Classic Rock Albums And Songs U.K. And U.S Quiz

Answer: Very 'Eavy...Very 'Umble

The Uriah Heep album from the UK that first had these two songs on it is "Very 'Eavy...Very 'Umble". It was released in the U.S. as self titled "Uriah Heep" with different artwork and with the tune "Bird of Prey" on it instead of "Lucy Blues." The original UK LP release came housed in a gatefold cover and featured David Byron on front.

His face was completely covered in cobwebs, his eyes were closed & his mouth agape. It has a disturbing appearance to it. This album has a song on it titled "Gypsy" which is very heavy and led by swirling Hammond organ.

Many people consider "Gypsy" to be an important song to the beginning of heavy metal.

Answer: The Bee Gee's Sing & Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs

"The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs" by Barry Gibb And The Bee Gees is their 1965 debut album from Australia. It was released on the Leedon label. It's a compilation of fourteen of their Australia only single releases from the three years prior to the albums release.

The wide time span is the reason for the different styles of music on the album. The "Bee Gees' 1st" from 1967 is their international debut LP and has songs that are musically in the psychedelic pop rock genre. There were actually two LPs, released in Australia only, prior to "Bee Gees' 1st". One, of course, was "The Bee Gees Sing And Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs" from 1965 and the other was "Spicks And Specks" from 1966.

The Aussie debut LP can still be found on vinyl. However, you can expect to pay quite a bit for a copy.

Answer: Highway

"Highway" is the fourth LP recorded by the English rock band Free. They recorded it quickly in September of 1970, probably to take advantage of their success at the Isle Of Wight Festival. The "Highway" LP is quite subdued as well as introspective compared to their other earlier LPs. It didn't sell well at all. It does seem to have been lost in the shuffle and musically was not as good as the earlier LPs that the band released.

Answer: Pretties For You

Alice Cooper's album "Pretties For You" from 1969 was very different from the style of music the band would be playing in the future. This album is considered to be in the "acid rock" vein which is a sub genre of "psychedelic rock". There are echoes of Frank Zappa's Mother's as well as those of Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett era) that can be heard on this LP It has that early "San Francisco Sound" with distorted fuzz guitar leads, organ, not unlike the one heard in the music of Vanilla Fudge, & vocal harmonies.

The LP was not really accepted by the public at the time. Prior to "Pretties For You" Cooper was in the Nazz, and before that the Spiders.

Answer: Book Of Taliesyn

"The Book of Taliesyn" is the second album by the hard rock band Deep Purple. It was released in 1968 on Parlophone in the UK and on Tetragrammaton in the U.S. Rod Evans was vocalist for this LP and their prior release. After the huge success of "Hush" in the U.S., which was on their first LP, this second LP didn't do near as well.

It was, however, an important LP for the band in that it was a step on the ladder to super stardom for Deep Purple. There was still the keyboards of Jon Lord & the lead guitar of Richie Blackmore but it just wasn't enough until the band took on Ian Gillan as lead singer.

Their first LP together with Gillan on vocals was self titled. Then came "Deep Purple In Rock" which was a huge success in Europe. It hit number four in the UK. Evans had recorded two albums with Deep Purple and then went on to the progressive rock band Captain Beyond.

Answer: My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars On Their Brows"

"My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars On Their Brows" is the UK debut LP by Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was released in 1968 and was Tolkien inspired Hippie acid folk. The band was later known as simply T Rex. Marc Bolan is vocalist and guitarist and Steve Peregrine Took is backup vocalist, drummer, pixiephonist, and percussionist. Took was actually Steve Turner but chose his stage name because it was the name of a Hobbit in "Lord Of The Rings". On this album, Bolan returned to his roots. No electric guitars ! John Peel, who was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer, journalist, and one of the first broadcasters to play psychedelic and progressive music, reads a fairytale on the album's closing track.

It was written by Bolan himself and called "Frowning Atahuallpa (My Inca Love)".

Answer: Blue Matter

In 1969 Savoy Brown released "Blue Matter" which was their third LP It was a really solid mix of original songs and blues cover songs. It was also a mix of studio and live tracks. The band member lineup for this LP was considered to be the best in the history of the band.

It consisted of Kim Simmonds, "Lonesome" Dave Peverett, Tony "Tone" Stevens, Roger Earl, and Chris Youlden. Savoy Brown developed a hazy blues style sound not unlike John Mayall or early Cream.

