• Rock Trivia Madness

  • 60s to 90s Rock Music Trivia & Amazing Facts
  • By: Bill O'Neill, Ryan Connor
  • Narrated by: Scott Miller
  • Length: 3 hrs and 29 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (26 ratings)

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Rock Trivia Madness  By  cover art

Rock Trivia Madness

By: Bill O'Neill,Ryan Connor
Narrated by: Scott Miller
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Publisher's summary

Get schooled in rock with Rock Trivia Madness!

Rock and Roll. For more than 60 years, it has been the soundtrack to our lives. Albums like Highway 61 Revisited, Born to Run, and Nevermind have helped us make sense of who we are. Not only that, the daring passion and bold visions of rock artists have shaken up social norms and even helped change the course of world politics.

There've been some wild stories to go with this wild music. If you're eager to learn some of the crazy, random facts of rock, Rock Trivia Madness is the book for you! This collection of rock stories from the 1960s to the 1990s will thrill and fascinate fans of music trivia. You'll learn:

  • How the Beatles helped the Rolling Stones score their first hit
  • How the Velvet Underground helped overthrow the Communists in Poland
  • How David Bowie almost turned his back on fame and fortune
  • What Black Sabbath has in common with James Bond
  • How a PA system helped get David Lee Roth into Van Halen
  • Why the IRA threatened to kidnap U2's Bono
  • How Sarah McLachlan saved a hip-hop legend's life
  • How a girlfriend's gift inspired the Red Hot Chili Peppers to "Give It Away"
©2017 LAK Publishing (P)2018 LAK Publishing

What listeners say about Rock Trivia Madness

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  • DK
  • 03-12-18

Cue Bruce Springsteen's GLORY DAYS Trivia/Memories



I received this book in exchange for an unbiased review. I absolutely loved it!

Rock Trivia Madness is another arrow in the quiver of Bill O'Neill. O'Neill has teamed up with Ryan Connor to write a fantastic book about musicians and music from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Along with the trivia, like the fact that Black Sabbath dabbled in the occult and
David Bowie almost became a Buddhist, for example, I really enjoyed hearing about which musicians/bands inspired younger generations.

Scott Miller is a great narrator, worthy of the 5 star performance I have given him. He is engaging and upbeat.

Bill O'Neill (along with Ryan Connor) provides great collection of facts and odd trivia that you will not find anywhere else. Each section has a Q and A that reinforces what the listener has just heard. I loved it and cannot wait for the next "odd trivia" book from O'Neill.

The only downside to this book is that it makes me feel old because I remember most of these 'mad moments.' *Sigh*

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Wasn’t What I Expected

This is a very rapid read of mostly obscure punk and psychedelic trivia with very little mainstream rock mixed in.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Trivia hounds will appreciate this collection

This was my second audiobook from the author, and I expected the content to be in more of a Q&A format like the previous collection I enjoyed. However, the fascinating facts soon drew me into the listening experience, primarily because the authors don't just list a bunch of random facts -- instead, they give you the story behind the facts. This in-depth storytelling kept me listening even to decades (the 60s and 70s) I wasn't familiar with.

The chapters are organized by decade so it's easy to pick your favorite era and jump in there first.

Scott Miller is an excellent narrator. His narration makes this more than a list of facts and completely kept my attention engaged.

Highly recommended for family listening and people who don't necessarily enjoy fiction on audio. This is perfect to enjoy while driving, walking, working out or commuting.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome Rock Stories!

