Classic Rock Music Quiz
Zeppelin, Floyd, Queen and the Stones: 15 questions for anyone who grew up on vinyl.
Which band released the album "Dark Side of the Moon" in 1973?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd released The Dark Side of the Moon in March 1973, and it went on to spend more than 900 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart.
The famous prism cover was created by the design studio Hipgnosis, and the band members do not appear anywhere on it.
Who was the original lead vocalist of Queen?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, fronted Queen from 1970 until his death in November 1991 and was famed for a near four-octave range.
Mercury wrote several of Queen's biggest hits alone, including Killer Queen, Somebody to Love and We Are the Champions.
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by which band?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Led Zeppelin
Stairway to Heaven closed side one of Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album in 1971 and was never released as a single in the UK or the US.
Jimmy Page played the solo on a 1959 Fender Telecaster given to him by Jeff Beck, not his usual Gibson Les Paul.
Which guitarist is known as "Slowhand"?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton got 'Slowhand' with the Yardbirds in the mid-1960s, a pun on the slow handclaps audiences gave while he changed broken strings on stage.
Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: with the Yardbirds, with Cream and as a solo artist.
What year did Woodstock Music Festival take place?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
1969
Woodstock ran from 15 to 18 August 1969 on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, drawing an estimated 400,000 people.
Jimi Hendrix closed the festival on the Monday morning, playing to a crowd that had shrunk to around 30,000.
Which Rolling Stones song features the lyrics "I can't get no..."?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Keith Richards woke in a Florida motel in May 1965 with the fuzz riff in his head, and the finished song became the Stones' first US number one.
The riff went through a Gibson Maestro Fuzz-Tone pedal, which sold out across America within months of the single's release.
Who was the drummer of The Who?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Keith Moon
Keith Moon drummed for The Who from 1964 until his death in 1978, famed for his chaotic style and for blowing up his kit on live American television in 1967.
The Who's 1976 show at Charlton football ground was listed by Guinness as the loudest concert ever, at 126 decibels.
Which AC/DC album became one of the best-selling records of all time?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Back in Black
Back in Black, released in 1980 just months after singer Bon Scott's death, has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide with Brian Johnson on vocals.
The all-black cover was the band's tribute to Scott, and the album opens with the tolling bell of Hells Bells.
Jim Morrison was the lead singer of which band?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Doors
Jim Morrison fronted The Doors from 1965 until his death in Paris in 1971 at age 27, delivering hits like Light My Fire and Riders on the Storm.
The band took its name from Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception, itself borrowed from a line by William Blake.
What instrument did Jimi Hendrix famously set on fire at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Guitar
At the end of Wild Thing at Monterey in June 1967, Hendrix doused his Fender Stratocaster in lighter fluid, set it alight and then smashed it.
The stunt was partly one-upmanship: The Who had smashed their gear earlier that night, and the two acts flipped a coin over who went on first.
Which band recorded "Hotel California"?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Eagles
Eagles released Hotel California in 1976, and the title track won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1978 on the strength of Don Felder and Joe Walsh's twin-guitar finale.
Their Greatest Hits 1971 to 1975 compilation overtook Thriller in 2018 as the best-selling album ever in the United States.
"Bohemian Rhapsody" appears on which Queen album?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
A Night at the Opera
Bohemian Rhapsody was the centrepiece of A Night at the Opera in 1975, at the time the most expensive album ever made, and it topped the UK chart for nine weeks.
The album was named after the 1935 Marx Brothers film, and its 1976 follow-up, A Day at the Races, borrowed another.
Which member of The Beatles was assassinated in 1980?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
John Lennon
John Lennon was shot dead by Mark David Chapman outside the Dakota building in New York on 8 December 1980, hours after signing an autograph for him.
Lennon's final album, Double Fantasy, had been released just three weeks earlier and went on to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.
What is the name of Black Sabbath's debut album?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath's self-titled debut came out on Friday 13 February 1970, was recorded in a couple of days, and is widely seen as the first true heavy metal album.
The band was originally called Earth and took its new name from a 1963 Boris Karloff horror film.
Which band's logo features a tongue and lips?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Rolling Stones
The tongue and lips logo was designed by art student John Pasche in 1970, inspired by Mick Jagger's mouth, and first appeared on Sticky Fingers in 1971.
Pasche was paid just 50 pounds for the design, and London's V&A museum bought the original artwork in 2008 for $92,500.
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All Entertainment quizzes →About the Classic Rock Music Quiz
Classic rock is the sound of records that refused to fade. Queen's 21-minute set at Live Aid in 1985 is still routinely voted the greatest live performance of all time. The Beatles played their final public show on a London rooftop in January 1969, and the police shut it down. The Rolling Stones, formed in 1962, were still filling stadiums more than six decades later. From the British Invasion to the arena anthems of the 1980s, these bands turned loud guitars into a way of life.
