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Post by unomusette on Dec 20, 2020 22:55:38 GMT
I give up, emailing what I could decipher to vlogdance and wishing you all the best of luck
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Post by vlogdance on Dec 21, 2020 10:38:19 GMT
The deadline has passed, so here are the results of the ELO Christmas Challenge 2020: In bronze medal position, it's the Brenhines of Welsh Ninjas, unomusette . Bravo, bach! In silver medal position, we have a tie - Horacewimp and eloneen . A fine performance from both of you, well done. But this year's gold medallist, once again, is Grroosss! Congratulations on your second win! Unstoppable! Now "it's over" to Horace to officially award the medals. Big thanks to everyone who dared take on the Challenge.
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Post by vlogdance on Dec 21, 2020 10:50:43 GMT
For those of you still wondering about some of the answers, here is this year's solution:
THE ANSWERS 2020
ROUND 1
ELO Anagrams (8 points available)
Near snow No Answer A grand move Dave Morgan I’m sun-clad Musicland Roy can’t do a coy refrain Concerto For A Rainy Day Elevator supermen Please Turn Me Over Oral deodorant Laredo Tornado Hands on rear Sharon Arden A wishbone way When I Was A Boy
ROUND 2
Connections (6 points available)
a) What’s the connection between these ELO songs: Turn To Stone 10538 Overture Lonesome Lullaby One Step At A Time
(Clue: just the one connection!)
The key here is "one". All the songs in the list contain "one" in their titles.
b) What’s the connection between:
Roll Over Beethoven; Mr Blue Sky; Wild West Hero; Sweet Talkin’ Woman; Shine A Little Love? (Clue: British fans were equally sold on these songs.)
They all reached the same position - No. 6 - in the UK charts.
c) What’s the connection between:
Roll Over Beethoven; Rock ‘n; Roll Is King; Stranger; Train Of Gold; When I Was A Boy? (Clue: Mik and Jeff probably enjoy playing these songs.)
They all mention musical instruments in their lyrics – fiddle/violin, and guitar.
d) What’s the connection between:
Alone In The Universe, Hold On Tight, When I Was A Boy, All My Life, From Out Of Nowhere? (Clue: Try singing them.)
The title is also the opening words of the song.
e) What’s the connection between:
Time Of Our Life, Telephone Line, Down Came The Rain, When The Night Comes, Rockaria! (Clue: Lyrical connections.)
Each of these songs mentions another ELO song title in its lyrics. Time Of Our Life mentions Telephone Line Telephone Line mentions "twilight" Down Came The Rain mentions "in my own time" When The Night Comes mentions "midnight blue" Sweet Talkin’ Woman mentions "it's over"
f) What’s the connection between
Four Little Diamonds, Stranger On A Quiet Street; Mission (A World Record)? (Clue: similar connection to the previous question)
They all mention ELO album titles in their lyrics. Four Little Diamonds mentions "no answer" Stranger On A Quiet Street mentions "out of the blue" Mission (A World Record) mentions "time".
ROUND 3
Sequences
a) Here’s a group of ELO songs:
Alone In The Universe Believe Me Now All Over The World King Of The Universe
Which two of these other ELO songs could form part of this group? (2 points available)
Above The Clouds, Sweet Is The Night, Down Home Town, Love And Rain, In My Own Time, One Summer Dream?
The initials of the song titles in the first group are in alphabetical order - A-I-T-U, B-M-N, A-O-T-W and K-O-T-U.
So we need two more songs with initials in alphabetical order – Down Home Town and In My Own Time.
b) Jeff’s been typing out the lyrics to some of his songs:
Queen Of The Hours Who’s That? Endless Lies Rock ‘n’ Roll Is King Train Of Gold
Which of these other ELO songs could come next on his list? (1 point available)
Above The Clouds; Look At Me Now; Xanadu; Wishing, Yours Truly 2095?
