My 1970s CD Collection, Part 1 Quiz

Answer: El Condor Pasa

'El condor pasa' translates as 'the condor passes'. Paul Simon borrowed the music and added his own lyrics, subtitling the track as 'If I Could'. The album it is off, 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', was one of the best selling albums ever released.

'Los Cochinos' means 'the pigs' and is the name of a comedy album from Cheech and Chong. 'Besame Mucho' is Spanish for 'kiss me a lot' and is a popular Mexican song from 1940. 'O sole mio' was written in the late 1800s, but it is Italian, not Spanish. It means 'my sunshine'.

Answer: If

The band got its name when Gates was stuck in traffic behind a bread truck. We should be grateful that it was not a truck carrying pigs, or perhaps manure! They churned out a string of hits in the early 1970s, mainly gentle, easy-listening songs. Some of them are 'It Don't Matter to Me', 'Let Your Love Go', 'Baby I'm-a Want You' and 'Diary'.

Internal discord in the band led to their break-up in 1973. A short but spectacular career.

Answer: Australia

She was born in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, in 1941, part of a showbiz family. She moved to the US in 1966 but her career was rather lacklustre until she recorded 'I Am Woman', making her the first Australian to top the US singles charts.

Answer: Radar Love

'Born to Be Wild' by Steppenwolf, is a great song for when you are behind the wheel- it was played in the classic 'Easy Rider'. One of my favourite bands, Talking Heads, gave us 'Road To Nowhere' in 1985. 'Trans-Canada Highway' was a 1975 hit for evergreen rocker, Gene Pitney.

'Radar Love' is a song that should, (no, MUST), be played as loud as possible on the open road!

Answer: Evie

'Evie' (Part 1), subtitled 'Let Your Hair Hang Down', was released as a single, with Part 2, 'I'm Nothing Without You' and Part 3, 'Losing You' on the B-side of the single. They were frequently played together, forming a song of more than 11 minutes. Stevie Wright was one of the mainstays of early rock in Australia, and as lead singer of the Easybeats, also had another classic with 'Friday on my Mind'. He died in December, 2015, after a very troubled life.

The wrong answers are also significant examples of Australian music. 'Khe Sanh' by Cold Chisel is about the Vietnam War, 'Beds are Burning', by Midnight Oil, is a protest song about Aboriginal land rights and 'Living in the 70s' was the debut song and album for Melbourne rockers, Skyhooks.

Answer: Francis Rossi

Status Quo released the album 'Bula Bula Quo' in 2013, as part of a movie project. The single from that album was their 100th released single!

Robert Plant is the backbone of Led Zeppelin and Roger Daltrey is the lead singer for The Who. He also starred in the 1975 rock opera, 'Tommy'. Ian Anderson was lead singer and flautist for folk rock band, Jethro Tull.

Answer: Roger Taylor

In addition to being an excellent drummer, he also wrote several Queen songs. 'Radio Ga Ga', 'Sheer Heart Attack' and 'I'm In Love With My Car' are just a few of his offerings., He is also adept as a vocalist and guitarist.

May (lead) and Deacon (bass) were both guitarists. Craig Reid was one of The Proclaimers, the Scottish twins who hit it big with 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)', in 1988.

Answer: Jim Steinman

Willie Dixon wrote some huge blues numbers, ('Little Red Rooster', 'Bring It On Home', 'Back Door Man') and Bernie Taupin was the genius behind most of Elton John's work. Jimmy Webb wrote lots of songs, but my favourite of his is the indecipherable 'MacArthur Park'.

Meat Loaf's album, 'Bat Out Of Hell' burst onto the music scene like 'a silver-black phantom bike', and became one of the best-selling albums of all time. I saw him in concert, and it was amazing. Jim Steinman's lyrics on all seven songs are high-powered imagery.

Answer: Emily Bronte

Kate was only 19 when she hit the top of the chart, a song that she wrote herself. Her hauntingly beautiful soprano was perfect for 'Wuthering Heights'. Emily Bronte's only work was published in 1847, shortly before her death. The lovers that could not be, Heathcliff and Catherine, are the basis for the song. Cathy's ghost is calling to Heathcliff to join her.

Shakespeare wrote quite a few plays, but predated the Brontes by a couple of centuries. Jane Austen wrote several major novels, but died before Emily was born. Charles Dickens was also a prolific author, but in a rather different style to 'Wuthering Heights'.

Answer: Prisoner

'Prisoner' was a gritty series, focusing on the inmates and staff of a high-security women's prison, Wentworth Detention Centre. The lyrics of the theme song tell of the despair of the prisoners, not being able to be 'outside'. The show, and the song were released in 1979, were both immediate hits. 'On the Inside' scored well on the UK charts a decade later, when the show was sold to ITV.
'Blue Heelers' was a soapie about a country town police station, 'The Young Doctors' was about young doctors (surprised?), and 'Round the Twist' was a kid's series about life in a haunted lighthouse.