# Cool but useless music trivia **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2004, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250 "2004-08-17T15:53:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/81 "2004-08-18T20:37:38Z")
Here’s one piece of trivia not exactly related to songs or performances, but I’ll bet lots of people have never heard it before. Know why the middle record speed is 45? Guitarist and technical wizard Les Paul was friends with the development team while the new format was being worked out. One day, one of them said to him, “Les, pick a number between 33 and 78.” He replied, “45.” That’s the number they went with. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/82 "2004-08-18T20:41:43Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > Here’s one piece of trivia not exactly related to songs or performances, but I’ll bet lots of people have never heard it before. > > Know why the middle record speed is 45? Guitarist and technical wizard Les Paul was friends with the development team while the new format was being worked out. One day, one of them said to him, “Les, pick a number between 33 and 78.” He replied, “45.” That’s the number they went with. If you were born in '45, in '78 you’d have been 33… ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/83 "2004-08-18T21:00:34Z")
Paul Shaffer, David Lettermans band leader, played keyboards in the Blues Brothers Band (Ackroyd & Belushi), in 1978. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/84 "2004-08-18T21:06:05Z")
**Exapno Mapcase** , I must have stopped by the wrong website. One full of lies. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/85 "2004-08-18T21:10:06Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Great trivia **Cluricaun** - but only partially true. His favorite guitar was “First Wife” (or “No. 1”) the beyond-beat-up Fender Strat most people associate him with. This is the story I’m familiar with. I was gonna call “BS” and ask for a cite. I heard that his brother Jimmy pulled out “No. 1” once and brought the audience to tears. I heard it was a tribute show. Its locked up now, from what I recall. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/86 "2004-08-18T21:40:00Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > Paul Shaffer, David Lettermans band leader, played keyboards in the Blues Brothers Band (Ackroyd & Belushi), in 1978. 🆒 Makes sense; Paul Shaffer was in the _Saturday Night Live_ band when Ackroyd & Belushi came up with the Blues Brothers. He was not in the movie of that name, but was in the sequel (Blues Brothers 2000). Related trivia: an early leader of the SNL band was Howard Shore, now multi-Oscar winning composer for _Lord of the Rings_. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/87 "2004-08-18T21:42:21Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > Here’s one piece of trivia not exactly related to songs or performances, but I’ll bet lots of people have never heard it before. > > Know why the middle record speed is 45? Guitarist and technical wizard Les Paul was friends with the development team while the new format was being worked out. One day, one of them said to him, “Les, pick a number between 33 and 78.” He replied, “45.” That’s the number they went with. Crapdoodles. [http://www.history-of-rock.com/record\_formats.htm](http://www.history-of-rock.com/record_formats.htm) > [@](#): > > Records of 33 1/3 rpm were developed in conjunction with films. A 12-inch 78 with Berliner-type grooves could hold between 4 and 5 minutes per side. The first practical sound films produced in the US in the late 1920s had their sound on separate disc records and it was more important for the sound to be continuous. A reel of film might run for 11 minutes, so a rotational speed of about 32 rpm was required to make the sound match the picture. History doesn’t tell us why precisely 33 1/3 was chosen, but in retrospect it was a very good choice because stroboscopic speed testers can be made for this speed which will work on both sides of the Atlantic. > > It seems CBS engineers (who developed the first LPs in 1948), simply experimented with one of the old machines hanging around in their workshop. They then developed new groove dimensions which gave an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio with the new plastic material “vinyl”. > > The 45 rpm speed was the only one to be decided by a precise optimization procedure (by RCA Victor in 1948). Calculus was used to show that the optimum use of a disc record of constant rotational speed occurs when the innermost recorded diameter is half the outermost recorded diameter. That’s why a 7-inch single has a label 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Given the CBS vinyl groove dimensions and certain assumptions about the bandwidth and tolerable distortion, a speed of 45 rpm comes out of the formula. > > PETER COPELAND > British Library National Sound Archive > London > > The speed of 33 1/3 was introduced in 1927 after theoretical analysis of the compromise between signal-to-noise ratio and playing time (3 minutes per radial inch) by J. P. Maxfield of Bell Laboratories for sound films produced on the Vitaphone system. And it was a professional de facto standard before it became commercialized by CBS in 1948. It has been suggested that 78 minus 33 equals 45 was the reason for the emergence of 45 rpm records but, in fact, Maxfield’s analysis still applies: the 45 “single” was RCAÕs equivalent to a 10-inch, 78 rpm record, only smaller. > > GEORGE BROCK-NANNESTAD > Copenhagen > Denmark ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/88 "2004-08-18T22:01:10Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Crapdoodles. Oh, then somebody ought to have told Les to stop telling that lie in interviews. I’ve got him quoted as saying it in a Guitar Player magazine interview from the '80s, and I’ve seen it elsewhere listed under his “accomplishments”. I guess maybe the guy made so many innovations in the music industry, he couldn’t keep them all straight, and started to say he was responsible for feats which he hadn’t actually accomplished. But thank you for setting the record (pun intended) straight. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/89 "2004-08-18T22:03:20Z")
Somebody previously mentioned Frank Zappa and the Mothers (of Invention). Did you know the Mothers took the name because they played their first gig on Mother’s Day. Stevie Ray Vaughan was the guitarist on David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” album. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/90 "2004-08-18T22:03:30Z")
