Rolling Stone's 500 "Greatest Albums" Part 32 Quiz

Answer: Tommy

"Tommy", the 1969 album from The Who, has sometimes been hailed as the first British rock opera. This double album reached number two on the UK charts and number four on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The single "Pinball Wizard" was also a hit, reaching number four in the UK and number 19 in the USA.

Much of the creative work behind the story of the deaf, dumb and blind kid was by Pete Townsend. He was to admit that the band had taken certain substances in the recording of the tracks. It came at a crucial time for the band. They had just had three poorly-selling singles, but "Tommy" was to move them to a better place with its 20 millions sales.

Answer: Dig

Sleater-Kinney hailed out of Olympia, Washington, and in 1997 "Dig Me Out" was their third LP. While it was well liked by many critics, the album did not make much headway on the charts. Influences by rockers such as The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were to be heard on the songs, much of this put down to the arrival of new drummer Janet Weiss.

This, Laura Snapes wrote in the "Guardian", was their "first great" LP.

Answer: Electric

In 1971, "Electric Warrior" was the sixth album from the glam rockers formerly known as Tyrannosaurus Rex. It topped the album charts in the UK and reached number 32 on the Billboard 200. It featured the single "Get It One" that was to become one of the band's best-known tracks.

T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan was often said to be a rival of David Bowie, in fact the two were friends and Bowie sang on Bolan's TV show just a few days before Bolan died in a car crash in 1977.

Answer: Most

LA rapper O'Shea Jackson made his name in music with the band N.W.A. and "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" was his first solo album after splitting from them. It reached number 19 on the Billboard 200 and number six on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It was also well received by many critics.

In his music, Ice Cube was said to depict "America's black urban neighbourhoods as enclaves of criminality and gang rivalry, united only by distrust of a biased, white judicial system". It was an approach that earned him more notoriety than his membership of N.W.A ever had, Caroline Sullivan wrote in the "Guardian". As well as his music, a career on television and in the movies followed.

Answer: Sugar

Another entry on our list for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" was released in 1991 and was their fifth album. It reached number three on the Billboard 200; topped the charts in Canada, New Zealand and Australia; and was a number two in the UK.

On BBC Music, Charis Blyth wrote: "...the brilliance of 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik' is that no-one else has managed to do anything quite like it...".

Answer: Banquet

Released in 1968, "Beggars Banquet" was the seventh UK album from the Stones and their ninth in the USA. It reached number three in the UK and number five in the USA.

In a feature 'The Rolling Stones' ten greatest albums of all time', "Far Out" magazine placed "Beggars Banquet" at number two. It noted that the album contained big, imposing singles and "...perhaps the band's greatest ever song 'Sympathy for the Devil'".

Answer: Unusual

Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper hailed from Brooklyn, New York City and became known for her flamboyant style. After the acrimonious breakup of her group, Blue Angel, "She's So Unusual" was her first solo album. Anchored by the hit single "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", it made it to number four on the Billboard 200 and was a number one in Canada.

In 1982, Lauper won a Grammy for best new artist.

Answer: Brown

D'Angelo, Michael Eugene Archer, was born in Richmond Virginia and was a self-taught pianist and singer who won an amateur talent contest before entering the professional music business. He was involved for a time with the band I.D.U. before starting a solo career. "Brown Sugar" was his first solo album and reached number four on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in 1996.

It received three Grammy nominations and D'Angelo was to win four for other projects before 2016.

Answer: Sweet

James Taylor released "Sweet Baby James" in 1970 as his second LP and saw it rise to number three on the Billboard 200. The single "Fire And Rain" reached number three on the Hot 100.

Taylor had a challenging upbringing in his native Boston, Massachusetts, that included spells in a psychiatric institution. His first album was released in England on the Beatles' Apple label. The website britannica.com noted that Taylor's style was influenced by Appalachian folk music, Hank Williams, and early soul vocalists. It said the album started "Taylor's reign as a chronicler of the life passages of middle-class baby boomers".

Answer: Back

"Bringing It All Back Home" was the fifth US album from Bob Dylan. It was known as "Subterranean Homesick Blues" in some European markets. Released in 1965 it had one 'electric side' and one 'acoustic side'. It also saw Dylan moved away from protest music and start recording songs of a wider imagery. These included "Maggie's Farm", "Gates of Eden", "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)", and It's All Over Now, Baby Blue".

In 2020, "Far Out" magazine produced a list of "Bob Dylan's 10 greatest albums of all time" and put "Bringing It All Back Home" at number two. Jack Whatley wrote: "Songs like 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' and 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue' suggested that Dylan was about to hit his prime. So effortlessly were they constructed, that when played they exude an iconic sonic structure that feels both comforting and fresh even to this day some 55 years later".

On first release, the album topped the UK charts and was a number six on the Billboard 200.