- The Great Book of Rock Trivia: Amazing Trivia, Fun Facts & The History of Rock and Roll

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. Grady Harp, August 18

Old Xmas gift for my dad that's no longer here .he enjoyed it

It's basic. We already knew everything in this book as it's pretty much the same as every other big book of rock and roll. Many mispronunciations like Seltic instead of a hard C for Celtic. Many things left out of the history. Very much geared to being the Disney family friendly book of rock and roll. I was present for some of the things the author talks about and know he either gets them wrong or waters it down. I always give 4 stars as I am an author and respect the work we put into our books. Fun to listen to while cleaning house but only expect one or two surprises and more about Weird Al that I didn't know.

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

I have been taping the pages to stay put in the book for my husband .He loves reading it.Awesome gift.Great writing.Fun book to share.

Enjoyable

The book is amazing, there is so much information in it that I never even thought of ,let alone knew. I highly recommend this book if you love rock music.

This paperback book is divided into seven chapters. Chapter 1: Back to the Beginning. Chapter 2: The Superstars. Chapter 3: The Bands. Chapter 4: The Hits. Chapter 5: Unforgettable Concerts. Chapter 6: Awards & Broken Records. And Chapter 7: Mad Miscellany. Most tidbits are about one page worth of material. There is a section for Random Fun Facts, A Test Yourself - Q & A. The Rock radio station I used to listen to had some DJs who periodically spewed out trivia. A Book like this would be a good reference. There is a section written about The British Invasion, which I grew up in that era. Do you know what the first Rock & Roll record was? Do you know who invented the electric guitar? This book will tell you. Although it's a book on Rock trivia, there is a page written about Michael Jackson, the self-proclaimed King of Pop.

extremely interesting and readable

This would interest both music fans and performers. I would love to know some of the documentation, but the accuracy is good. This is a fairly short read so easy to enjoy without getting bogged down with excessive trivia.

Always will use book as a reference for trivia