Rolling Stone's 500 "Greatest Albums" Part 35 Quiz

Answer: Ten

In 1991, Seattle, Washington, rockers Pearl Jam released "Ten" as their debut album. It got to number two on the Billboard 200 and topped the charts in Canada.

Originally named Mookie Blaylock, after a professional basketball player, the band were noted for their grunge rock style that matured into the 21st Century with a more alternative rock style. This was a band who went their own way: refusing to make music videos for their second album, "Vs" (1993) and the following year cancelling a tour because they thought ticket prices were too high.

Answer: Synchronicity

In June 1983, "Synchronicity" was the fifth, final and most successful LP from The Police. It was to top the charts in the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US. It sold eight million copies.

By 1982, the police trio of Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland were growing tired of each other's company. The album was, as Chris Jones put it for BBC Music: "A final masterpiece born out of tears and break-ups." The album was listed by several reviewers as the best of the five from The Police.

Answer: Gun

Released in 2000, "Mama's Gun" was the second album from Dallas, Texas, native Erica Abi Wright. It reached number 11 on the Billboard 200 and number 11 the UK R&B albums chart.

It had a "sometimes fiery but often beautiful vibe", Daryl Easlea wrote on BBC Music, adding it was "a fabulous, ever-evolving work by one of the most dazzling artists of the past two decades."

Answer: Morning

The Gallagher brothers and the others in Oasis released "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" as their second album in 1995. It reached number one in the UK, Canada and Australia, and number four on the Billboard 200.

"Rolling Stone" magazine called it "a step forward" on the combo's first album, "Definitely Maybe", and noted a nod towards the style and substance of The Beatles. In 1995, Jon Weiderhorn ruminated "If Oasis can avoid falling prey to the kind of brotherly shove that eventually destroyed the Kinks artistically, the future looks bright indeed."

Sadly, the cracks had already started to appear before the album was released. During the recording sessions, Noel was reported as having struck brother Liam over the head with a cricket bat in a row in the studio. A few months earlier they had a falling out at the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles in which a tambourine became a weapon and Noel stormed off.

Will Oasis ever get back together? The signs are not good - not even definitely, maybe. In 2020 Noel Gallagher scotched speculation in a Tweet that said "...I'm not aware of any offer for any amount of money to reform the legendary rock'n'folk outfit Oasis."

Answer: Let

The Replacements hailed from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and got together in 1979. In 1984, "Let It Be" was the third album and while it was well received at the time - and even more so in retrospect - it did not garner much traction on the charts.

The Replacements were in the forefront of American post-punk bands and "Let It Be" saw a shift away from the frenetic hard core sound of earlier releases.

Answer: Black

Jay-Z was well established by the time his eighth long player, "The Black Album", was released in 2003. With his face barely registering on an entirely black cover and with just the title in a white font, it reached number one on the Billboard 200.

It was billed as his Swan Song and his last before retiring, but as we know, that did not happen and five more studio albums followed.

Answer: Amazing

"I don't think I'm alone in saying that 'Amazing Grace' is Aretha's singular masterpiece," Marvin Gaye is quoted as saying about this 1972 album recorded in a Los Angeles church. It was the best selling album of Franklin's career and the most successful gospel album to that time, with more than two million sold.

In 1972, Oscar winner Sydney Pollack directed a movie that captured the recording sessions. However there were technical issues that made it impossible to sync the sound to the pictures. Digital advances overcame these, but Franklin refused to authorise the release of the movie and it was not shown until after her death in 2018.

Answer: Rid

Released in 1993, this was the second LP from Dorset, England singer/songwriter Polly Jean Harvey. It reached number three on the UK album charts and number ten on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.

Many of Harvey's songs were influenced by mythology and she was noted for her lyrical perfection. In a more humble sense, she has named Bob Dylan as an influence and had a relationship with Nick Cave. He later said it had broken down because they were both "too self-absorbed".

Answer: Pretenders

In 1979, "Pretenders" was the debut album from The Pretenders. It reached number one on the UK albums chart and number nine on the US Pop Albums chart.

The 1970s produced a plethora of new bands pursuing the new rock and roll, but few lasted into the new millennium. Not that Chrissie Hynde was ever nostalgic for the early days or guilty of any pretence over what she was doing. She has described herself as "a jobbing musician on the road with a band". Her views on things like the Grammys or the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame were forthrightly aired in a 2016 interview with the "Guardian" newspaper - too forthrightly to repeat here.

The Pretenders brand had huge sales over the years, although by the time of that 2016 interview, Hynde was the only full-time survivor from the original lineup. (Martin Chamber was there at the start in 1978 but quit in 1986, only to return in 1994). James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon both died along the way.

Answer: Faith

In 1987, "Faith" was the debut solo album from George Michael and sold more than 25 million copies and produced four singles that topped the charts in the USA.

George Michael was one half of the pop sensation Wham! - the other was Andrew Ridgeley. Their star burnt brightly but for a short time. Between 1982 and 1986, they released 12 singles, all of which reached the UK top 20 and five hit the top spot in that time. Another single "Last Christmas" reached number two in 1984 and incredibly charted another 15 times before reaching number one in 2020, just under four years after George Michael died.

So why did Wham! break up? It was reported that George Michael wanted to do more solo work, and certainly wanted to do what he thought was more serious music. Between 1984 and 2014, Michael as a solo artist or in collaborations had 31 UK top 20 hits, seven of those at number one. He had five US Hot 100 toppers.