The clue here is "typing". The top row of letters of the typewriter keyboard reads: Q-W-E-R-T-Y-U-I-O-P. (Jeff, being British, was using a British keyboard!) The songs on his list begin with the letters Q,W,E,R,T… so next we need one that begins with a Y. Such as Yours Truly 2095.
c) Valentine’s Day’s coming up, so Jeff’s putting together a playlist to listen to over a candlelight dinner:
Can’t Get It Out Of My Head All My Love Midnight Blue Eldorado Finale Love And Rain
Can you name the next two ELO songs on Jeff’s playlist? (2 points available)
The initials of the first six songs are C-A-M-E-L… Since Jeff’s planning his Valentine’s celebration, the next two songs are likely to begin with I and A, spelling the name Camelia! So we need two songs beginning with I and A, such as Illusions In G Major and All Over The World.
(One forumhead wrote a most imaginative answer to this one. Not quite accurate, but I was tempted to award an extra point for the laugh it gave me!)
d) The Archbishop of Canterbury (head of the Church of England) has invited Jeff to play at a service in St Paul’s Cathedral, London. Jeff’s drawn up a setlist:
Getting To The Point Evil Woman Long Black Road Night In The City Danger Ahead
Can you name the next ELO song on Jeff’s list?
The clues here are the Archbishop of Canterbury and St Paul’s Cathedral. The songs on the setlist begin with the same letter as the books of the Bible, starting from the beginning – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy… The next book is Joshua, so to fit the pattern, we need a song beginning with J. Such as Just For Love or Jungle.
e) Jeff would have liked to have as many number 1 hits as The Beatles. He’s listed a few of his recordings that he thinks could have gone to number 1 in the UK charts:
All My Life She Get a Hold Of Myself (Take 2) Ticket To The Moon Hello My Old Friend Help Yourself
Can you name another two of Jeff’s songs that he could have added to his list? (2 points available)
The key here is The Beatles’ number 1 hits. Each of the songs on the list begins with the same word as a Beatles’ song that went to number 1 in the UK: All You Need Is Love, She Loves You, Get Back, Ticket To Ride, Hello Goodbye, Help.
So we need another two song beginning with the same word as a Beatles number 1 - such as Can’t Get It Out Of My Head (Can’t Buy Me Love), Love Changes All (Love Me Do), or A Long Time Gone (A Hard Day’s Night). I would also have accepted I’m Alive, I’m Leaving You (I Want To Hold Your Hand, I Feel Fine), and Daybreaker (Day Tripper).
ROUND 4
Anagrams – Forum Fun (8 points available)
These are all anagrams of people or topics mentioned on the forum this year:
Cheeky inns Nick Heynes I burbled Bluebird Praised what’s cheap The Spaceship Award Ninth vigil Livin Thing Pure of thumb The forum pub Grabs Jet’s genius off us Jeff’s bogus signatures See union advance Nieve and No Cause Moderate this hurt The tourism thread
ROUND 5
Miscellaneous (10 points available)
a) When he’s tuning his guitar, Jeff likes to practise a few of his songs. He starts by playing Evil Woman, then Across The Border, Do Ya and Getting To The Point. Can you suggest the next two songs Jeff could practise? (2 points available)
The key here is "tuning the guitar". Guitar strings, in ascending order, are tuned to the notes E, A, D, G, B, E. Jeff’s first four songs begin with E, A, D and G. So to complete the list, we need songs beginning with B and E. Such as Birmingham Blues and Eldorado.
b) On their tour bus, the band occasionally enjoyed a game of Scrabble. They had a playlist of songs they listened to during their game:
Bluebird Is Dead Hold On Tight Time After Time Roll Over Beethoven Steppin’ Out
Which of these other songs did they like to listen to while playing? (1 point available)
Everyone’s Born To Die Time Of Our Life Sorrow About To Fall The Sun Will Shine On You So Fine
The initials of each song listed spell a word that’s valid in Scrabble: BID, HOT, TAT, ROB, SO. So, from the second list, we need a song name with initials that also spell a word – Time Of Our Life.
c) To mark the anniversary of the first ever Test match, ELO once played in a charity cricket match at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Sadly, they didn’t do all that well:
Hugh top-scored with 31. Jeff was close behind, scoring 30. Richard scored 26. Mik only scored 2.
Which band member scored 8? Was it Kelly, Bev, Mel or Louis? (1 point available)
The key here is "anniversary". Hugh’s birthday was on July 31st, Jeff’s on December 30th, and so on. So the band member who scored 8 was Kelly (birthday on September 8th).
d) Once, on tour, the band started discussing their favourite actresses. They decided to go to the cinema that afternoon. But they all had a different choice of film: (1 point available)
Bev wanted to see And God Created Woman. Richard liked A Taste Of Honey Jeff voted for Tootsie Which film did Hugh want to see?
