Mike Tyler

Judas Priest formed in Birmingham, England back in 1970 and went on to become one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the ’70s. Wearing leather and chains, Priest took the riffs and speed of Zeppelin and mixed it with the gothic doom of Black Sabbath to lay the foundations for popular heavy metal from 1975-1985.  The band featured a vicious two-lead guitar attack and by the 1980s had become not only a top concert attraction around the world, but also a best selling recording artist.

For 100 free Jack Nation points, what was the name of Judas Priest’s debut album?

Leave your answers under “comments” and I’ll e-mail you a bonus code if you know your stuff.

Happy New Year!

Mike

Supertramp formed in England in 1969 when a young Dutch millionaire gave his friend, vocalist and keyboardist Rick Davies a chance to form his own band.  Rick could form the band of his dreams and his millionaire pal would pay for it! Supertramp released two long-winded progressive rock albums before the money dried up and by early 1972, Davies and Hodgson were the only founding members remaining. The pair began an extensive search for replacements and soon pieced together the lineup that would be responsible for Supertramp’s definitive sound.

With no money or fan base to speak of, the expanded Supertramp was forced to redesign their sound. Coming up with a more pop-oriented form of progressive rock, the band had a hit with their third album, ”Crime of the Century” and a number of best-selling albums throughout the 70s.  However, the band’s masterpiece came in 1979 with “Breakfast in America”.  That  album tipped the scale completely in the favor of pop songs, on the strength of the hit singles “Goodbye Stranger,” “Logical Song,” and “Take the Long Way Home,” Breakfast  sold over 18 million copies worldwide.

For 100 free Jck Nation points, what’s the name of the Dutch millionaire who backed the band financially in the early days?

Leave your answer under “comments” and I’ll e-mail you a bonus code if you’re correct.

Happy New Year!

Mike

Ratt formed in Los Angeles in 1983.   The quintet was best known for their melodic heavy metal and eventually they were one of the hottest bands of the mid-’80s.

Ratt released their self-titled debut in ‘83, which led to a major label contract with Atlantic Records. Their first album under the new deal, 1984’s “Out Of The Cellar”, was a major success, reaching the North American Top Ten and selling over three million copies. “Round and Round,” the first single drawn from the album, hit number 12 on the charts. 

For 100 free Jack Nation Points, what’s the name of the singer in Ratt?

Leave your answer under “comments” and I’ll e-mail you a bonus code if you’re right.

Nice gas prices today, huh!

Oh, I feel so much better now.

Have a lovely weekend.

Tyler

Oasis formed in England in 1993.  The group is led by songwriter /guitarist/vocalist Noel Gallagher and little brother Liam on lead vocals.   Oasis had a rough, thuggish image, not unlike The Who and the Rolling Stones, but they mixed it with “Beatlesque” melodies and hooks, distinctly British lyrical themes and song structures similiar to The Kinks and The Jam   The group’s defiant sneer was only outdone by their cocksure arrogance and the Gallagher brothers’ frequent disdain for each other.  In between fisticuffs, they’ve managed to sell a few million albums.

For 100 Jack Nation points, what English city did Oasis form in?

Leave your answer under “comments” and I’ll e-mail you a bonus code if you’re right.

And now, a politically correct - Season’s Greetings! 

PS - BTW, nice response on the Coldplay blog, even with my spelling error!  I think my spellcheck was enjoying the holidays too.

Happy New Year!

Mike

Coldplay came together in 1996 while the bandmates were attending the University College of London, England and their EP entitled “Safety” was issued shortly after their first gig at a Manchester festival for unsigned bands.   In 2000 with the breakthrough single “Yellow,” Coldplay quickly became one of the biggest bands of the new millennium, honing a mix of introspective Britpop and anthemic rock that landed the British quartet a near-permanent residence on record charts worldwide.

For 100 free Jack Nation points, who is Coldplay singer Chris Martin married to?

Leave your answer under “comments” and I’ll e-mail you a festive bonus code if you’re right.

Happy Holidays!