Answer: Born To Die

"Born To Die" is Grand Funk Railroad's tenth album, and it was released in January 1976 by Capitol Records. It is the more stark of all of their LPs and is full of dark overtones. There are songs about death, politics & personal relationships. The album had a song on it titled "Sally" which was about Mark Farner's girlfriend at the time.

She was Sally Kellerman the actress and singer. There's not a lot of information about "Born To Die" on the internet that I could find, other than basic LP information.

It certainly was not one of their better selling LPs and they had many that had sold extremely well. In 1970 Grand Funk Railroad sold more records than any other band in the U.S. They also sold out Shea Stadium in seventy two hours which broke the Beatles'attendance record there.

Answer: Their Satanic Majesties Request

"Their Satanic Majesties Request" is the sixth studio album released by The Rolling Stones and it was released in December of 1967 by Decca Records in the UK and the next day in the U.S. by London Records. The title refers to the "Her Britannic Majesty requests and requires..." text that is printed inside British passports.

The Beatles had "Sgt. Pepper's", so of course the Stones had to reply to that and came up with "Satanic Majesties". Both are in the psychedelic genre. "Their Satanic Majesties Request" was originally released with a 3D picture on the front cover.

The 3D image was supposed to take up the whole front cover but the idea was nixed because it would have cost too much. One possible alternate cover the band was considering had a photograph of Mick Jagger naked on a cross.

It was also eliminated by the record company for being in poor taste. Most copies of this album contain an extremely brief hidden track titled "Cosmic Christmas". It's 35 seconds long and comes in just after the song titled "Sing This All Together" (See What Happens)".

Answer: With The Beatles

"With The Beatles" is The Beatles' second UK album. It was recorded just four months after their first LP and was released on November 22nd, 1963, which was the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Paul McCartney said that the song "Little Child" was put on the album just as a filler song.

They needed one more song to complete their album so they threw "Little Child" in there to fill in the gap. Paul McCartney said he "borrowed" the line "I'm so sad and lonely" from the song "Whistly My Love" from a folk singer named Elton Hayes. "Little Child" was supposed to be Ringo's song to sing but he wanted no part of it. So instead, he got "I Wanna Be Your Man" as his song for this album. Good choice Ringo !

Answer: Get Your Wings

"Get Your Wings" is the second album by Aerosmith. It was released in March. 1974. None of the album's songs were hits but it was still certified Triple Platinum by the RIAA. "Seasons Of Wither" is really different from the rest of the album. It's a laid back, mournful ballad. According to lead singer Steven Tyler "Seasons Of Wither" was inspired by the Massachusetts landscape in wintertime.

He also said it's one of his favorite songs by the band. Prior to Aerosmith, Steven Tyler played drums for a band named "Chain Reaction".

They put out a few 45 rpm records but that was all.

Answer: The Magnificent Moodies

"The Magnificent Moodies" is the debut LP by The Moody Blues. The song "Go Now" was on the album which turned out to be a huge hit. In the UK it reached number one and although it took a while longer, it reached number ten in the U.S. "The Magnificent Moodies" album was first released in the UK and is the only album that featured the following lineup which was more in a rhythm and blues vein.

There is the guitar player and singer Denny Laine, bass player Clint Warwick, Mike Pinder on flute, Ray Thomas on percussion, and Graeme Edge on drums.

This LP had a couple of good R&B songs on it that were both songs by James Brown and The Famous Flames. "I'll Go Crazy" is one and the other is "I Don't Mind" which are, of course, the songs mentioned in my question. Justin Hayward and John Lodge joined the band in 1966 and the rest is history.

They were the vocalists who sang many well known songs for the Moodies over the course of many years.

Answer: It Ain't Easy

"It Ain't Easy" is the fourth album by rock band Three Dog Night and it was released in 1970. Lead singer Chuck Negron wrote a book titled "Three Dog Nightmare." In it he says that the album's original title was going to be "The Wizards of Orange". The original cover of "It Ain't Easy" showed the band members on front as naked as jaybirds.

The nude cover was replaced with a picture of the three founding members Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton, sitting around a piano with their clothes on. Three Dog Night's "Golden Biscuits" album was released on the Probe label in 1970 out of the UK.

It was the same nude cover as the original "It Ain't Easy" before it was withdrawn. Original "It Ain't Easy" nude cover vinyl LP releases can still be found but tend to be on the expensive side. Between 1969 and 1974 no other band or singer had more top ten hits than Three Dog Night. During these years Three Dog Night was the most popular band in the U.S.

They also sold more concert tickets and record albums than anyone else, and had 21 consecutive top forty hits as well as twelve straight gold LPs.

