Packing up my Old CDs... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Miles Davis

I know that picking this song makes it easy to identify, but aren't all of the tracks on "Kind of Blue" just as recognizable? This was a 1959 release on Columbia Records. The band included jazz greats such as 'Cannonball' Adderly, James Cobb, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly and, of course, the saxophone master, John Coltrane.

Answer: The White Stripes

This is a raucous tune from the "White Blood Cells" album. It was the first tune by The White Stripes I heard on alternative radio and have been a huge Jack White fan ever since. This was released in 2001 and also contained the song "We're Going to Be Friends," which was heard in the opening credits of the film "Napoleon Dynamite."

Answer: Lyle Lovett

Ah, so many great songs on so many great records by Lyle! This one helps you to choose the artist, if you happen to know that he is proudly from Klein, Texas. If you do not know the album, "The Road to Ensenada," I urge you to check it out! The number of artists credited on the album is long, as it is Lyle's penchant to employ a 'big band' both when recording and on the road.

A few famous guests here include Jackson Browne, Shawn Colvin and Randy Newman, who would collaborate with Lyle on the theme from "Toy Story" a few years later.

Answer: Queensryche

No, it's not Bob Dylan or Pete Seeger. Nor is it a modern folk-revolutionary like Tracy Chapman (who was "Talkin' About a Revolution."). This song is from the progressive/hard rock outfit from Seattle named Queensryche. Their album "Operation Mindcrime" is a metal rock opera from the late 1980s and while it is not their most successful record, perhaps ("Empire" from 1990 might be), it is assuredly their most ambitious work.

Answer: Natalie Merchant

Although I do have all of the 10,000 Maniacs albums where Ms. Merchant is the lead vocalist, this song from the album of the same name is likely one you will remember. As her first solo effort, it was a magnet for scrutiny, but in the end, "Carnival" received mostly excellent reviews. This 1995 release also includes the song "River," dedicated to the actor River Phoenix.

Answer: Willie Nelson

Well, they cannot ALL be obvious! I chose this track from my favorite Willie album, "Phases and Stages." The music-obsessed Elvis Costello had anointed it his favorite from the Red Headed Stranger, so I checked it out...you should, too! The music here is a spare, butt-kicking honky-tonk that will make you want to get up and dance. Or drink. Or both!

Answer: Stevie Wonder

With such amazing tracks as "Superstition," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "Big Brother," I went for a more obscure ditty from Mr. Wonder's "Talking Book" release. His music has been like a soundtrack playing over my life--he has one of the best and most unique voices in music!

Answer: Barenaked Ladies

From their hit album "Stunt," this offering from the comical Canadians shows some real pop songwriting chops. The memorable "One Week," with its rapped verses, is also a hit from this 1998 album.

Answer: R.E.M.

R.E.M. is, to me, the great American rock band. They began as a little college band in Athens, Georgia, payed their dues as an alternative act until they began to garner international popularity as a "Monster" of rock! This is the lead track off of "Monster" and is emblematic of R.E.M. at its best. Rumor spread that the phrase "Kenneth, what is the frequency?" was spoken repeatedly by a deranged man who attacked Dan Rather in New York City in 1986.

Answer: Billie Holliday

For some reason, my discs seem to be dominated by male vocalists...the truth is, I have a large female contingency as well. Whenever I listen to Lady Day's voice, I am transported to another time and place, maybe one that never actually existed. She has so much emotion in her delivery at all times, but none more than on "Strange Fruit."
The song, released in 1939, was the b-side to her hit "Fine and Mellow" and was notable for its reference to lynched African Americans who were the "strange fruit" that hung from trees in the southern USA.