Debut Rock Album Fan Letters Trivia Quiz

Answer: Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses' "Appetite For Destruction" didn't gain notoriety until about a year after its release in 1987. It spent four non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, becoming one of the best-selling debut albums in U.S. History.

It could have sold even more had "November Rain" been added to the tracklist, which didn't come out until 1991's "Use Your Illusion I". It was left off because the album already had a ballad with "Sweet Child o' Mine".

"Hysteria" was Def Leppard.
"Bad" was Michael Jackson.
"The Joshua Tree" was U2.

Answer: Led Zeppelin I

Released by Led Zeppelin in 1969, "Led Zeppelin I" was an immediate success in the U.K. and U.S. Only the short songs were released as singles, but as time went on, the longer songs became classic rock staples. The iconic cover features the Hindenberg (a zeppelin) disaster of 1937.

"Abbey Road" was the Beatles.
"Kind of Blue" was Miles Davis.
"Highway 61 Revisited" was Bob Dylan.

Answer: Fallen

"Fallen" was the debut album of Evanescence. Released in 2003, it sold a staggering 141,000 copies in its first week in the U.S. Before the album's release, its top hits "Bring Me to Life" and "My Immortal" were featured on the Daredevil soundtrack. Oddly, the band's record label Wind-Up mistakenly promoted it for Christian listeners.

"Confessions" was Usher.
"Amerian Idiot" was Green Day.
"The Eminem Show" was Eminem.

Answer: Core

Stone Temple Pilots released "Core" in 1992. By July 1993 it had reached number three in the U.S. The album was initially panned by critics for allegedly ripping off other grunge artists (I hear no resemblance).

"Core" refers to the apple in the Adam and Eve story. The album's cover depicts Eve stealing an apple from the Garden of Eden.

"Saturday Night Fever" was a soundtrack featuring the Bee Gees.
"Ropin' the Wind" was Garth Brooks.
"The Chronic" was Dr. Dre.

Answer: Bat Out of Hell

"Bat Out of Hell" was the debut album of Meat Loaf, released in 1977. Though the artist was American, the album ranks as the highest selling of all time in Australia (as of when this quiz was written). It was composed by Jim Steinman, who based it on "Neverland"- a rock version of Peter Pan that he'd written.

In addition to singing, Meat Loaf acted in Hollywood films, famously starring as Robert Paulsen in "Fight Club".

"Boston" was the debut album of Boston, another huge seller.
"Rumours" was Fleetwood Mac.
"Dark Side of the Moon" was Pink Floyd.

Answer: Hybrid Theory

"Hybrid Theory" was a phenomenal debut by Linkin Park in 2000. In the U.S. it bested Shaggy's "Hot Shot" for the top selling album of 2001. Co-founder Mike Shinoda designed cover art for the album.

"Baby One More Time" was Britney Spears.
"Big Willie Style" was Will Smith.
"Supernatural" was Santana's.

Answer: Cracked Rear View

Hootie & the Blowfish released "Cracked Rear View" in 1994. Next year, it became top-selling album of 1995 in the U.S., with over seven million units. It became one of the best-selling debut albums worldwide. David Crosby sang background vocals on "Hold My Hand".

"Jagged Little Pill" was Alanis Morissette.
"Millennium" was Backstreet Boys.
"Come On Over" was Shania Twain.

Answer: Van Halen

Released by Van Halen in 1978, their debut was one of the most influential in rock history. It ushered in the "glam" sound of the 1980s. Despite their innovation, its first single was merely a cover of the popular Kinks song "You Really Got Me". Eddie Van Halen's instrumental "Eruption" is considered one of the greatest guitar solos of all time.

"Exodus" was Bob Marley & the Wailers.
"Breakfast in America" was Supertramp.
"Back in Black was AC/DC.

Answer: Licensed to Ill

Released by the Beastie Boys in 1986, "Licensed to Ill" was the first rap album to top the U.S. Billboard 200. The band originally wanted the album's name to include a homophobic slur, as part of a satire on frat-boy culture that the whole album mocks. To the horror of the band, the joke went over mainstream listeners' heads, and the songs on "Licensed to Ill" became anthems of the very thing they were trying to parody. They spent years trying to dispel the myth, and have since apologized for the album's original title.

"Brothers In Arms" was Dire Straits.
"Born in the U.S.A." was Bruce Springsteen.
"Purple Rain" was Prince.

Answer: Ten

"Ten" was released by Pearl Jam in 1991. It was not an immediate success, slowly climbing the U.S. charts to reach number two in the fall of 1992. Along with Nirvana's "Nevermind", it propelled the grunge sound that redefined rock music in the 1990s.

The song "Black" reached number three on the U.S. rock charts despite never being released as a single. "Jeremy" won best music video at the 1993 MTV Music Video Awards.

"Nevermind" was Nirvana.
"Like a Virgin" was Madonna.
"Slippery When Wet" was Bon Jovi.