These 15 questions cover Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Doors, Eagles and Black Sabbath: landmark albums, band members, nicknames and the moments that made rock history. It suits lifelong vinyl collectors and newer fans who found these bands through streaming alike. Each answer comes with a quick explanation and a bonus fact worth dropping at your next gig.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Easy. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
What years count as classic rock?
Most radio programmers use the mid-1960s to the late 1980s, taking in the British Invasion, psychedelia, progressive rock, hard rock and arena rock.
Which bands appear in the Classic Rock Quiz?
Pink Floyd, Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, The Who, The Doors, Eagles, The Beatles and Black Sabbath, plus a couple of solo guitar legends.
How hard is the Classic Rock Quiz?
It sits at the easy end. Most questions reward general knowledge of famous bands and albums, though a couple of debut-album and festival dates may catch you out.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which band released the album "Dark Side of the Moon" in 1973?
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd released The Dark Side of the Moon in March 1973, and it went on to spend more than 900 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart. The famous prism cover was created by the design studio Hipgnosis, and the band members do not appear anywhere on it. - Who was the original lead vocalist of Queen?
Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, fronted Queen from 1970 until his death in November 1991 and was famed for a near four-octave range. Mercury wrote several of Queen's biggest hits alone, including Killer Queen, Somebody to Love and We Are the Champions. - "Stairway to Heaven" is a song by which band?
Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven closed side one of Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album in 1971 and was never released as a single in the UK or the US. Jimmy Page played the solo on a 1959 Fender Telecaster given to him by Jeff Beck, not his usual Gibson Les Paul. - Which guitarist is known as "Slowhand"?
Eric Clapton Eric Clapton got 'Slowhand' with the Yardbirds in the mid-1960s, a pun on the slow handclaps audiences gave while he changed broken strings on stage. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: with the Yardbirds, with Cream and as a solo artist. - What year did Woodstock Music Festival take place?
1969 Woodstock ran from 15 to 18 August 1969 on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, drawing an estimated 400,000 people. Jimi Hendrix closed the festival on the Monday morning, playing to a crowd that had shrunk to around 30,000. - Which Rolling Stones song features the lyrics "I can't get no..."?
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction Keith Richards woke in a Florida motel in May 1965 with the fuzz riff in his head, and the finished song became the Stones' first US number one. The riff went through a Gibson Maestro Fuzz-Tone pedal, which sold out across America within months of the single's release. - Who was the drummer of The Who?
Keith Moon Keith Moon drummed for The Who from 1964 until his death in 1978, famed for his chaotic style and for blowing up his kit on live American television in 1967. The Who's 1976 show at Charlton football ground was listed by Guinness as the loudest concert ever, at 126 decibels. - Which AC/DC album became one of the best-selling records of all time?
Back in Black Back in Black, released in 1980 just months after singer Bon Scott's death, has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide with Brian Johnson on vocals. The all-black cover was the band's tribute to Scott, and the album opens with the tolling bell of Hells Bells. - Jim Morrison was the lead singer of which band?
The Doors Jim Morrison fronted The Doors from 1965 until his death in Paris in 1971 at age 27, delivering hits like Light My Fire and Riders on the Storm. The band took its name from Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception, itself borrowed from a line by William Blake. - What instrument did Jimi Hendrix famously set on fire at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival?
Guitar At the end of Wild Thing at Monterey in June 1967, Hendrix doused his Fender Stratocaster in lighter fluid, set it alight and then smashed it. The stunt was partly one-upmanship: The Who had smashed their gear earlier that night, and the two acts flipped a coin over who went on first. - Which band recorded "Hotel California"?
Eagles Eagles released Hotel California in 1976, and the title track won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1978 on the strength of Don Felder and Joe Walsh's twin-guitar finale. Their Greatest Hits 1971 to 1975 compilation overtook Thriller in 2018 as the best-selling album ever in the United States. - "Bohemian Rhapsody" appears on which Queen album?
A Night at the Opera Bohemian Rhapsody was the centrepiece of A Night at the Opera in 1975, at the time the most expensive album ever made, and it topped the UK chart for nine weeks. The album was named after the 1935 Marx Brothers film, and its 1976 follow-up, A Day at the Races, borrowed another. - Which member of The Beatles was assassinated in 1980?
John Lennon John Lennon was shot dead by Mark David Chapman outside the Dakota building in New York on 8 December 1980, hours after signing an autograph for him. Lennon's final album, Double Fantasy, had been released just three weeks earlier and went on to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. - What is the name of Black Sabbath's debut album?
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath's self-titled debut came out on Friday 13 February 1970, was recorded in a couple of days, and is widely seen as the first true heavy metal album. The band was originally called Earth and took its new name from a 1963 Boris Karloff horror film. - Which band's logo features a tongue and lips?
The Rolling Stones The tongue and lips logo was designed by art student John Pasche in 1970, inspired by Mick Jagger's mouth, and first appeared on Sticky Fingers in 1971. Pasche was paid just 50 pounds for the design, and London's V&A museum bought the original artwork in 2008 for $92,500.
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