroom, watch the stars that tremble with love and with hope!").

Turandot does not find out Calaf's name that night, but when at dawn he confronts her, sweeps her off her feet, and kisses her, she declares his name is "love" and of course, they live happily ever after.

Question supplied by wenray.

Answer: Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

Written mostly by John Lennon with some input from McCartney on the lyrics, this song was seemingly about one of the many affairs John had while married to Cynthia.

The addition of the sitar was simply because George had one lying around and they felt the song needed something else, so they added the sitar and that was that!

It's said to be the first time a rock band used a sitar on a recording. Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones soon followed suit and played a sitar on "Paint It Black", and before long it was all the rage with artists such as The Monkees, The Turtles, The Box Tops, Traffic, The Kinks, The Mamas & The Papas, and the Animals all having a go at it. In 1969, Big Jim Sullivan (a prolific session musician and friend of George Harrison) took on the Lord Sitar persona and recorded a whole album of covers played on the sitar! His choice of covers included the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and "I Am The Walrus".

Question supplied by scotsbluebell.

Answer: Duran Duran

Duran Duran never released "Lonely In Your Nightmare" as a single (as far as I know), but it is precious to me. Some may say this ballad is somewhat simple, but I find the lyrics charmingly haunting : "You built your refuge, turns you captive all the same."

Question supplied by rebelyank.

Answer: What's Going On?

This song, which was the title track to Marvin's eleventh album, was released in the US on May 20, 1971, but according to the book "Divided Soul" by David Ritz, some of the lyrics are directed toward Marvin's father, who had both physically and mentally abused Marvin from childhood. For example:

"Father, father
We don't need to escalate...
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me So you can see
What's going on."

Poor Marvin, he really tried to please his father over the years, but he would have none of it! He seemed to resent Marvin because of Marvin's mother's love! Who wouldn't love her own son?

Question submitted by kennell

Answer: Marcel Proust

"In Search of Lost Time" is a huge, daunting novel spread over six volumes that many would-be-readers seem actually afraid of approaching, but it's actually a joy to read, and much more accessible than its fearsome reputation would have one believe.

However, for those who need easing into Proust, this tome is perfect as it gives us snippets of the novel. Proust was a true aesthete and in the novel he often waxes lyrical about great paintings. What's more, Marcel (both the main character of the novel and Monsieur Proust) often sees a likeness to figures in paintings amongst the people he has to deal with in life, leading him to a string of memories every time he meets them. Eric Karpeles' book, "Paintings in Proust: A Visual Guide to 'In Search of Lost Time'" cites the quotes from the novel and shows us the paintings. I could quite happily peruse it for hours and not care less whether a ship came to rescue me or not.

Russian-born author Vladimir Nabokov was a great admirer of Proust and lectured on him while teaching at university in the USA. The transcription of that lecture has been published in "Vladimir Nabokov: Lectures on Literature". Nabokov's oeuvre was similarly jam-packed with references to paintings, and several books have been written about the paintings in his novels.

Nobel Prize laureate Samuel Beckett wrote an essay called "Proust" in 1930.

Swiss-born writer Alain de Botton published the very successful non-fiction title "How Proust Can Change Your Life" in 1997.

Answer: King of Diamonds

The King of Diamonds is sometimes called "the man with the axe", or the "suicide king". Because it appears as if the King of Hearts is sticking a sword into his head, this King is also sometimes called "the suicide king". This is the only King without a moustache, and the only King drawn in profile.

The deck of cards commonly in use today in English-speaking countries is known as the French deck. The design and manufacture of these cards came from Rouen in France and made their way to England in the 16th century. The French playing card manufacturers, beginning in the 15th century, gave names to the four Kings: King of Spades - David (a biblical king); King of Hearts - Charles (after Charlemagne); King of Diamonds - Caesar (after Julius Caesar); and the King of Clubs - Alexander (after Alexander the Great). However, Court cards in use today do not particularly represent anybody.

The ancient Chinese invented the original playing card in about the 9th century and they spread to other Asian countries by the 11th century. It is thought they came to Europe via Egypt in the late 14th century. These cards had symbols quite similar to Tarot cards and are still used on cards in countries like Italy, Spain and Portugal. Some German packs of cards use the symbols hearts, bells, leaves and acorns.

Question supplied by wenray.

Answer: Arthur Askey

Arthur Askey was on Desert Island Discs in 1942, 1955, 1968 and 1980. On the 1968 broadcast, Askey asked jokingly if anybody had "ever had the temerity to request their own records", knowing full well he had done so back in 1942. The 1942 edition isn't available in the BBC archives, so I can't tell you what he said about choosing his own recording, but in 1968 he poked fun at an unnamed guest (Elisabeth Schwarzkopf) who had chosen seven pieces which she featured on. The piece he chose in 1968 from the radio show "Band Waggon" was called "The Proposal" and is a perfect example of the mild yet hysterically funny comedy that Askey was master of.

"Band Waggon" was a landmark show for the BBC as it was the first purpose-written comedy radio show to be broadcast. His co-star was Richard Murdoch. The show's brief run (1938 - 1940) was followed by a feature film under the same title.

Askey was born in 1900 in Liverpool and died in 1982 in London. He had given up performing at the time of his death, but only recently after having his legs amputated. In fact, right from his big break with "Band Waggon" in the late 1930s, Askey had been working and never really experienced a dip in his career fortunes.

Science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke was a guest on Desert Island Discs in 1977.

Arthur Dent is a fictional character from the comedy series "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams.

Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher who lived 1788 - 1860. He was not known for his sense of humour.

Question supplied by thula2.