I thought the “real” name of the SNL band in the 70’s was _The Not Ready For Primetime Players_. Ya say Paulie was in THAT band. Willie Nelson once wore a crewcut and did gospel albums. Elvis once said that Roy Orbison was the greatest. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/91 "2004-08-18T22:04:02Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Again, not according to Billboard. Kylie Minogue’s version only went to #3. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/92 "2004-08-18T23:42:09Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Parton wrote the song. She wrote if for the movie version of “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” She also wrote “Sneaking Around With You” for that same movie. The rest of the songs were part of the original musical. > [@Nonsuch](#): > > Sting has a co-writing credit, but according to Mark Knopfler he made no contribution to the song other than to sing on it. Not quite. The “I want my MTV” part was written by Sting. Though the music for it came at least five years earlier. The music is the same as the “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” line from Zenyatta Mondatta. For his “cowriting” efforts, Sting is contracted for half the royalties from that song. Speaking of that song, in Al Yankovic’s parody of it in UHF about the Beverly Hillbillies, Knopfler would only yet Yankovic parody it if he agreed to one condition: Knopfler had to play on the parody. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for Al to agree to that one. Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, the guys of ABBA, wrote the musical _Chess_. A vastly darker work than their more upbeat sugary stuff they did for ABBA. (And you knew that the groups name came from the initials of the four members, right? Anni-Fird and Agnetha being the women.) The reason Angus Young was made lead guitarist of AC/DC in spite of his brother Malcolm being an overall better guitarist was that unlike his brother, Angus couldn’t do rhythm guitar. Barry Manilow may have sang about writing the songs, but Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys really wrote “I Write the Songs.” He even won a grammy for it. (Why?) ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/93 "2004-08-18T23:42:39Z")
The 4 Seasons did “96 Tears” under the name of Question Mark and the Mysterians. The story I got with this bit of trivia was that someone made a bet with them that if they didn’t record under their own name (and fame) most of the stuff they were doing then would flop. So They took the dare. At least that’s the story I heard while drinking some brews many years ago. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/94 "2004-08-18T23:43:42Z")
> [@t-keela](#): > > I thought the “real” name of the SNL band in the 70’s was _The Not Ready For Primetime Players_. Ya say Paulie was in THAT band. > Willie Nelson once wore a crewcut and did gospel albums. > Elvis once said that Roy Orbison was the greatest. The Not Ready For Prime Time Players were the cast…Belushi, Ackroyd, Chevy Chace, Garret Morris, Jane Curtin et al. ---
**Author:** ![Jeffro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jeffro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeffro)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/95 "2004-08-18T23:47:32Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > " > MTV execs came up with the idea of the “Unplugged” series after seeing Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull do a brief, live acoustic set. But when Anderson later asked about having Jethro Tull appear on “Unplugged,” MTV turned him down flat, oin the grounds that the band was too old and didn’t have enough appeal among the desired teen demographic. To old to rock & roll, to young to die! ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/96 "2004-08-18T23:48:18Z")
[QUOTE=SandyHook] The 4 Seasons did “96 Tears” under the name of Question Mark and the Mysterians. The story I got with this bit of trivia was that someone made a bet with them that if they didn’t record under their own name (and fame) most of the stuff they were doing then would flop. So They took the dare. At least that’s the story I heard while drinking some brews many years Sorry, wrong on that one. See here:[http://www.tsimon.com/mysteria.htm](http://www.tsimon.com/mysteria.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/97 "2004-08-19T00:07:32Z")
> [@Hoopy Frood](#): > > Barry Manilow may have sang about writing the songs, but Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys really wrote “I Write the Songs.” He even won a grammy for it. (Why?) Yes, and I’ve heard he wrote it about Brian Wilson. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/98 "2004-08-19T00:41:19Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > Sorry, wrong on that one. See here:[? and the Mysterians Page](http://www.tsimon.com/mysteria.htm) If you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that ? is one seriously weird dude. He claims to be an alien. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/99 "2004-08-19T02:46:55Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Makes sense; Paul Shaffer was in the _Saturday Night Live_ band when Ackroyd & Belushi came up with the Blues Brothers. He was not in the movie of that name, but was in the sequel (Blues Brothers 2000). Paul Shaffer was dropped from the Blues Brothers Band when, to honor a prior commitment he’d made to Lorne Michaels, he declined to play some shows with the Blues Brothers in favor of doing the music for Gilda Radner’s live show. Belushi threw him out of the band in pique. ---
**Author:** ![citicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@citicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/citicat)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250/100 "2004-08-19T02:47:16Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > Paul Shaffer, David Lettermans band leader, played keyboards in the Blues Brothers Band (Ackroyd & Belushi), in 1978. 🆒 When Sam and Dave and John Belushi say “Play it Steve” in their respective versions of “Soul Man”, they’re both calling to the same guitarist, Steve Cropper [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-but-useless-music-trivia/260250.md?page=6)