A Fruity Selection of Bands Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wild Cherry

Wild Cherry were formed in North East Ohio in 1970 and included a multitude of players over the ten years they were together, with Rob Parissi, vocalist and guitarist, the only member who featured in every line-up. Their big break came in 1976 with their number one hit "Play that Funky Music" off their eponymous album. Both went platinum and "Billboard" (USA) named them Best Pop Group of the Year.

They also received two Grammy nominations for Best New Vocal Group and Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo.

Answer: Electric Prunes

Californian band The Electric Prunes formed in 1965 and, though they were amongst the early experimenters of electronica, they were better known for their excursions into psychedelia. Their self-titled debut album arrived two years later and included the much vaunted "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" and their excellent follow-up single, "Get Me to the World on Time".

However, their continued urge to experiment would also lead to their undoing. Their third album "Mass in F Minor" was an attempt to draw Gregorian music into their psychedelic stew and produce a religious concept album. Rather than garnering commercial success it was a failure and it saw the departure of some of the band's key members.

The Electric Prunes would continue, producing a further two albums in the 1960s.

They would reform in the early 2000s.

Answer: Lemonheads

The Lemonheads were a Boston alternative band that formed in 1986. Their breakthrough came in 1992 with their fifth album "It's a Shame About Ray" which reached number 68 on the US Billboard Albums Chart. That album contained a pop punk version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs Robinson".

It was recorded to promote the video release of the Dustin Hoffman movie of the same name. Lead singer Evan Dando did not like the song as he believed it alienated the band's fan base. Paul Simon did not like this version either.

But after it was used in the soundtrack of "The Wolf of Wall Street", which earned Dando a fat royalty cheque, he revised his opinion.

Answer: Tangerine Dream

Despite numerous changes in personnel, Tangerine Dream has survived for over fifty years. They were founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese, who remained the only constant in the band until his passing in 2015. Seen as one of the early pioneers of the electronica scene, they are probably best known for their ground-breaking albums in the 1970s, in particular, "Phaedra" (1974) and "Rubycon" (1975).

Their single "A Time for Heroes" was released in 1987 and was used as the theme for the 1987 International Special Olympics Summer Games.

Answer: Raspberries

Formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1970, the Raspberries were a pop rock band with the original line-up of Eric Carmen, Wally Bryson, Jim Bonfanti and John Aleksic. They were known for their short hair and matching suits in an era where that had become uncool.

They were influenced by the so-called British Invasion bands such as The Beatles, The Who, The Hollies and Small Faces. Jason Ankeny, in his biography of the band on the online music database Allmusic, described their music as featuring "exquisitely crafted melodies and achingly gorgeous harmonies". "Go All the Way" was written by Eric Carmen and included on their debut LP entitled "Raspberries".

It was released as a single in July 1972 and reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was their only certified Gold Record.

Answer: Kid Creole and the Coconuts

Kid Creole and the Coconuts were created in 1980 by August Darnell and Andy Hernandez. The band brought together a range of races and cultures and would be a reflection of the varied mix of music that Darnell was exposed to in his youth. Darnell, who took his stage name from the 1958 Elvis Presley movie "King Creole", would wear zoot suits when performing and dance in styles reminiscent of the 1930s and 40s.

Whilst their first two albums garnered positive critical reviews they were not commercially successful and they had to wait until 1983's "Tropical Gangsters" before endearing themselves to the public and the music charts.

This album would spawn UK Top 40 hits such as "Stool Pigeon", "Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy", "I'm A Wonderful Thing, Baby" and "Dear Addy".

Answer: The Rockmelons

The Rockmelons were an Australian pop/dance band that started life in 1983. The backbone of the group were the Jones brothers, Bryon and Jonathan, along with keyboard player, Raymond Medhurst. They had the unusual habit of constantly changing their lead vocalists and the band had a succession of singers, such as Peter Blakeley, Mary Azzopardi and Wendy Matthews, who would forge strong careers on the Australian music scene.

Their early albums scored attention to the point that their 1988 album "Tales of the City" shared the 1989 ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist - Album, with 1927's "...ish".

Their major breakthrough came in 1991 when they recruited Deni Hines, daughter of Australian soul legend Marcia Hines, and scored chart topping hits with a cover of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and their own "That Word (L.O.V.E.)".

The album that bore those singles "Form 1 Planet" would be certified platinum in Australia. The band recorded one other album "Rockies 3" (2002), which featured eight different lead vocalists.

Answer: The Cranberries

The Cranberries were formed in Limerick, Ireland in 1989 as Cranberry Saw Us. The original line-up was lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. In 1990 Dolores O'Riordan replaced Niall Quinn as lead singer. Shortly after the group played at a show as part of the University of Limerick's RAG Week on 18 April 1991, the band changed their name to The Cranberries.

The band officially classify themselves as an alternative rock group. "Linger" is from their debut studio album "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?" (1993).

It was composed by Dolores O'Riordan and Noel Hogan and was released as the second single from the album. It was later re-released worldwide on 17 February 1994. "Linger" reached number three in Ireland, number eight in the United States and number 14 in the United Kingdom.

The single remained on the US Billboard Hot 100 for 24 weeks. It was also voted as number three on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1993 chart in Australia.

Answer: Bananarama

English band Bananarama formed as a trio in 1979 with members Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan. In 1989 they were first listed in the Guinness World Records for achieving the world's highest number of chart entries by an all-female group, a record which they held for many years.

The group's hits include "It Ain't What You Do..." (1982), "Really Saying Something" (1982), "Shy Boy" (1982), "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" (1983), "Cruel Summer" (1983), "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." (1984) and "Love in the First Degree" (1987), which all made it into the UK Top ten.

They had eleven singles reach the US Billboard Hot 100 from 1983 to 1988 including a number one in 1986 with their cover of "Venus". O'Sullivan left the group in 1991 and Dallin and Woodward continued as a duo. Fahey rejoined the group for a sort time in 2017 and 2018. "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." was written by Bananarama, Steve Jolley and Tony Swain, and was the second single released from their second album in 1984.

It reached number three on the UK singles charts and number 95 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Answer: Strawberry Alarm Clock

In 1966, the Strawberry Alarm Clock emerged in Glendale California by amalgamating two bands, Thee Sixpence and Waterfyrd Traene. They were a large psychedelic rock band. The group had a US Billboard Hot 100 number one with "Incense and Peppermints" and followed with an album of the same name which reached number eleven on the US Billboard Albums Chart.

They were never able to repeat that success and broke up for the first time in 1970.