The Rockin' '70s Bands Quiz


By: Staff

6 Min Quiz

Image: Jim Summaria via WikiCommons

About This Quiz

For music fans, it sure seemed like the '70s got off to an epically bad start. 1970 saw the breakup of The Beatles. Then, Janis Joplin, Jim Morriosn and Jimi Hendrix died tragically young all in the early '70s. Although soul-crushing to many fans, the rest of the music world stepped up to fill the void, and so we ended up with some of the most incredible and influential rock music the world has known. Ask any modern rock star who his or her influences are, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find one who doesn’t include a 1970s artist or band like Freddie Mercury, the Sex Pistols, Lynyrd Skynyrd or Led Zeppelin. In an era filled with boundary-pushing creativity, the rock stars of the day truly ran with it.

Among the biggest changes from the comparatively chilled-out music of the 1960s was the advent of punk music, a genre that didn’t hesitate to channel rage, political discontent and raw emotion into perfunctory, yet impactful songs. Sadly, much of the rock music of the 70s was drug-fueled, causing the world to prematurely lose the musical geniuses of the day, like Sid Vicious, Tommy Bolin, Keith Moon and more.

The Eagles, The Ramones, Skynyrd, Queen ... some decades had all the luck. You call yourself a lover of real music, but can you rock the '70s bands quiz?

True or false: The Eagles' best-of collection, "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975," is the best-selling album of all time in the United States.

True. The album has sold 38 million copies and has surpassed Michael Jackson's "Thriller" on the all-time list. As of 2019, The Eagles were still touring.


Brian May, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon and Roger Taylor are the original members of what band?

Brian May, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon and Roger Taylor formed the band Queen in 1970. Their album, "Greatest Hits," is the best-selling album of all time in the United Kingdom.


Jimmy Page was guitarist for one of the most popular rock groups of all time. What rock group was it?

Jimmy Page was, of course, guitarist for Led Zeppelin. While the band was founded in the late 60s, they put out some of their most well-known music, like "Stairway to Heaven," in the 1970s.


This band, which featured Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, is often credited as the founding band of heavy metal.

Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne, the founders of Black Sabbath, are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. Fun fact! They were originally a blues rock band called, The Polka Tulk Blues Band.


What iconic 70s band originally formed as Linda Ronstadt's backup band?

The four original members of The Eagles, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon, were already experienced professionals when they were assembled as Linda Ronstadt's backup band. Their first album debuted in 1972.


True or false: Jethro Tull had hits with Karn Evil 9 and Lucky Man.

False. It was the super-group Emerson, Lake and Palmer, which included Keith Emerson (formerly of The Nice), Greg Lake (of King Crimson) and Carl Palmer (of Atomic Rooster) that had hits with Karn Evil 9.


Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood and Bev Bevan were behind what British rock band that used a wide variety of instruments?

ELO incorporated violins, cellos, string basses, horns and woodwinds to give their music a classical sound. They had a number of hits, including "Mr. Blue Sky" and "Evil Woman."


Lynyrd Skynyrd had chart hits with both studio and live versions of what song?

"Free Bird" became the band's second Top 40 hit in 1975, where it peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. The live version also reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977, peaking at No. 38.


Which Eagles concept album was originally about anti-heroes, but ended up with a more Western approach?

Even though "Desperado" had no major hits, the title track, written by Don Henley and Glen Frey, has become a classic rock standard. It's the only album where the members of the band appear on the cover.


What was Carly Simon's first big hit?

"That's the Way I've Always Heard it Should Be" was released on Simon's self-titled debut album, "Carly Simon." It hit No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.


Which members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were former members of Buffalo Springfield?

Neil Young and Stephen Stills were members of Buffalo Springfield, along with Dewey Martin, Bruce Palmer and Richie Furay. The band was originally only around from 1966-1968, but then briefly got back together from 2010-2012.


True or false: Bob Seger's hit song, "Still the Same," was on the smash album, "Against the Wind."

False. "Still the Same" was actually on the album "Stranger in Town." This was Seger's tenth studio album. "Against the Wind" was the following album.


True or false: The Ramones were a punk band that included brothers Johnny, Dee Dee, Joey and Tommy Ramone.

False. Original band members Joey Ramone, guitarist Johnny Ramone, bassist Dee Dee Ramone and drummer Tommy Ramone adopted the last name Ramone, but none of them were related. They toured for 22 years.


