Red Classic Rock Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Who

By 1975, The Who were firmly established as one of the world's greatest rock bands, known for Pete Townshend's power chords and their operatic album composition. And then in 1975 came "The Who by Numbers", an album of plaintive introspective songs which the world did not expect. Today that album sits well in The Who's repertoire but it took a long time to earn the respect it deserved. "Squeeze Box" was the single and it went top ten on both sides of the Atlantic but it was a plaintive song featuring (gasp!) a ukulele and a muted trumpet, "Blue Red and Grey", a life affirming song sung by Mr Townshend, that was typical of the rest of the album.

Answer: Jimi Hendrix

From the 1967 album "Are you Experienced" (but not on the US original album version), there were several versions of this song from three to thirteen minutes. It tells of Mr Hendrix returning home to see his girl who lives in a red house but his key does not work anymore...
This was a pivotal track where the rest of the world, if they did not know by then, took notice of Mr Hendrix's mastery of the guitar. It was the one song that inspired Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top to play guitar in a rock band.
The song had a second wave of popularity on the "City of Angels" soundtrack (1985) as it featured in the movie itself in a pivotal scene where Meg Ryan's character, a cardiac surgeon, asks for Jimi Hendrix to be played as she operates.

Answer: Bruce Springsteen

This track, written in 1990, is a tribute to Mr Springsteen's second wife Patti Scialfa whom he married in 1991. The song was frequently performed live but was an out-take for the "Human Touch" (1992) album. The song featured on the "In Concert/MTV Plugged" live album (1993) where it was the opening track.
"Well brunettes are fine man
And blondes are fun
But when it comes to getting the dirty job done
I'll take a red headed woman
A red headed woman
It takes a red headed woman
To get a dirty job done."

Answer: U2

Another monster band with an unusual collaboration. For the record this song was the eighth track on the 1983 "War" album. However as Kid Creole and the Coconuts were in Dublin at the time they recorded the song, U2 invited the trumpet player, Kenny Fradley to play on the song. Three Coconuts (the band's backing singers/dancers) also turned up and provided essential backing vocals.
The song was about the Red Light districts of cities that the band toured, in contrast to the conservatism of their native Ireland.
The song was never played live.

Answer: Pearl Jam

"Red Mosquito" is the eighth song on Pearl Jam's fourth studio album, "No Code" (1996). The story behind the song was that lead singer Eddie Vedder got food poisoning prior to a concert in Golden Gate Park in 1994. He was holed up in his hotel room with a red mosquito but went to play the gig.

However he could only manage seven songs before leaving the stage. Neil Young substituted. Mr Vedder was subsequently so sick later shows were cancelled. Despite never being released as a single, "Red Mosquito" reached number 37 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Answer: Neil Diamond

"Red Red Wine" was written, performed, and recorded by Neil Diamond in 1967. and is a track on his 1967 album "Just for You". The song is about the virtues of wine. Mr Diamond wrote a similar song in 1970, "Cracklin' Rosie". Mr Diamond left Bang Records shortly after recording this song but the record company kept releasing Neil Diamond records often adding further instrumentation without Mr Diamond's permission.

The record company added a vocal choir accompaniment to the original recording and it is this version that became a minor hit in the US. Except for a live version, this song did not feature on any Neil Diamond album.

In the UK, two cover versions of the song charted in 1969: Jimmy James & The Vagabonds made a soul version. Tony Tribe charted with a reggae version. UB40, in turn covered the Tony Tribe reggae version in 1983 and took the song to number one in the US, UK and Canada and number two in Australia. Ironically they did not know it was originally a Neil Diamond song. Mr Diamond stated this version is one of his favourite covers of his songs. Mr Diamond frequently performed the song live playing UB40 reggae version rather than his own.

Answer: Prince

This was the song that shot Prince to stardom. The song was the second single off Prince's fifth album, "1999" (1983). The title track as a single did moderately well, reaching number 44 on the US Billboard Top 100 but this track, reached number six on the same chart. The song is about sex rather than the automobile though the sexual references are veiled enough not to offend the average (1983) listener.

This lyrical content did not stop Chevrolet from using it has a centre piece of one of their advertising campaigns ("They don't write songs about Volvos").

The tack inspired Stevie Nicks to write "Stand Back" which reached number five in the US in the same year.

Answer: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

"Red Right Hand" (1994) was from the band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' album "Let Love In" (1994), at 6:10, and later as a single at 4.48. It was a signature song or Mr Cave's despite barely making the Top 100 in the UK and Australia. The song's title comes from Milton's "Paradise Lost":
"Should intermitted vengeance arm again
His red right hand to plague us?
What if all her stores were opened, and this firmament
Of Hell should spout her cataracts of fire"

The song is dark and melancholic. Unlike other (many) melancholic Bad Seeds' songs, this was written in the key of B - most of his others centred around C minor or G minor keys.

Perhaps a mark of the song was it has been covered by many artists including PJ Harvey and the song has appeared on the soundtrack for many movies including the first three "Scream" movies where an alternative version was recorded for the third movie.

Answer: Lynyrd Skynyrd

"Red, White and Blue (Love It or Leave It)" appeared in the 2003 album, "Vicious Cycle", the twelfth studio album of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the first since bass guitarist Leon Wilkeson died in 2001. The song is a tribute to those that died in 9/11 in 2001. The lyrics are particularly "Springsteen-esque":

"My hair's turning white,
My neck's always been red,
My collar's still blue,
We've always been here
Just trying to sing the truth to you.
Yes you could say
We've always been,
Red, White, and Blue"

Answer: Rolling Stones

"Little Red Rooster" was considered a blues standard attributed to Willie Dixon. It was first recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1961. In 1964, the Rolling Stones recorded a version that went to number one in the UK but it was not released in the US because of sexual innuendos in the lyrics.

The song was the first blues song to reach the number one spot in the UK, and, indeed, was the the only blues song to reach the peak position in the twentieth century in that country.