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The Great Book of Rock Trivia: Amazing Trivia, Fun Facts & The History of Rock and Roll
Are you the type of rock fan that isn't satisfied with simply listening to the radio? Sure, you enjoy it, but you want more. Do you look up the lyrics and wonder what they mean or if there is a story behind them? What on earth does “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” mean, anyway? We've got those answers for you in The Great Book of Rock Music! This book contains hundreds of riveting facts about your favorite rock songs.
Do you want to know how your favorite group got together and who is really the brains behind the band? Whether you're interested in what your favorite musicians like to do in their spare time, where they get the ideas for their music, or which artist had an exorcism in his home, you're in for a treat. This book will satisfy your curiosity and help you impress your friends with your rock and roll knowledge.
As easy to follow as a good drummer, this book will take you through the early years of rock and its development through the hippie era, the synthesizer-filled eighties, and the grunge age. You'll read about dramatic, absolutely hilarious, and downright odd moments during the concerts that shaped music history and defined generations.
Whether you're a passive listener of your friend's rock playlists or a connoisseur of guitar riffs, you're sure to learn something new that will increase your enjoyment of your favorite music. For an extra challenge, try the quizzes at the end of each chapter. So go ahead, open the cover and enter the world of rock!
Do you want to know how your favorite group got together and who is really the brains behind the band? Whether you're interested in what your favorite musicians like to do in their spare time, where they get the ideas for their music, or which artist had an exorcism in his home, you're in for a treat. This book will satisfy your curiosity and help you impress your friends with your rock and roll knowledge.
As easy to follow as a good drummer, this book will take you through the early years of rock and its development through the hippie era, the synthesizer-filled eighties, and the grunge age. You'll read about dramatic, absolutely hilarious, and downright odd moments during the concerts that shaped music history and defined generations.
Whether you're a passive listener of your friend's rock playlists or a connoisseur of guitar riffs, you're sure to learn something new that will increase your enjoyment of your favorite music. For an extra challenge, try the quizzes at the end of each chapter. So go ahead, open the cover and enter the world of rock!
170 pages, Paperback
Published August 5, 2018
429 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 1, 2022
4.5 stars
February 14, 2021
Just a fun book of trivia that is relatively short. There were a lot of things here that I didn't know already. NowI will look for more by this author.
March 4, 2024
If you love music this is a must read
August 2, 2018
‘With all that electrical equipment onstage, something is bound to happen sometimes—and it has’.
Author Bill O’Neill has authored many books on Trivia and stands as somewhat of an expert in this field! His topics include movies, football, baseball, wars, rock music and simply random trivia facts. This volume is THE GREAT BOOK OF ROCK TRIVIA and it is even better than his previous book on Rock Trivia Madness. To set the mood of the book Bill states, ‘Rock music is the soundtrack to many of our lives. We remember our first concert, the songs we danced to in high school, and scouring magazines for news of our favorite singers. Psychologists present several reasons we’re interested in celebrities: schadenfreude, wanting to be like them, fantasy, or just wanting something to talk about with friends. Whatever your desire, this book will give you some extraordinary facts about your favorite musicians. But that’s not all. You’ll also learn the stories behind some of the best rock songs! Plus, you’ll find fascinating details about some of the most exciting and momentous concerts, as well as the origins of rock and roll and its evolution through the years. Read on and learn about the rock musicians who helped build the hippie counterculture of the 1960s, with the rallying call of “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” and the idealism shining through the Summer of Love and culminating in Woodstock. Then the ‘70s came, and rock music shifted from the counterculture to seat itself firmly in mainstream culture, and it became more capitalistic. There was money to be made in music! The Beatles fans of the ‘60s were adults with cash to spend. Record companies and radio stations started labeling different forms of rock music so fans could find and buy it more easily: progressive rock, acid or psychedelic rock, heavy metal, folk rock and, later, disco and punk. Learn about bands like Led Zeppelin, who pioneered heavy blues and gave us hard rock and heavy metal. Rockers’ attention-grabbing antics expanded from Elvis’s provocative dancing and the Who’s instrument smashing, to excesses with substances and groupies. Increasingly outlandish (and gender-bending) clothing and makeup, and occultish images (the latter were most often part of a band’s gimmick and not necessarily reflective of a musician’s actual beliefs or practices). Grunge emerged as a reaction to glam rock and became the preferred genre for ‘90s youth. This book will take you through the rock stars who shaped rock history through all these years. You’ll learn which heavy metal monster now coaches Little League. Find out who had an adventure with an exorcist and which band is secretly made up of self-described book nerds! Learn how rock stars and Hare Krishnas were connected and which superstar won the same award eight years in a row. Find loads of rock trivia to impress your co-workers and friends in seven fun-filled chapters, starting with the roots of rock and roll. Learn about the superstars, the bands, the hit songs, and some unforgettable concert experiences. Read about the awards musicians have won and the records they (and their fans!) have broken. Which Beatle inspired the most novelty songs? (It’s probably not the one you’re thinking of!) Which country’s former president led a revolution because of a local band?’
