Non-Eponymous Debut Albums Trivia Quiz

Answer: Surfin' Safari

"Surfin' Safari" was the debut album for The Beach Boys. Released in October, 1962, the album reached number 32 on the US Billboard chart the following year. The album spawned three singles - "Surfin'", "Surfin' Safari" and "Ten Little Indians". The Beach Boys would eventually release an eponymous album in 1985.

Answer: Music from Big Pink

The Band were originally called The Hawks and were Bob Dylan's backing band in the mid 1960s. In 1968, they released their first studio album in their own right, "Music from Big Pink", which made number 30 on the Billboard chart. The title came from a pink-coloured house in West Saugerties, New York, where they had improvised the songs that would eventually appear on the album. One song from the album was released as a single, "The Weight", which would become one of their best-known songs.

The Band's sophomore album, released in 1969, had an eponymous title.

Answer: Leisure

Blur were formed in London in 1988, and were one of the leading lights of the Britpop movement of the 1990s. Their debut album, "Leisure", was released in 1991 and made number seven on the UK chart. Three singles were released from the album - "She's So High", "There's No Other Way" and "Bang". Blur would eventually release an eponymous album in 1987.

Answer: Parachutes

Coldplay were formed in London in 1997 and became one of the biggest-selling bands in the world in the early 21st century. Their debut album, "Parachutes", was released in 2000 and topped the UK chart. Four singles were released off the album - "Shiver", "Yellow", "Trouble" and "Don't Panic".

Answer: Empty Sky

Elton John, born Reginald Dwight in 1947, is one of the biggest-selling solo artists of all time. His debut album, "Empty Sky", was released in 1969, and failed to make the UK chart. It wasn't released in the USA until 1976, when it made number six on the Billboard chart. No singles were released from the album, with "Skyline Pigeon" being its best known track. Elton's second album, released in 1970, had an eponymous title.

Answer: Definitely Maybe

Oasis were formed in Manchester in 1991, and were the most successful band of the Britpop genre. Their debut album, released in 1994, was "Definitely Maybe", which topped the UK chart. The album spawned four singles - "Supersonic", "Shakermaker", "Live Forever" and "Cigarettes & Alcohol".

Answer: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Pink Floyd were formed in London in 1965, and were originally a psychedelic band before evolving into a progressive/art rock group in the 1970s. Their debut album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", was released in 1967 and made number six on the UK chart.

This was the only album by the band where the majority of the tracks were written by original lead vocalist Syd Barrett, before mental illness saw his departure from the band. The title of the album was taken from a chapter in the Kenneth Grahame novel "The Wind in the Willows".

Answer: Murmur

R.E.M. were formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980. Their debut album, "Murmur", was released in 1983, and made number 36 on the Billboard chart. Two singles were released off the album - "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion". The album's title was chosen because murmur is one of the easiest words in the English language to pronounce.

Answer: Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.

Bruce Springsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, in 1949. He performed with various local bands, before going solo in the early 1970s. His debut album, "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.", was released in 1973 and reached a peak of number 60 in the USA and number 41 in the UK.

The album spawned two singles - "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night". Asbury Park is a New Jersey seaside resort where Springsteen played a number of gigs in his formative years.

Answer: Boy

U2 were formed in Dublin in 1976 under their original name of Feedback, when the members were still at school. Their debut album, "Boy", was released in October, 1980, reaching number 52 in the UK and number 63 in the USA. Two singles were released off the album - "A Day Without Me" and "I Will Follow".