Pop quiz: from Aerosmith to Prince – do you know this week in music history?

1. 

   On Sunday, Dinosaur Jr bassist Lou Barlow turns 50. His first band with J Mascis was called Deep Wound. But what was unusual about the piece of Deep Wound merchandise that Mascis often used to wear?

   1. It was a sweater knitted by his mother

   2. It was a Deep Purple baseball cap, on which he had stickered Wound over Purple.

   3. At the time Mascis was a nudist, and it was the only thing he would wear.

   4. The makers found the bandname so offensive they printed T-shirts with the name Deep Wind on them.

2. 

   Live Aid took place on 13 July 1985, billed as the “global jukebox”. Which act kicked off proceedings at Wembley Stadium?

   1. Adam Ant

   2. Phil Collins

   3. Status Quo

   4. The Boomtown Rats

3. 

   Take That released their first single on 12 July 1991. Where did Do What U Like peak in the UK charts?

   1. No 1

   2. No 14

   3. No 36

   4. No 82

4. 

   Ghost Town by the Specials reached No 1 on 11 July 1981. In what type of car were the group filmed driving around in the video for the song?

   1. A Ford Cortina

   2. A Rover 2000

   3. An Austin Princess

   4. A Vauxhall Cresta

5. 

   If Drake stays at No 1 on Friday night, One Dance will have been at the top of the charts for 15 weeks. But which record has spent the most time at No 1?

   1. I Believe by Frankie Laine

   2. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You by Bryan Adams

   3. Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet

   4. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

6. 

   This week in 2006, Primal Scream had to cancel a planned Top of the Pops appearance. Why?

   1. Because the producers could only fly them to Luton Airport to transfer to the studio, which Bobby Gillespie deemed “not rock’n’roll” enough.

   2. Because the band objected to the presence on the same show of Razorlight, whom they viewed as traitors on the issue of Israel/Palestine

   3. Because Bobby Gillespie had been attacked in a hotel bar and had his nose broken.

   4. Because they forgot they were due to appear, and none of the band were in London at the time of filming.

7. 

   On 15 July 2007, Prince released his new album Planet Earth. What was unusual about the release?

   1. The initial release was on purple vinyl, which was of such poor quality that it was ruined after one playing.

   2. It was given away free with the Mail on Sunday.

   3. He launched it with a one-off show featuring Primal Scream as his backing band.

   4. Owing to mistake by the printers, the first 11,000 copies saw the album cover naming the artist as Prance.

8. 

   What birthday would Joy Division singer Ian Curtis be celebrating on Saturday, were he alive?

   1. 50

   2. 55

   3. 60

   4. 65

9. 

   This week in 1998, Aerosmith had to cancel a tour after a freak accident involving drummer Joey Kramer. What happened to him?

   1. He narrowly escaped death after choking on someone else’s vomit.

   2. He suffered concussion after being hit by the revolving spokes of a windmill obstacle during a round of minigolf.

   3. He slipped from a ladder at his home and broke a leg, while installing a stained glass window featuring a portrait of himself.

   4. His car caught fire while he was filling it with petrol, causing him to suffer second-degree burns.

10. 

    Which unlikely piece of rock merchandise went on sale on 11 July 1992?

    1. The Velvet Underground “Run, Run, Run” running shoe. Ad slogan: “I’m set free!”

    2. A set of eight Grateful Dead ties designed by Jerry Garcia, ideal for all business meetings where all present are tripping.

    3. The “Vauxhall and Eye” range of Morrissey-endorsed spectacles, available for a limited time at Specsavers.

    4. The Guns N’ Roses “Use Your Illusion Official Magic Set”, as endorsed by Siegfried and Roy.

Solutions

1:A - “Their resistance has a peculiarly lame quality,” wrote Nick Attfield of Deep Wound in his biography of Dinosaur Jr , 2:C - Live Aid was broadcast to more than 1.5bn people in 160 countries., 3:D - The video was banned from TV, for featuring the group baring their buttocks and smearing jelly on themselves, 4:D - The Cresta was produced by Vauxhall from 1954 to 1972. The model featured in Ghost Town was made in 1961. , 5:A - Bryan Adams holds the record for most consecutive weeks at the top, with 15, but I Believe was No 1 for 18 weeks in 1953., 6:C - The Luton Airport incident, though true, had happened in 1994., 7:B - Prince would later give away an album with the Daily Mirror and Daily Record., 8:C - Curtis killed himself on 18 May 1980, aged 23., 9:D - It could happen to anyone. After all, it happened in Zoolander., 10:B

Scores

1. 0 and above.