Mike

Foo Fighters were formed by Dave Grohl in Seattle, Washington in 1995.  While Dave was drumming with Nirvana, he was recording original songs at home that never received public release. Those tapes would become the foundation of Foo Fighters after the death of Kurt Cobain. Like Nirvana, Foo Fighters melded loud, heavy guitars with pretty melodies and mixed punk sensibilities with a sharp sense of pop songwriting.  Foo Fighters play the ACC March 22nd.

For 100 free Jack Nation points, answer the following rock trivia question correctly:

The band got their name, Foo Fighters after a World War II secret force that allegedly researched what?

A) Volcanoes

B) Earthquakes

C) UFOs

Leave your answer under “comments” and I’ll send you a bonus code on Boxing Day if you get it right.

Merry Christmas!

Cheers,

 Mike

As one of the key figures of the British Invasion and the mod movement of the mid-’60s, the Who were a dynamic and undeniably powerful sonic force. They often sounded like they were exploding conventional rock and R&B structures with Pete Townsend’s furious guitar chords, John Entwistle’s hyperactive basslines, Keith Moon’s vigorous, seemingly chaotic drumming while Roger Daltrey belted out his vocals.

For 100 free Jack Nation points, what did Roger Daltrey do before making rock & roll his full-time job?

A) Construction worker

B) Sheet Metal worker

C) Factory worker

Leave your answer under “comments” and if you’re correct, Yule get an e-mail from me with a festive bonus code.

You better you bet,

 Mike

Pearl Jam rose from the ashes of Mother Love Bone to become the most popular American band of the 1990s and they’re still going strong today.  Singer Edward Louis Seversen III, better known as Eddie Vedder, had a rough time growing up as his residence alternated between Chicago and San Diego.  Eddie turned to rock music and surfing to vent his feelings about his troubled adolescence before ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers drummerJack Irons gave Eddie a demo tape his friends had given him in hopes of finding a singer.  Eddie quickly put lyrics and vocals to the tape and mailed it back to Seattle and Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were blown away.  Edddie was invited to Seattle and soon afterwards was offered the job as lead singer of Pearl Jam.

For 100 free Jack Nation points, answer the following rock trivia question correctly:

When and where was Eddie Vedder born?

A)  December 23, 1964 in Evanston, Illonois.

B) December 24, 1964 in San Diego, California.

C) December, 23, 1964 in Seattle, Washington.

Leave your answer under “comments” and I’ll leave you 100 Jack Nation points under the tree when I e-mail you a bonus code by Sunday night at midnight - if you get it right, that is.

Don’t forget to look up at the night sky on Christmas Eve to see Mars glowing brightly red along with the full moon.

Happy Holidaze!

Mike

The Cult burst on the scene in 1984 as one of England’s leading heavy metal revivalists.

The origins of the band lie in the Southern Death Cult, a goth rock outfit formed by singer Ian Astbury in 1981.  Astbury was the son of a merchant navy man, which meant he moved frequently during his youth. During one stretch in his childhood, his family lived in Canada, where the young Ian became fascinated with Native Americans, which would become a recurring theme in his songwriting.

For 100 free Jack Nation points, answer the following rock trivia question correctly:

When Ian Astbury lived in Canada, what city did he and his family live in?

A) Ottawa

B) Hamilton

C) Toronto

Get it right, and I’ll e-mail you a bonus code.

Best of the season!

Mike

The Black Crowes formed in Atlanta, Georgia back in 1984,  but their smash debut album didn’t come out until 1990.  Chris (vocals) and Rich Robinson (guitar) were infamous for not getting along with each other but nonetheless, the brothers formed the core of the band that featured that Stonesy swagger and the Faces’ boogie.  The first single from their debut “Shake Your Money Maker” was a song called “Jealous Again”, but it was their cover of “Hard to Handle” that set the group on its way to multiple platinum success.

For 100 free Jack Nation points, answer the following rock trivia question correctly:

Who did the original version of “Hard To Handle”?

Leave your answer under “comments” and I’ll leave you a bonus code that won’t be too hard to handle as it’s worth 100 points in your Jack Nation account.

Good luck y’all.

Mike