The AnswerBank Articles

Italian Opera moves house

Q. Is it true that the La Scala Opera House has closed A. It has closed temporarily - for three years, while extensive internal renovations are carried out to the ancient building. Q. Why is00:00 Tue 08th Jan 2002

The greatest rock and roll band's greatest album

Q. What is considered as the best Rolling Stones album A. Generally, the best of The Stones is captured on their 1972 double album (remember them ) Exile On Main Street. Q. Why is it the00:00 Tue 08th Jan 2002

Touring with a band looks like a fantastic lifestyle, is it

A. Yes. And no. From the outside, seeing a band on stage and imagining them travelling the world doing what they love for loads of money must be the greatest life in the world. In some ways it is,00:00 Mon 31st Dec 2001

Is Mariah Carey the biggest pop success ever

A. In commercial terms, Mariah Carey is about as popular as it's possible to get, and any biography quickly gets lost in a bewildering, but undeniably impressive list of stats which combine to00:00 Mon 31st Dec 2001

Are pop song mobile phone tones legal

A. In a lot of cases, no, and this is the beginning of another rapid take-off of modern technology bringing a lucrative and illegal money-spinner into action. Q. How does it work A. It's00:00 Mon 31st Dec 2001

Is Gordon Haskell's How Wonderful You Are going to be the Christmas No 1

A. If we could predict a No 1 with any certainty, then this feature would be beamed to you from our private island in the Caribbean, so let's just say that it's a 'strong possibility' and leave it at00:00 Mon 24th Dec 2001

Can a computer read music

A. Not yet, but a groundbreaking project to research the reality of a computer programme that will read music is under way at Leeds University. Q. What is involved A. Doctor Kia Ng is using a00:00 Mon 24th Dec 2001

Who was Stuart Adamson, who died recently aged just 43

Q. How will people remember Stuart Adamson A. Anyone who remembers the 1980s will know the music made by Adamson and his band, Big Country. Their trademark was a guitar sound which critics and00:00 Mon 24th Dec 2001

What does the expression "If it ain't Stiff ..." mean

A. Thats one of the phrases used to advertise the Stiff Records label, shining beacon in the world of independent record labels. The final section of the phrase being " ...It ain't worth a (expletive00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

What does the phrase "If it ain't Stiff ..." mean

That's one of the phrases used to advertise the Stiff Records label, shining beacon in the world of independent record labels. The final section of the phrase being ''It ain't worth a (expletive00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

Is Nat 'King' Cole best remembered as a pianist or a singer

A. For both, but in effect Cole enjoyed two distinct, and overlapping careers in his relatively short life. Q. How was that achieved A. Although remembered by most fans as a wonderful baritone00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

What's the greatest pop album of the 1980s

A. Obviously a subjective question, but the upper echelons of most people's lists would include Dare by The Human League. Q. Is that based on sales, or chart success, or influence A. All of00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

What does Awopbopalubopalopbamboom actually mean

A. It means that rock-and-roll is probably the most primal, energising and pure up-and-at-it style of music ever recorded; that its originator, Little Richard, has made some of the greatest records00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

I've heard a record described as 'northern soul', what does that mean

A. Northern Soul is a style of music that genuinely deserves the term 'underground'. As a direct result of the craze for American soul and r 'n' b music imported from The States during the Mod era00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

Is Never Mind The Bollocks considered an important album

A. Probably less so on its own, but in context, this album can be seen as the single formal recorded statement of The Sex Pistols, a band who single-handedly changed the face of popular music with00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

How big an impact have The Beach Boys had on popular music

A. In terms of musical output and influence, it is difficult to overestimate the impact of The Beach Boys as a musical phenomenon. Q. How can they be so important A. You only have to examine the00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

For what will the world remember George Harrison

A. First and foremost it will be his musical contribution to The Beatles, whose impact on music and culture will probably never be equalled. Q. Were The Beatles really that important A. They00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001