While listening to this book, I almost had to stop a few times to listen to the music if the rock legends mentioned. However, I couldn't stop. The stories were great!!!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Exhausting amount of trivia

Let me explain. I love an array of music with classic rock being my favorite. I found the audio to be exhausting if I tried to listen at length. The narrator does speak at a face pace and doesn't let you absorb each fact which is noted by other reviewers. I do recommend reading or listening in short segments.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

tons of interesting trivia, dynamic narration

This audiobook is exactly as advertised. It's absolutely jam-packed with trivia about rock and roll - songs, albums, artists, videos, concerts, and so on. Of course, the author had to be selective so it's understand that some of my personal favourites got little or no coverage. One of the things I liked about listening to this book is that it identified some key artists/groups, songs, and albums from sub-genres that I'm less familiar with (giving me some direction on where to start listening if I want to explore those sub-genres in the future). I also enjoyed listening to the trivia because many, many of the stories triggered mini-trips down memory lane. Listening to Fleetwood Mac's Rumors on an 8-track tape, seeing Steely Dan in concert, living in a university dorm with a roommate who was absolutely nuts for Guns N Roses. (Fascinating, how a single song sparks off entirely different memories for every single listener. Millions of specific personal memories from millions of people, all attached to a single song. What energy - if I were an artist, I'd paint that idea...)

As other reviewers noted, the narration was very fast-paced and dynamic sounding. For the first time ever, in my history of listening to audiobooks, I decreased the playback speed to take the speed down a notch. The audio was (unfortunately) edited to nearly eliminate the pauses between stories. So that, combined with the fast-pacing, made me feel as if I had little time to absorb what I had just heard before being rushed to the next story. Combined with what I wrote in the previous paragraph (about the constant nostalgia triggers), I'd ultimately recommend - like others here - that you listen to this in shorter sittings rather than a continuous 3.5-hour binge. Having said that, I think that the narrator's voice fits this material - it's reminiscent of enthusiastic radio DJs and feeds into the nostalgia that I feel towards a lot of the music discussed in the audiobook. I wouldn't enjoy this style as much for different genres of audiobooks, but I think it's effectively done here.

As a music fan rather than an expert, I can't comment on the accuracy of the stories in this audiobook. If it were a well-researched printed book, I'd expect to see an extensive list of sources in the final pages. This is one thing (the other being illustrations) that audiobook listeners are typically deprived of, so there's no way for me to trace sources back to original material.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A lot of fun facts and amusing anecdotes.

This particular listen is similar to a documentary, but narrated similar to a listening to a radio DJ. That makes sense since the content is rock trivia covering from the 60s to the 90s. If any of these decades resonate with you (or all of them), you will enjoy the stories. There are numerous anecdotes that are amusing and/or surprising. I found it it to be great for listening to during short drives and while doing chores. Others may enjoy it in other ways? Regardless, if you enjoy factual information about music and music makers, this would be a great option. I was given this audiobook, at my request, in exchange for an honest review.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

If you love music, you will love this book

if you grew up in the 60s, or you just love your music, then you will find this great book of stories and anecdotes interesting and fun.

For me, it filled in a few blanks and gave me insight into how some of my favourite artists came to be, got up to, or even why a song was written.

Thanks to the author/publisher/narrator for providing me this book in return for an unbias review.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another nice trivia collection

I really enjoy reading these short trivia books between longer works. This one is no different. I have read a lot of rock history but still learned new items and was reminded of other facts. Good book to breeze through.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Band Trivia and Album Recommendations

Rock Trivia Madness is an enjoyable, quick rollick through four decades of rock and alternative music. It basically has a format of chronologically selecting a band, telling a interesting fact or two about the band before moving on. Most bands don't get revisited, because there is too many in so little time, but occasionally one does get a second go around.

Because there is only one or two facts per band, it is not a great way to get a feel for the bands or to learn about them in depth. But it is a good book to get a strong overview of the decades and how music changed. It also should pique some interest about bands you may not have known of before.

The last third of the book starts again at the 60's and gives album recommendations. Each album is suggests (and it acknowledges it cannot cover even a small amount of the best) comes with a brief history of it and why it is included in the list. Not comprehensive, and not always agreeable, it is an interesting list with a lot of recommendations or reminders, depending on how versed you are in the albums. The trivia associated with each is interesting, especially if you know the album but not the history.

Like all the Bill O'Niell trivia books, this is broken up by some quick trivia and some multi-choice tests, to see how you are going. This breaks it up and make the listener do a little bit of work.

Narration by Scott Miller is good. Clear and easy to follow he engages with the text. He is easy to listen to. I would be happy to listen to more of his work.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

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