Please select one answer from the four movies listed below:
The China Syndrome Manhattan Kramer Vs Kramer The Long Good Friday
In each example, the actress starring in the film has the same initials as the band member who wanted to see that film.
For example: Bev wanted to see And God Created Woman, which stars Brigitte Bardot. Richard’s choice of film stars Rita Tushingham, and Jeff’s choice Jessica Lange.
So Hugh will have wanted to see The Long Good Friday, which stars Helen Mirren.
e) After the photographer Richard Avedon took ELO’s picture for an album cover, he decided to go and see the band play live in concert. He became such a fan, he went to see them play in several US cities.
He first went to see them in Malibu (CA). Then he travelled east to see them in Reno (NV), then in Missouri City (TX), then in Jackson (MS). Which city did Richard Avedon go and see the band in, after that?
Did he go to see them in Atlanta (GA)? Or in Nashville (TS)? Or in Montgomery (AL)? Or in Columbia (SC)? (1 point available)
The key here is Richard Avedon’s photo for the cover of On The Third Day, the one where they’re all showing their navels. In the photo, Michael de A. is on the far left. Going from left to right (or west to east), the band are lined up in this order: Michael, Richard, Mik, Jeff, Mike Edwards, Bev and Hughie. The first city Richard Avedon saw the band in begins with M (for Michael), the next one east begins with R (for Richard), then M (for Mik) and J (for Jeff). So the next city will begin with M, for Mike Edwards – Montgomery.
f) In the mid-70s, the classic ELO line-up (known as the Magnificent Seven) was once invited to an evening reception at Birmingham Central Library. But they had to behave themselves and respect the library’s rules.
The Head Librarian had made a seating plan, and escorted each member inside one by one. Bev was the first to be shown in and seated. Then Mel was brought inside and seated next to him. He was followed by Kelly. Who was the last band member to be shown in? Was it Jeff, Richard, Mik or Hugh? (1 point available)
The key here is the library’s rules. Libraries arrange books in alphabetical order by the author’s surname. So the band will have been shown in and seated in alphabetical order of surnames: first Bevan, then Gale, then Groucutt… Which means that the last band member to be shown in was Richard (Tandy).
(A few forumheads thought "Mik" was the right answer - I suspect they might have misread the question, and thought it was asking who was the NEXT band member to be shown in after Kelly.)
g) After producing the remaining three Beatles, Jeff revealed to an interviewer that there were other artists he dreamed of producing.
He listed these artists: Joan Armatrading, Chuck Berry, Billy Ocean, Vera Lynn.
Which of these other artists did Jeff name: Celine Dion, Loretta Lynn, Petula Clark, Gary Barlow, or Michael McDonald? (1 point available)
The key here is the Beatles. The four artists Jeff lists all have names mentioned in Beatles lyrics: Joan from Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, Chuck and Vera both from When I’m Sixty-Four, and Billy (Shears) from With A Little Help From My Friends.
So, to continue the pattern, we need an artist whose name is also mentioned in a Beatles lyric: Loretta Lynn (Sweet Loretta from Get Back).
h) "All over the world", each country has its favourite ELO song. In Germany, they like Destination Unknown. In Burundi, they’re fans of Big Wheels. In the Dominican Republic, the favourite tune is Don’t Walk Away. In Turkey, they prefer Train Of Gold. Which is the favourite song in Sweden?
Is it Sci-Fi Woman, Summer and Lightning, Sweet Is The Night or Send It? (1 point available)
The key here is Country Postal abbreviations. The postal abbreviation for Germany is DE – so they like a song title beginning with De... For Burundi it's BI, for the Dominican Republic, it's DO, and for Turkey, TR. Sweden’s code is SE, so the song they like is Send It.
i) Great news – Richard Tandy has been nominated for a star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars.
Jeff’s so keen to see his old friend receive the honour, he’s written to the authorities to persuade them to give Richard this award.
In his letter, Jeff made these points: "Richard should have a star – like me, he's the holder of a new world record!" "Something is seriously amiss if our home town doesn't honour a man with magic fingers.” "He may not be a knight of the realm, but he’s the king of the keyboards."
Which of these other statements did Jeff make, in his letter? (1 point available)
"A star would be much better than a sculpture, a fountain or a painting." "It would be a wonderful discovery for his fans to make when walking in the city." "Give me a shovel and I’ll walk up Broad Street and place the tile meself." "A light gold star for Richard would be the best move the city could make."
The key here is the Birmingham Walk Of Stars.
Jeff’s first three statements all contain the surname of another Midlands celebrity who’s been honoured with a star on the Walk – Noddy Holder (lead singer with Slade), Dennis Amiss (cricketer) and Beverley Knight (soul singer).
So to continue the pattern, the correct statement also contains the name of a celeb who’s been awarded a star – the first statement:
"A star would be much better than a sculpture, a fountain or a painting." - Actor Norman Painting, from long-running British radio serial The Archers, has a star on the Walk of Fame.
Hope you all enjoyed the Christmas Challenge 2020.
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Post by Horacewimp on Dec 21, 2020 11:42:42 GMT
Congratulations to all who have taken part in the quiz this year and well done to all of the top three medal winners, especially the gold medal winner GrroosssThe medals have been awarded and thanks goes to vlogdance for compiling and running the quiz again this year.
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Post by eloneen on Dec 21, 2020 13:09:35 GMT
YAY!!! Thanks so much everyone! Congratulations to Grroosss, Horacewimp and unomusette . This is always fun and challenging! As I told vlogdance , no amount of additional effort on my part would have yielded any better results, so I am quite content. The items I missed were definitely not ones that I would have figured out... Thanks again vlogdance !
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Post by BSJ on Dec 21, 2020 20:43:29 GMT
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Post by unomusette on Dec 21, 2020 21:42:10 GMT
Very surprised to find myself anywhere near a medal, massive congrats to Grroosss, eloneen and Horacewimp ! It was fiendish as ever, but if it was easy it couldn't be called a challenge, could it? Huge thanks to vlogdance for once again giving us the means to properly exercise our brain cells, merci beaucoup!
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Post by Timeblue on Dec 21, 2020 22:14:38 GMT
Christmas wish.... *please santa, can we have an easier quiz on here next year? *
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Post by Grroosss on Dec 22, 2020 9:11:27 GMT
Christmas wish.... *please santa, can we have an easier quiz on here next year? * Wot, this year’s wasn’t already easier enough than last year’s?
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Post by Grroosss on Dec 22, 2020 9:18:00 GMT
Thanks for the congratulations, everyone, and congrats to you too unomusette, eloneen, and Horacewimp! And of course thanks to vlogdance for putting these challenging questions together, it seems I’m good at solving them but I certainly couldn’t come up with them! Looking forward to besting meeting you all in competition again next year... Merry Crimble, everyone!
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Post by Helmut83 on Dec 22, 2020 22:12:33 GMT
Congrats to the winners!
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Post by Helmut83 on Dec 22, 2020 22:15:28 GMT
(One forumhead wrote a most imaginative answer to this one. Not quite accurate, but I was tempted to award an extra point for the laugh it gave me!) I would have searched for songs to form CAMELOT, not sure if our creative participant went that way? I mean, I would... if I had gotten the connection, which I didn't
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Post by lasttrain929 on Dec 22, 2020 23:13:17 GMT
Congratulations to the winners on your hard earned and well deserved medals. A lot of time and thought went into this vlogdance, thanks for all your hard work. Why could I not see the answers . Think this is more my type of question, might have got this one
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Post by Timeblue on Dec 23, 2020 9:58:00 GMT
Congratulations to the winners on your hard earned and well deserved medals. A lot of time and thought went into this vlogdance, thanks for all your hard work. Why could I not see the answers . Think this is more my type of question, might have got this one Is it Bev?
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Post by lasttrain929 on Dec 23, 2020 10:32:53 GMT
Congratulations to the winners on your hard earned and well deserved medals. A lot of time and thought went into this vlogdance, thanks for all your hard work. Why could I not see the answers . Think this is more my type of question, might have got this one Is it Bev? Must be that’s who I went for as well.....
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