What popular radio band released songs "More Than a Feeling" and "Peace of Mind?"

Boston had other popular hits with "Rock & Roll Band" and "Don't Look Back." The band was, unsurprisingly, from Boston, Massachusetts. They released a total of six studio albums.


What epic, six-minute song did Queen release with a promotional video in 1975, seven years before MTV began broadcasting?

"Bohemian Rhapsody" was very expensive to produce, but marked the invention of the modern music video and is considered by many to be Queen's best song of all time. Can you do the Fandango?


Which band had the following two best-selling albums in the United States: "The Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall?"

"The Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall" are two of the most successful albums ever. "The Wall" has been certified 10-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and "The Dark Side of the Moon" is just one of four albums ever to be certified 20-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.


Which Doors' album was the last with Jim Morrison on vocals?

"L.A. Woman" was the last to feature the group's lead singer, Jim Morrison, who died unexpectedly at the age of 27, just three months after the album's release.


True or false: "Can't Buy A Thrill" was the debut album of the American rock band Grand Funk Railroad.

False. It was actually the debut album of Steely Dan. Grand Funk Railroad's debut album was called, "On Time." The band was from Flint, Michigan.


What famous rocker was ejected from Graceland by security guards in 1976?

In 1976, while in Memphis for his Born to Run tour, 26-year-old Bruce Springsteen hopped the wall at Graceland and ran to the front door hoping to meet The King. Apparently, Elvis wasn't even in the state at the time, but rather at Lake Tahoe in California.


What group hit No. 1 on the chart in 1978 with "Kiss You All Over"?

"Kiss You All Over" hit No. 1 for Exile in the United States, but was the band's only hit in the pop rock market. They were originally called The Exiles.


True or false: "Long Road Out of Eden" earned the Eagles two more Grammy awards.

True. The band took home the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the song, "I Dreamed There Was No War," and the Grammy for Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals for the song, "How Long."


Who was the mastermind behind the groups Parliament and Funkadelic?

That's George Clinton, who's often cited as one of the innovators of funk music. He became a solo artist in the 1980s.


True or false: All of the Eagles' band members were born and raised in California.

False. Although The Eagles are usually identified with the West Coast music scene, only bass guitarist Timothy Schmit was born in California. However, the band was formed in Los Angeles.


What Pink Floyd album was the first to hit No. 1 on any chart?

"Atom Heart Mother" was the first Pink Floyd album to hit No. 1 on the U.K. chart in 1970. It was Pink Floyd's fifth studio album.


Years before the Sex Pistols and punk bands, what quintet shocked audiences by dressing in drag and losing its first drummer to a drug-related drowning?

The New York Dolls' drug-fueled, chaotic performances influenced a generation of musicians in New York and London, many of whom went on to form punk bands. The original band was together from 1971-1976.


What California quartet was originally discovered by Kiss bassist Gene Simmons?

Eddie Van Halen's quick-fingered guitar riffs and singer David Lee Roth's onstage antics caught the eye of Kiss guitarist Gene Simmons in 1977, and he funded and produced the band's first professional recording session. They formed in Pasadena (home of The Rose Bowl) five years to prior to that in 1972.


What British singer-songwriter converted to Islam in 1977 and changed his name to Yusuf Islam?

In December 1977, Cat Stevens converted to Islam. Two years later, he decided to leave his career in music: He auctioned all his guitars for charity and devoted himself to helping the Muslim community via education and philanthropy.


Who was the lead vocalist for Roxy Music?

Roxy Music was formed by Bryan Ferry, who was also the band's lead vocalist. The band also included Brian Eno, who became famous for his ambient and electronic music.


True or false: The vinyl record inside Alice Cooper's "School's Out" album sleeve was wrapped in a pair of panties.

True. The original album cover image is of a wooden student desk, but the vinyl record inside was indeed wrapped in a pair of women's underwear. It was later discontinued, (shocking!) because the paper underwear was flammable...which begs the question, aren't all paper album covers flammable?


Which member of The Clash appears on the cover of the album "London Calling"?

The album's front cover features a photo from the band's 1979 Take the Fifth tour. It's their bassist, Paul Simonon, smashing his Fender Precision Bass against the stage at The Palladium in New York City.


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