Answer: Grateful Dead (self titled)

"Grateful Dead" is a self titled double LP of live recordings by the Grateful Dead. It was released in 1971. Also known as "Skull & Roses", because of its cover art, and "Skull F_ _ k". The band wanted to give it the latter title I just mentioned, but the record company said no way.

At the time this self titled two LP set was the best seller yet for the band. It went gold which meant it had sold a minimum of 500,000 copies. F.Y.I. and a fun fact is that the very first gold record ever awarded went to Perry Como for his hit single "Catch A Falling Star". Fans and followers of the Grateful Dead are known as Dead Heads.

It was never actually determined where the term came from. The term Dead Heads however, was made official by the legendary notice placed inside the "Skull and Roses" album by manager Jon McIntire: "DEAD FREAKS UNITE. Who are you? Where are you? How are you? Send us your name and address and we'll keep you informed. Dead Heads, PO Box 1065, San Rafael, California, 94901"

Answer: The Yes Album

The "Yes Album" is the third album by British progressive rock band Yes. It is the first release to feature twenty four year old guitarist extraordinaire Steve Howe. The album was released on Atlantic Records in February of 1971 in the UK and is THE album that finally put Yes on the map. Yes released an incredible amount of LPs numbering at thirty+ throughout their career. That's not including compilation LPs that songs of theirs were included on. "The Yes Album" went platinum which meant that one million or more copies were sold.

It hit number four in the UK & was in the top forty in the U.S. "Q" magazine put out a list of 100 Greatest British Albums Of All Time and "The Yes Album" is on that list.

Answer: Soundtrack From The Film More

In 1969 a film titled "More" was released. It starred Mimsy Farmer and Klaus Grünberg. Heroin addiction on the sunny Spanish island of Ibiza was the theme, and the story was based on the myth of Icarus and Daedalus. The film featured a soundtrack which was written and performed by Pink Floyd and titled "Soundtrack From The Film More." Because of the soundtrack, the film reached cult status.

Answer: A Quick One

"A Quick One" is the second LP by English rock band The Who. It was released in 1966. The original title was going to be "Jigsaw Puzzle" and it would have contained some different songs as well as some of the same songs on it. American executives at Decca Records released the album under the title "Happy Jack" instead of the suggestive title of the UK release which had sexual connotations. It was also due to the fact that "Happy Jack" was a top forty hit in the U.S. "Happy Jack" was not included on the UK release of the album. It was replaced with a cover of the Holland - Dozier - Holland hit, "Heat Wave" which was made famous by Martha And The Vandellas in 1963. "Happy Jack" was released as a non-album single in the UK.

Answer: Hat Trick

"Hat Trick" is the third album by the U.S. folk rock trio, America. It was released by Warner Brothers in 1973. The album was somewhat of a hit in the US, peaking at twenty eight on the Billboard album chart. It did have one hit single which was "Muskrat Love". Joe Walsh played guitar on one track titled "Green Monkey".

The three founding members of America were "Air Force brats". They grew up in the U.S. but were transferred to the U.S. Air Force base in London. They were all children of American military personnel who had British wives. All atended the same U.S. style high school set up for such children which is where they met. By 1968, the three teens were playing in local clubs & the rest is history.

Answer: One Of These Nights

"One of These Nights" is the fourth and breakthrough album by the country rock band the Eagles. It was released in 1975 on the Asylum label. The title track, "One of These Nights", hit number one in July of 1975 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. On original vinyl pressings of this album the Eagles had two "hidden messages", so to speak, etched into the vinyl. On side one, if you look at the blank vinyl near the label, you will see "Don't Worry -" etched into it.

In the same area on side two you will see "- Nothing Will Be O.K.!" The Eagles continued with the "hidden messages" for several more LPs. If I recall correctly, Poco was supposed to be the hot country rock band in the 1970's.

Their hopes were dashed however, when the Eagles emerged & took couhtry rock by storm.

Answer: Surrealistic Pillow

"Surrealistic Pillow" is the second album by American psychedelic rock / "San Francisco Sound" band Jefferson Airplane. It was released in February of 1967. Jefferson Airplane had a new lead vocalist for this album who was there to stay for quite some time.

She was most likely pretty much unknown at the time. Now she'll never be forgotten. Her name was Grace Slick and they got her from a band called The Great Society. She was brought in to sing in place of their current lead singer Signe Toly Anderson. Grace brought two things with her to Jefferson Airplane that will never be forgotten.

They were the songs "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love." The first Jefferson Airplane album that these songs premiered on was "Surrealistic Pillow." Those two songs brought the album to number three on the Billboard 200 chart. That chart is a ranking of the 200 biggest selling music albums and EPs in the U.S. and is published weekly by Billboard magazine. "Somebody to Love" peaked at number five on Billboard Pop Singles for 1967 and "White Rabbit" peaked at number eight on Billboard Pop Singles. Grace Slick was a real pistol amd a rebel.

She made an attempt to dose President Nixon with a strong dose of LSD while at the White House during a party. The F.B.I. recognized her as being on their black list and made her leave. The only reason that she got in was because she was on the party list as Grace Wing, her birth name. She admitted to the whole story.

Answer: Pious Bird Of Good Omen

"The Pious Bird of Good Omen" album was released by Fleetwood Mac in 1969 in the UK. It was a compilation LP that contained their first four UK singles and the B sides of those singles, two songs from "Mr. Wonderful" which was their 2nd LP, and two songs by Bluesman Eddie Boyd backed by Fleetwood Mac band members.

These two tracks came from Boyd's album titled "7936 South Rhodes". The U.S. only compilation LP, English Rose, was the same type of album but with a different track listing. It also contained "Black Magic Woman" but not "Rambling Pony".

These were the days when Peter Green was in the band. He wrote "Black Magic Woman", not Santana who had a huge hit with the song. In 1970 he also wrote "The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown)".

It was not written by Judas Priest who recorded a very heavy hit version of the song that bordered bordered on heavy metal. One other song in the hard rock genre was thought to be a song by "The Rockets", was in fact written by Fleetwood Mac and composed by Peter Green.

It was titled "Oh Well" and was all over the radio at the time of its release.

Answer: The Doobie Brothers (self titled)

"The Doobie Brothers" (self titled) is the first album by the U.S. rock band The Doobie Brothers. It was released in 1971. There wasn't much uproar about this album but it was just the beginning of the birth of a legend. If you give this LP a spin, you'll hear that sound in there that The Doobies are well known for in their early years when Tom Johnston was the vocalist.

The beginning of the Doobies as a band was in 1969 California. John Hartman met up with Skip Spence and Tom Johnston and came up with the name "Pud" for their new band. I don't think I want to know how they came up with that name.

The Doobies were actually a power trio early on. If you're curious as to their early sound, there is an LP of demos on the Pickwick label called "Introducing The Doobie Brothers".

The song "Nobody" from their self titled album peaked at number fifty eight on the Billboard Hot 100, but not until 1974. The Doobie Brothers got there start playing in biker bars in Northern California. "Noting the bands preference for marijuana, a friend jokingly nicknamed them the Doobie Brothers.

The name stuck". and I'm quite sure we all know why.

Answer: At Your Birthday Party

"At Your Birthday Party" is the third album by Steppenwolf. It was released in 1969 on ABC Dunhill Records. This LP was the first Steppenwolf album to feature bass player Nick St. Nicholas. It wasn't as noticed as their first two albums but contained some decent hits.

They were "It's Never Too Late", "Jupiter's Child" and "Rock Me." "Rock Me" was written for the soundtrack of the movie "Candy" which was released in 1969. The album's cover art is supposed to show the burned out remains of music equipment.

The equipment had belonged to the band Canned Heat before a 1969 fire ravaged their house and studio on Lookout Mountain Ave. in Laurel Canyon, and in L.A., California.

Answer: Younger Than Yesterday

"Younger Than Yesterday" is the fourth album by the U.S. band The Byrds. It was released in February 1967 on the Columbia label. It reached number twenty four on the U.S. Billboard Top Pop Albums chart but only hit number thirty seven in the UK. The Byrds released a single from the album, before the album itself was released.

The title of the song was "So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star" and it was released on January 9, 1967. The song hit number twenty nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The "Younger Than Yesterday" LP clocks in at just under 30 minutes.

It is considered by many to be one of the best, if not the best, Byrd's album.

Answer: Wheatfield Soul

The "Wheatfield Soul" release by the Canadian rock band The Guess Who hit the record store shelves in 1969. It was their US debut album, and because of that, it was quite important. The song "Lightfoot" was about Gordon Lightfoot. The song "Friends Of Mine" was quite different than the rest of their music.

It was quite psychedelic with a spoken passage very reminiscent of the Doors' Jim Morrison. The passage is very dark and disturbing like something right out of a bad LSD trip. There are echoed vocals and some fuzz guitar as well. "Wheatfield Soul" was most notable because it had the song "These Eyes" on it.

It was the breakthrough single for the Guess Who.