The book is divided into fascinating sections – Back to the Beginning, The Superstars, The Bands, The Hits, Unforgetable Concerts, Awards and Broken Records, and Mad Miscellany. Each section offers tests to assure you remember the trivia!
Not only is the book entertaining – it is also very instructive for every reader. Have fun, learn, and be ready for the next gathering of very smart friends! You’ll be on top.
Author Bill O’Neill has authored many books on Trivia and stands as somewhat of an expert in this field! His topics include movies, football, baseball, wars, rock music and simply random trivia facts. This volume is THE GREAT BOOK OF ROCK TRIVIA and it is even better than his previous book on Rock Trivia Madness. To set the mood of the book Bill states, ‘Rock music is the soundtrack to many of our lives. We remember our first concert, the songs we danced to in high school, and scouring magazines for news of our favorite singers. Psychologists present several reasons we’re interested in celebrities: schadenfreude, wanting to be like them, fantasy, or just wanting something to talk about with friends. Whatever your desire, this book will give you some extraordinary facts about your favorite musicians. But that’s not all. You’ll also learn the stories behind some of the best rock songs! Plus, you’ll find fascinating details about some of the most exciting and momentous concerts, as well as the origins of rock and roll and its evolution through the years. Read on and learn about the rock musicians who helped build the hippie counterculture of the 1960s, with the rallying call of “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” and the idealism shining through the Summer of Love and culminating in Woodstock. Then the ‘70s came, and rock music shifted from the counterculture to seat itself firmly in mainstream culture, and it became more capitalistic. There was money to be made in music! The Beatles fans of the ‘60s were adults with cash to spend. Record companies and radio stations started labeling different forms of rock music so fans could find and buy it more easily: progressive rock, acid or psychedelic rock, heavy metal, folk rock and, later, disco and punk. Learn about bands like Led Zeppelin, who pioneered heavy blues and gave us hard rock and heavy metal. Rockers’ attention-grabbing antics expanded from Elvis’s provocative dancing and the Who’s instrument smashing, to excesses with substances and groupies. Increasingly outlandish (and gender-bending) clothing and makeup, and occultish images (the latter were most often part of a band’s gimmick and not necessarily reflective of a musician’s actual beliefs or practices). Grunge emerged as a reaction to glam rock and became the preferred genre for ‘90s youth. This book will take you through the rock stars who shaped rock history through all these years. You’ll learn which heavy metal monster now coaches Little League. Find out who had an adventure with an exorcist and which band is secretly made up of self-described book nerds! Learn how rock stars and Hare Krishnas were connected and which superstar won the same award eight years in a row. Find loads of rock trivia to impress your co-workers and friends in seven fun-filled chapters, starting with the roots of rock and roll. Learn about the superstars, the bands, the hit songs, and some unforgettable concert experiences. Read about the awards musicians have won and the records they (and their fans!) have broken. Which Beatle inspired the most novelty songs? (It’s probably not the one you’re thinking of!) Which country’s former president led a revolution because of a local band?’
The book is divided into fascinating sections – Back to the Beginning, The Superstars, The Bands, The Hits, Unforgetable Concerts, Awards and Broken Records, and Mad Miscellany. Each section offers tests to assure you remember the trivia!
Not only is the book entertaining – it is also very instructive for every reader. Have fun, learn, and be ready for the next gathering of very smart friends! You’ll be on top.
March 10, 2020
If you like rock history, very fun!
If I knew half of this trivia before, I’ve forgotten it anyway (!) and I’m a sucker for this stuff. So if you like rock trivia, get this. It’s short, and somewhat scattered, but tons of fun info being thrown at you constantly. Recommended
If I knew half of this trivia before, I’ve forgotten it anyway (!) and I’m a sucker for this stuff. So if you like rock trivia, get this. It’s short, and somewhat scattered, but tons of fun info being thrown at you constantly. Recommended
April 13, 2023
The book had some mistakes in it, like giving the wrong name for a Beatles song, saying that KISS used to be named Wicked Lester (Paul and Gene were in another band named Wicked Lester before forming KISS), a couple others. There were a couple of urban legends thrown in the mix too. When I saw the ad for the author's other trivia books I realized that accuracy was not his main concern, as the title on the cover of one showed "Moive Trivia". If you can't spell the word movie right on the cover of your own book, it makes me wonder how much time you spent fact checking the trivia in any of your books. By and large there were more correct entries than false or truth adjacent ones, at least for the ones I already knew or the random ones I checked up on after having decided I could not take the book at face value. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter, as my hope for books of this sort is that younger readers will read them and be inspired to look for and listen to older bands that are mentioned. This book is probably accurate and interesting enough to accomplish that.
