If you have any trivia questions, you can put them here...  I'll go first

As we've mentioned here.. Tony Levin has practically played for everyone in his career... He even played on the White House lawn for a US President... do you know which one???

For the contemporaneity and the President's easy-going spirit, I'd say Kennedy

Yeah, my vote goes for Clinton, too.

Answer: 

DI: Tell us about playing for President Kennedy.

TL: I played at the White House -- on the lawn, anyway. It seems like I was about 15 years old. I went down there with an orchestra -- the Greater Boston Symphony Youth Orchestra -- and played at the White House for Jackie and John. People can hardly believe that I was around. I mean the earth had just finished cooling around then, and there I was already playing for a President, although with an orchestra, which is quite different. It was a pretty remarkable experience, even for a 15 year-old.

Did he play tuba in that orchestra? Another great bass player, Herbie Flowers, had the tuba as his first instrument, and so did Dave Hope from Kansas.

Just asking...

I knew it! Knuckleheads like Clinton know nothing 'bout prog! Why would he have Tony over the White House? He can't even hold up the sax as proper!!!

Which poem line inspired Richard Palmer-James to write the lyrics of 'Starless'?

Dylan Thomas, from 'Under Milkwood'

"To begin at the beginning:
"It is Spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters'-and-rabbits' wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea."

That's right. Let me add that a secondary source of inspiration was this line: 'this night wounds time', which is transcribes somewhere in the Starless and Bible Black album cover.

Well, here comes another trivia question. There is no DREAM THEATER fan that doesn't regard their 'Images and Words' track Metropolis Part 1 as one of their finest pieces ever. Some of us even have it as our fave number in their entire catalogue. Well, the question is this: what is so peculiar about the occasion in which the band premiered this track on stage? 

Well, I'll answer it myself.

What is so peculiar about the occasion in which the band premiered this track (Metropolis Part 1) on stage?

The occasion was Charlie Dominici's last gig as Dream Theater vocalist. He was in charge of lead vocals in DT's first album, and one year later, the band had this song finished. As a gesture of appreciation for him, the other four members suggested that they premiered the new song with him still in the band (for the last time). A couple of years later, it appeared in their 'Images and Words' CD, James LaBrie being the new vocalist (he still is), and that's how it became popular - well, the whole album did. 

Now - next question. What was so peculiar about DT writing Part 1 of Metropolis, anyway?

Well, I'll answer it. At first no following part was intented. The Metropolis song was subtitled Part 1 as a tribute/joke to those multipart songs by Rush (Fear, Cygnus X-1). It was only 3 years after the release of 'Images and Words' that Dt started toying with teh idea of writing a sequel to Metroplois Part 1.

And speaking of Nick Mason (for those not appealed to the subject, refer to "Photo" topic on the Trivia game) , with which French band did he perfomed during the latter half of the 70's?

landberkdoten wrote: And speaking of Nick Mason (for those not appealed to the subject, refer to "Photo" topic on the Trivia game) , with which French band did he perfomed during the latter half of the 70's?

And why is Fictitious Sports a Nick Mason album - rather than a Carla Bley or even a Robert Wyatt record - and has this even been released on CD?

All material I"ve seen on it Dick, does say that its a Carla Bley album... I think Nick just plays on it... but of course, they tried to use his name and relationship to PF as much as they could for publicity, but it still didn't sell the album.

He also played later with Rick Fenn and Mel Collins on an album called Profiles.  David Gilmour also did the vocals on one of those songs for him...

What???

The answer we were looking for was the French band GONG!

threefates wrote: All material I"ve seen on it Dick, does say that its a Carla Bley album... I think Nick just plays on it... but of course, they tried to use his name and relationship to PF as much as they could for publicity, but it still didn't sell the album. He also played later with Rick Fenn and Mel Collins on an album called Profiles.  David Gilmour also did the vocals on one of those songs for him...

3Fates - I bought the album because of Robert Wyatt's presence soon after it was released over here.  Harvest Records released it and only Mason's name is on the front of the sleeve - so I've always lived with the idea that it was his album (wrt copyright and where to find on the rack) , but a Carla Bley record musically.

Doesn't Mason playing on one of those Michael Mantler albums released by WATT/ECM (- and probably with Wyatt doing the vocals)? BTW Mantler has written and recording some very interesting, if somewhat challenging (when first heard*), records in the last 20 years . Anybody who can get Robert Wyatt, Jack Bruce, Marianne Faithful, Kevin Coyne etc.  to sing at their very best, while also variously having Tony Williams, Larry Coryell, Nick Mason, the Mother's Don Preston, etc in the line-up must be doing something appreciated by those musicians. (* Poetry by Samuel Beckett or Harold Pinter sung, may be seen as a challenge for the unprepared listener).