Tuesday, April 15, 2008

The Numbers Game

A quiz with a difference to tide you over these interminable days until the next RR list. Here are ten short samples taken from (mostly) well known songs but can you identify the tracks? Hope it works (they are very short samples) and that it's not too hard/easy. As anyone who's ever set a quiz will tell you, it's very difficult to pitch these things at the right level. As the quizmaster you clearly know all the answers and it becomes almost impossible to gauge what's easy and what isn't. That's my excuse anyway...

Update: The final results are now in...
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19 comments:

  1. glasshalfemptyApril 15, 2008 at 11:05 PM

    Brilliant! Several seem familiar, but I've only got 'It takes two' by Tina Turner so far. Maybe if I go to sleep by counting sheep...

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  2. BlimpyApril 15, 2008 at 11:18 PM

    Genius idea!! We're onto the next level!


    (and that's numberwang!!)

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  3. BlimpyApril 15, 2008 at 11:18 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. BlimpyApril 15, 2008 at 11:24 PM

    one is U2?

    Two is Tina?

    Three - a young Tom Waits ?

    Four - some sort of motown or Spector production

    Five - Beck

    Six - Flaming Lips

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  5. BlimpyApril 15, 2008 at 11:25 PM

    8 is on the tip of my brain!!! AAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghrgggrr!

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  6. debbymApril 15, 2008 at 11:48 PM

    Three Coins in the Fountain (I KNEW I'd know an answer eventually) - but isn't it Frank Sinatra?

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  7. AnonymousApril 16, 2008 at 12:17 AM

    Hehe, nice idea, ToffeeBoy.

    glasshalfempty, your glass is half-full, but it’s Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston doing It Takes Two.

    I saw the singer of number 7 in Asda the other week – I can exclusively reveal that he doesn’t dress as a woman to do the weekly shop …

    I suspect the song at number 10 could also have been used as number 5, or number 50 if necessary.

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  8. TonNLApril 16, 2008 at 12:22 AM

    1. One - U2
    2. It takes two - Marvin Gaye/Kim Weston
    4. Beatles - When I'm 64??
    7. I know this one, but what is it????
    8. Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) ??
    10. Cocteau Twins, but what?

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  9. ToffeeBoyApril 16, 2008 at 7:25 AM

    As Young Mr Grace would have said, "You're all doing very well."

    Here's the correctly identified list so far:

    1. One - U2
    2. It Takes Two - Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston
    3. Three Coins In The Fountain - Frank Sinatra
    4. When I'm Sixty Four - The Beatles
    5. ?????? - Beck
    6. ?????? - ??????
    7. ?????? - ?????? (you got it Mr DNA!!)
    8. ?????? - ??????
    9. ?????? - ??????
    10. ?????? - Cocteau Twins (again, MR DNA, I bow to you...)

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  10. BlimpyApril 16, 2008 at 8:02 AM

    The Beck song is called High 5 (Rock The Catskills)

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  11. AnonymousApril 16, 2008 at 12:07 PM

    For seven I'm getting Heaven 17 - Come live with me?

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  12. ejaydeeApril 16, 2008 at 2:36 PM

    I'm surprised nobody figured out 1999 by Prince.

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  13. ToffeeBoyApril 16, 2008 at 5:01 PM

    @ blimpy - correct on the Beck track
    @ fp - no you're not! Check Mr Dna's clue...
    @ ejaydee - well done - I thought that was the hardest one.

    So this is where we are now:

    1. One - U2
    2. It Takes Two - Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston
    3. Three Coins In The Fountain - Frank Sinatra
    4. When I'm Sixty Four - The Beatles
    5. High 5 (Rock The Catskills)
    - Beck
    6. ?????? - ??????
    7. ?????? - ?????? (see Mr Dna's clue)
    8. ?????? - ??????
    9. 1999 - Prince
    10. ?????? - Cocteau Twins

    You've got until lunchtime on Thursday (UK time) to guess the missing numbers...

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  14. steenbeckApril 16, 2008 at 5:28 PM

    7--James? David Bowie? They both sound remotely like that, have songs entitled 7 and might reasonably be expected to wear dresses. But I doubt DB does his own shopping.

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  15. saneshaneApril 16, 2008 at 8:18 PM

    tis is Dexys midnight runners 7 days too long by any chance?

    come back and two quizzes going aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

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  16. ToffeeBoyApril 16, 2008 at 9:00 PM

    @ saneshane - yes indeed it is!

    So, just 6 and 8 to go. A couple of clues (or possibly riddles) for you...

    6 is part of a bigger number
    I could also have used 8 for it

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  17. BlimpyApril 16, 2008 at 10:06 PM

    i'm gonna kick myself at the end of this. ..

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  18. ToffeeBoyApril 17, 2008 at 1:36 PM

    OK - the deadline has now passed. For anyone who's still following this thread, here's the track list in full.

    1. One - U2
    2. It Takes Two - Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston
    3. Three Coins In The Fountain - Frank Sinatra
    4. When I'm Sixty Four - The Beatles
    5. High 5 (Rock The Catskills)- Beck
    6. 36D - The Beautiful South
    7. Seven Days Too Long - Dexys Midnight Runners
    8. 2-4-6-8 - Tom Robinson
    9. 1999 - Prince
    10. Five Ten Fiftyfold - Cocteau Twins

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  19. AnonymousApril 17, 2008 at 3:37 PM

    ***kicks himself over number 8, as predicted***

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'Spill it: