A word about music.
It is a passion, not a hobby, for many, and I suspect those are the kind of listeners that veer towards 6 Music, where the journey is one of discovery as well as heritage. Passion for music leads to strange habits: the frequenting of dingy second-hand vinyl stores in damp basements; the drive of more than 100 miles to see the final show by some soon-to-be-defunct cult band for the last time in a room above a pub in Scunthorpe; the scarcely uncontrollable urge to send virulent hate-mail to the producers of TV talent shows. If, like me, you suffer from all these traits, then you will probably enjoy the book. If you are thinking, ‘Oh, TV talent shows aren’t so bad!’, maybe gently replace the book on the shelf and save your hard-earned cash.
‘(We play) music which records history, because without the knowledge of history, you cannot determine your destiny. Music about the present; because if you’re not conscious of the present, you’re like a cabbage in the society.’
So goes the introduction to Misty in Roots’ brilliant 1979 live album, Live at the Counter Eurovision 79 (a favourite of John Peel). I have tried to balance the two, past and present, but the past intrudes so clearly and purposefully on the present in music, that there is an inevitable bias towards history. The 21st century music scene is vibrant and colourful and multi-faceted, but this is the legacy of the founding fathers of rock and roll, the stars of the fifties, sixties and seventies who built the foundations on which stands today’s palace of musical pleasure.
A word on quiz books.
What makes a decent quiz book? If I had to answer in one word, it would be: Variety.
Variety of subject matter is important, even within the confines of a music quiz book. So we have tried to include questions across the whole spectrum of musical genres, albeit with a heavy nod to the 6 Music playlist..
Variety of format helps too. We have tried to set different challenges throughout the book: some timed quizzes, some chains and connections; all that jazz (except without the jazz).
Finally, variety of difficulty. Within each quiz there are a couple of questions to which the occasional radio listener will know the answer, and one or two which will tax even those with specialist knowledge.
One last note: there is a lot of reference in the book to chart positions and hits in the UK and the US. Until the digital era the chart was a genuine measure of success, and the weekly run-down was a must-listen event. They mattered.
Enjoy the book.
Nick