A Musical Miscellany Trivia Quiz

Answer: Animals

Released when punk was big in the U.K, "Animals" is replete with punkish style and attitude, most noticeably in the guitar sounds of David Gilmour. Nevertheless, it's trademark Floyd for the most part and the almost Orwellian use of sheep, pigs, and dogs as a concept is fascinating.

Answer: In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning

Where would we be without the glorious Capitol recordings of Sinatra? One masterpiece after another and "In The Wee Small Hours", released in 1955, is a man's desperate search for answers to love gone wrong, love gone unrequited but mainly love just gone. To be played constantly, whether you've just broken up with your partner or not. Expect to shed tears in both cases. Legendary stuff from the legend to beat all legends.

If you know the Frank Sinatra story, you'll know he's singing every song on this album for the great, lost love of his life, Ava Gardner, who had been his second wife and who he still loved intensely after their divorce and forever more.

Answer: The Rain, The Park And Other Things.

The Cowsills were literally one big happy family, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, all called Cowsill of course and the inspiration for the television series, "The Partridge Family". In fact the Cowsills themselves were meant to be in that show but the powers that be opted instead for a name actress, Shirley Jones, and a fictional family of happy, hippy, singers. And thus was born David Cassidy. "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" is a gem, and could only have been written and sung in the era of flower power. Perfect harmonising by all the Cowsill family. Made it as far as number two on Billboard.

Answer: Aqualung

"Aqualung" was released in 1971 and proved to be Jethro Tull's best selling album.

Lead vocalist, flautist and songwriter Ian Anderson was only in his twenties but listening to that deep, distinctive voice of his, you'd swear he was at least forty. The album itself is a concept of sorts in two parts. Part one is Aqualung himself, the shabbily dressed tramp who sits on park benches thinking disturbing thoughts, seeks solace at the Salvation Army and whose breathing is laboured one assumes, hence his name. Part two is anti-religion, anti-God, anti-church songs, reasonably argued. Excellent musicianship and the title song has a much lauded guitar solo by Martin Barre. This English band were great to watch and listen to in concert. Anderson always had great banter with the fans in the crowd. His wife Jennie is credited with co-writing the title track and photos she took of homeless men inspired the idea behind the album. A top ten album on music charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

Answer: Eroica

Nine symphonies, thirty two piano sonatas, sixteen string quartets, one opera, five piano concertos, plus optional extras. Add them up and you get one great big dose of genius.

Of the symphonies, the "Eroica" or to use its English translation, the "Heroic", is the one originally dedicated to Napoleon until he became a megalomaniacal emperor and tyrant. Beethoven was so incensed with his hero's abuse of power that he famously crossed out the dedication and went with the all purpose "Eroica, in memory of a great man." But the great man wasn't Bonaparte. It was surely Beethoven himself.

Musically, this symphony is mindbogglingly brilliant and completely rewrote the rules of how a symphony should be composed. Gone were the elegant, refined symphonies of Mozart and Haydn, gone were the almost tentative experimentations in Beethoven's first two symphonies, gone were the well established expectations of symphonic writing. Instead there was grandness, greatness, hugeness and a work that seemed to come out of nowhere. The second movement, a funeral march of epic proportions, will send shivers down your spine. From here on in, music would never be the same again. Simply awesome, and written when Beethoven first knew he was going deaf. Mozart had been dead for a decade and a bit when the "Eroica" was first performed but I'm certain if he had been around to hear it, he would have said "Wow!" Essential listening!

Answer: My Love

Paul McCartney had such effortless ability to write killer songs, as a Beatle and as a non-Beatle. This 1973 hit from the "Red Rose Speedway" album is gorgeous, purely and simply. And the man can sing too.

Answer: Black Sabbath

Heavy metal. You can take it or leave it. For the most part, I leave it. Except when it's Black Sabbath and about half a dozen other bands. It's always great to hear Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, railing against war ("War Pigs" from the album "Paranoid"),trying to convince his doctor he saw a fairy with boots dancing with a dwarf ("Fairies Wear Boots", also from "Paranoid"), exhorting everyone to spread the word of love ("Children Of The Grave", from the album "Master Of Reality") or in the case of the song "Black Sabbath", trying to escape from a bunch of Satanists. Because it's Ozzy escaping though, you have to laugh.

But really, this band set the template for heavy metal and have never been surpassed. Tony Iommi on guitar, Geezer Butler on bass, Bill Ward on drums, complete the original and best lineup. Must be played loud!

Answer: Cheek To Cheek

Irving Berlin died in 1989 at the age of 101. Boy, would he have seen a lot of changing styles in music! "Someone To Watch Over Me " was written by George and Ira Gershwin. "Night and Day" by Cole Porter, "My Funny Valentine " by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. All of them masterpieces, all of them genius songwriters. Say no more!

Answer: The Shangri- Las

The Shangri-Las were two sets of teenage sisters, Mary and Betty Weiss, Marge and Mary Ann Ganser, all four of them New York girls with troubled upbringings. They had a tough girl image based on the fact they really were tough girls. "Leader Of The Pack", with the famous "I met him at the candy store" lyric is regularly played on oldies radio stations but all of the grrls' output should be too.

Their time together as a group was short and the two Ganser sisters both died young. Compare the Shangri-Las to manufactured rubbish like the Spice Girls and you'll understand why nothing comes close to those great girl groups of the sixties.

Answer: The Allman Brothers Band

When Duanne Allman lost his life in a motorcycle accident in October 1971, we lost a transcendentally brilliant guitarist.

A few months earlier, together with his brother Gregg Allman on vocals and keyboards, Dickey Betts also on guitar, Berry Oakley on bass, and Jai Johanny Johanson and Butch Trucks on drums -yes, two drummers, performing at the same time- the group of musicians known as The Allman Brothers Band played another of what had already been a series of gigs at the legendary Fillmore East venue in New York. Fortunately, this gig was recorded live and released as an album. Only seven tracks were included but oh boy, these are seven examples of what great musicianship is all about. Mainly blues influenced and with one killer jazz instrumental called "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed", which features a superlative guitar solo by Dicky Betts and then an almost five minute one by Duane Allman that transcends greatness, and proves once and for all how great a loss his early death was to music, this recording is a shining example of the days when music was played with heart and soul and virtuosity, and makes you want to weep for what the music industry has become, an endless parade of pabulum and utterly awful television talent shows which display not the slightest bit of talent.

A year after Duanne Allman's death, bassist Berry Oakley was also killed in a motorcycle accident and continued a run of bad luck which dogged the band in all its various incarnations for years to come. But the recording legacy of that first lineup remains, and "At Fillmore East" is justly considered one of the great moments in music history. Ignore at your peril!