November 20, 2020
Most of the trivia in this book is well-known, if you’re a rock fan. It’s written in the style of a teenager’s book report. There were a few things I didn’t know (or had long-forgotten). One glaring mistake: referring to the great closing track on the Beatles’ album “Revolver” as “Tomorrow Never Dies” (it’s “Tomorrow Never Knows”).
November 30, 2024
Enjoyable easy reading. Lots of facts and great stories. I've heard a lot of them and some of them I heard differently but I'm gonna go with the authors perspective. I wish there was more talk about punk and it's influence on rock. One mention of the sex pistols doesn't really cut it. Good reading though
September 17, 2018
Lots of rock and roll trivia. The groups, the bands, the single singers. Info about a lot of them. Each of them had a quiz at end of each chapter. Awards, concerts, just so much information about almost anything to deal with rock and roll music.
April 11, 2019
The Great Book of Rock Trivia: Amazing Trivia, Fun Facts & The History of Rock and Roll was a great read by Bill O'Neill. This book had information about a lot of different rock bands. This is a great book for any rock fan that wants to learn more about their favorite bands.
July 8, 2021
Rockin' It For Fifty Years
Bill's book is a fun look back. After fifty years of solo gigs and long term bands, I found I could relate to nearly every anecdote that kept my interest: some disturbing, but most were just silly, fun or just flat-out interesting.
Bill's book is a fun look back. After fifty years of solo gigs and long term bands, I found I could relate to nearly every anecdote that kept my interest: some disturbing, but most were just silly, fun or just flat-out interesting.
December 8, 2024
This was a very fun book to read. This is the first of several books talking about popular music that I intend to read over the next few months. If you are a music and trivia lover, this short read may be just your jam.
August 7, 2018
Great trivia book
I knew a lot of this but it’s a fun quick read for rock fans of a wide age range.
I knew a lot of this but it’s a fun quick read for rock fans of a wide age range.
August 8, 2018
Random trivia organized by "themes" such as bands, songs, etc.
September 23, 2018
Rock and roll
I !I've 70s music and I knew Queen would be in there.plus all the trivia I found out more about my bands
Thank you
I !I've 70s music and I knew Queen would be in there.plus all the trivia I found out more about my bands
Thank you
August 28, 2019
Fun book of totally worthless and mindless information but kind of a fun listen.
January 2, 2020
A trip down memory lane.
January 16, 2020
An entertaining read.
March 16, 2020
#25 of 130 books pledged to read during 2020
December 29, 2020
Good Information
Al nice collection of fun facts and details behind them. Nice resource. Worth reading I really enjoyed a lot check it out
Al nice collection of fun facts and details behind them. Nice resource. Worth reading I really enjoyed a lot check it out
December 29, 2020
Nothing really shocking
There wasn't anything surprising but the book was enjoyable. There were definitely some errors in grammar and spelling but they were relatively sparse.
There wasn't anything surprising but the book was enjoyable. There were definitely some errors in grammar and spelling but they were relatively sparse.
January 16, 2021
Interesting book full of Rock Trivia that keeps one reading, read in one setting.
January 20, 2021
Interesting!
A very interesting little book. There’s a lot of cool facts and tidbits, some of which I already knew. Pretty funny too. Overall a 4 star read
A very interesting little book. There’s a lot of cool facts and tidbits, some of which I already knew. Pretty funny too. Overall a 4 star read
February 15, 2021
Picked this book for something mindless to read and on that it delivered. Unfortunately, most of the facts are reasonably well known, so the book fails to provide much that is interesting.
February 17, 2021
Good read. Lots of Random Facts and several mini Rock quizzes. It's a quick and easy read, that will appeal to Rock fans.
March 6, 2021
Full of Music facts.
I have found this book to very entertaining and informative. It includes a lot of trivia on rock music and good stories.
I have found this book to very entertaining and informative. It includes a lot of trivia on rock music and good stories.
August 2, 2024
The great book of rock trivia
Interesting, informative and fun. A lot of facts about people, songs and groups bring back a lot of memories of the sixties, my favorite music decade
Interesting, informative and fun. A lot of facts about people, songs and groups bring back a lot of memories of the sixties, my favorite music decade
May 28, 2020
This gives exactly what the title says, and I relished this book. Some stuff I already knew, but I'm glad I learned stuff I didn't. I recommend this one, if you're a big rock n roll fan.
October 26, 2020
Fun book to read
Quick & short snippets of trivia about the world of Rock. Easy to read. Not just about the people but also about the festivals and award shows.
Quick & short snippets of trivia about the world of Rock. Easy to read. Not just about the people but also about the festivals and award shows.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews