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50 free 70s Rock trivia questions with answers — music quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
The 1970s gave rock its biggest albums, its loudest bands and its first punk records. These 70s rock trivia questions cover Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, the Eagles, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, Bowie, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, prog, glam and the arena acts that ruled FM radio, with the studio stories and strange facts behind the hits. Every answer is sourced, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01How many symbols, one per member, stand in for a title on Led Zeppelin's 1971 fourth album?
Four
After lukewarm reviews for Led Zeppelin III, the band left the name and every other detail off the cover.
Q 02Despite being FM radio's most-requested song, what was true of 'Stairway to Heaven' in the US?
It was never released as a single
It finally charted in the UK in 2007 on download sales promoting the Mothership compilation.
Q 03Who wrote the first lyrics of 'Stairway to Heaven' beside a log fire at Headley Grange?
Robert Plant
Page said a huge percentage of the words were written there and then, partly improvised.
Q 04What was the title of John Bonham's drum-solo showcase, often 20 minutes long live?
Moby Dick
It first appeared on Led Zeppelin II and became a concert staple.
Q 05Who designed the prism sleeve of The Dark Side of the Moon?
Storm Thorgerson
Keyboardist Richard Wright had asked for something 'simple and bold' to represent the band's light show.
Q 06Who sang the wordless vocal on 'The Great Gig in the Sky'?
Clare Torry
Engineer Alan Parsons, who had worked on Abbey Road, recruited the session singer.
Q 07Over which power station did Pink Floyd float an inflatable pig for the Animals cover?
Battersea
The pig was photographed between two of the building's chimneys.
Q 08Which former member unexpectedly visited the studio during the Wish You Were Here sessions?
Syd Barrett
'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', the nine-part tribute to him, takes up most of the album.
Q 09What was Pink Floyd's only UK and US number-one single?
Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2
Roger Waters modelled The Wall's protagonist Pink on himself and Syd Barrett.
Q 10How many weeks did 'Bohemian Rhapsody' spend at UK number one on its 1975 release?
Nine
It was the Christmas number one, and it added five more weeks at the top after Freddie Mercury's death in 1991.
Q 11In which country did Queen begin recording 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in August 1975?
Wales
Rockfield Studio 1 near Monmouth followed three weeks of rehearsal at Penrhos Court in Herefordshire.
Q 12Which guitarist joined the Eagles for Hotel California, replacing Bernie Leadon?
Joe Walsh
It was also the last Eagles album with founding bassist Randy Meisner.
Q 13The Eagles' founding members had all been recruited as band members by which singer?
Linda Ronstadt
All four played on her self-titled 1972 album before striking out on their own.
Q 21Who replaced Ozzy Osbourne as Black Sabbath's singer after he was fired in 1979?
Ronnie James Dio
The former Rainbow vocalist made Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules and the live album Live Evil with them.
Q 22In which year did the plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines occur?
1977
Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed in 1987 with Ronnie's brother Johnny on vocals.
Q 23'Sweet Home Alabama' was written as a response to songs by which artist?
Neil Young
The targets were 'Southern Man' and 'Alabama'; Van Zant said Young was 'shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two'.
Q 14Which album was the first ever to receive the RIAA's new Platinum certification in 1976?
Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)
It has since been certified 40 times Platinum, the best-selling album of the 20th century in the US.
Q 15Which Fleetwood Mac album won Album of the Year at the 1978 Grammys?
Rumours
It was made as the McVies divorced and Buckingham and Nicks split, and has sold over 40 million copies.
Q 16Which two musicians joined Fleetwood Mac for their 1975 self-titled album?
Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks
Mick Fleetwood had heard their Buckingham Nicks album played by engineer Keith Olsen.
Q 17A fire during whose concert inspired 'Smoke on the Water'?
Frank Zappa
Someone fired a flare gun into the rattan ceiling during Don Preston's synthesiser solo on 'King Kong'.
Q 18In which Swiss town did the casino fire of 'Smoke on the Water' happen in 1971?
Montreux
The band had planned to record in the casino after its final show of the season.
Q 19Which band did the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records list as 'the globe's loudest band'?
Deep Purple
The record came from a 1972 concert at London's Rainbow Theatre.
Q 20Which Black Sabbath single was the band's only UK top-20 hit, reaching number four?
Paranoid
Fifty-five years later, in July 2025, it topped Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart for the first time.
Q 24Who's Next grew out of which abandoned Who rock-opera project?
Lifehouse
Eight of its nine songs came from the project; the exception was John Entwistle's 'My Wife'.
Q 25In which country did the Rolling Stones record most of Exile on Main St. as tax exiles?
France
The loose sessions ran through the night in the basement of Nellcôte, Keith Richards's rented villa.
Q 26Which E Street Band member leans on Springsteen's shoulder on the Born to Run cover?
Clarence Clemons
Six months of the 18-month sessions went into the title track alone as Springsteen chased Phil Spector's Wall of Sound.
Q 27Which critic wrote in 1974 that he had seen 'rock and roll future' in Springsteen?
Jon Landau
Landau went on to co-produce Born to Run and manage Springsteen for decades.
Q 28Roughly how much did the Ramones' 1976 debut album cost to record?
$6,400
It took seven days; the label paid just $125 for the much-imitated cover photo.
Q 29In which New York City neighborhood did the Ramones form in 1974?
Forest Hills
They went on to play 2,263 concerts over 22 years.
Q 30How many studio albums did the Sex Pistols release?
One
Never Mind the Bollocks arrived on Virgin in October 1977, and the band was finished within months.