Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums Trivia

1. Number 41 is from the British punk group The Sex Pistols. A couple of songs off the album are "Holidays in the Sun" and "Anarchy in the U.K.". What is the name of this controversial album?

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time Albums 41-50

Answer: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols

The album was certainly controversial, from its title, which faced obscenity issues, to each of the songs irking someone. Especially was this so with the song "God Save the Queen" on the album. Both the BBC and the "Independent Broadcasting Authority" refused to play the song. All this controversy led to "God Save the Queen" reaching number two on the BBC singles' chart, and the album reaching number one on the UK album charts. In the USA, it was more a story on the news, reaching only 106 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album was released in 1977. "London Calling" is from The Clash and album number eight on Rolling Stone's list. "A Different Kind of Tension" is an album by the Buzzcocks. The Damned did the "Machine Gun Etiquette" album.

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time 500 Albums Numbers 31-40

Answer: Bob Dylan

This was Dylan's fifth studio album, and it was released in March 1965. The album reached number one on the UK Album Charts and peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200. Music critic Clinton Heylin wrote that the album was possibly "the most influential album of its era. Almost everything to come in contemporary popular song can be found therein". An interesting side note: the album that knocked it off the top of the UK charts was the soundtrack from "The Sound of Music". Julie Andrews rocks!

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time Albums 41-50

Answer: The Doors

The album was released in January 1967. The album peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 album chart. The song "The End" was voted number 21 on Rolling Stone's "30 Greatest Rock & Roll Movie Moments" for its use in the movie "Apocalypse Now".

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time 500 Albums Numbers 31-40

Answer: The Rolling Stones

The album was released in December 1969, and at one point, temporarily knocked out the Beatles' "Abbey Road" from number one in the UK. It peaked at number three in the US on the Billboard album chart. "Gimme Shelter" was originally spelled "Gimmie Shelter" on the album. An interesting note on the song "You Can't Always Get What You Want": the backing vocals were done by Merry Clayton, Madeline Bell, and the London Bach Choir. In Don Heckman's review of the album for "The New York Times", he classified the album as " heavy, black-tinged, passionately erotic hard/rock blues".

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time Albums Numbers 11-20

Answer: Miles Davis

Some critics have called this the greatest jazz album of all-time. It was recorded in New York City at Columbia Records 30th Street Studio in 1959. Davis died in September 1991 in Santa Monica, California. I had the privilege of seeing his last concert (though at the time we didn't know it'd be his last) at the Hollywood Bowl the week before he passed. I wish I'd saved the ticket stub.

From Quiz Top 10 Albums From Rolling Stone's All-Time 500

Answer: Bob Dylan

"Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" is also known as the "Everybody Must Get Stoned" song. It sure sounds like a party when you listen to it! Dylan used the title because he felt radio in the 1960s would not play a song called "Everybody Must Get Stoned". Instead he got the title based on a Bible verse, Proverbs chapter 27 verse 15. The album peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 in the USA, and it reached number three in the UK. It was released in May,1966.

From Quiz Rolling Stone Top Ten Albums of the Eighties

Answer: Richard and Linda Thompson

"Shoot Out the Lights" is considered the ninth best album and is the husband and wife team's last album. Gerry Rafferty was originally tabbed to produce the album for Hannibal Records but after a difference in styles became obvious, Joe Boyd took the helm. Richard and Joe had worked together years before when Richard was the guitarist for Fairport Convention. The songs on the album primarily are prophetic tunes about dissolving relationships. Their ten-year marriage ended soon after the album was released. The album contains such songs as "Walking on A Wire" and "Back Street Slide". Elvis Costello's entry on the list is "Imperial Bedroom", which lists at number 38. The number 49 spot is held by The Feelies with "Crazy Rhythms". "The Specials" by The Specials is number 68.

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time Albums 41-50

Answer: Pink Floyd

The album was released in March 1973, and reached number one on the US Billboard chart and number two on the UK Album chart. The album was engineered by Alan Parsons, and recorded at Abbey Road Studios. It included the two songs referenced above - "Time" and "Money". Although Nick Mason, percussionist for Pink Floyd, didn't think it was the best work Pink Floyd had done, he did say of the albums' success, "It was...not only about being about a great album but being in the right place at the right time".

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time 500 Albums Numbers 31-40

Answer: Ramones

The album was released in April 1976. The album's photo was taken by "Punk" magazine's Roberta Bayley. Besides influencing other album covers, their torn jeans look also influenced punk bands and young people's look up until this day. The album included the original drummer for the recording band, Tommy Ramone (also known as Thomas Erdelyi), who replaced DeeDee Ramone who was having trouble drumming and singing lead to the speedy tempo of the Ramones' songs. This album is considered to be the real start of punk rock, the catalyst that fueled punk music in both the USA and the UK. To list those in punk and other genres who consider this album an influence, well I don't think I would have the space. Last note: all the above bands gained notoriety at the legendary CBGB club in New York in the 1970s, as did the Ramones.

From Quiz Rolling Stones' All-Time 500 Albums 21-30

Answer: John Lennon

Ironically, John's wife Yoko had also come out with an album of the same name around the same time. It is usually called "Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band". The album was influenced by Lennon's sessions with Primal Therapy founder Arthur Janov. An interesting side note, Ringo Starr played drums on the album. It was released in December 1970.

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time Albums Numbers 11-20

Answer: The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground was led by the late Lou Reed. Nico was a female German singer who contributed vocals for the album. Andy Warhol bankrolled the album and is given credit as the producer, though he wasn't involved directly with the music. He did design the banana on the cover. On the first records pressed, the banana was a sticker. If you peeled the sticker, it had a "flesh colored" banana underneath. The album was very controversial at the time, dealing with topics from deviant sex to drugs.

From Quiz Rolling Stone Top Ten Albums of the Eighties

Answer: "Murmur"/REM

"Murmur" is the debut album by R.E.M. and was released in 1983 on I.R.S. Records. The band added many unusual touches in the final production such as layering ten acoustic guitars, unusual percussion instruments and tearing shirt sounds. "Murmur" was performed in its entirety on the final night of R.E.M's 11-month tour in support of their "Green" album. The show was done at Atlanta's Fox Theatre on November 13, 1989. It was the final time that many songs from "Murmur" were included in the band's set. Songs from the album include "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About Passion". "In My Tribe" by the New York based 10,000 Maniacs made number 65. "Cosmic Thing" is the fifth studio album The B-52's and was released in 1989. It contains "Love Shack" and "Roam". Talking heads are also from New York.

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time 500 Albums Numbers 31-40

Answer: Music From Big Pink

The Band backed up Bob Dylan on his tours in the mid-1960s as the Hawks. The album was released in 1968. It was a critical success, though initially it didn't see much commercial success. The "Big Pink" was actually a pink house in West Saguerties, New York, USA. Band member Rick Danko found it as a rental where they wrote most of the albums' songs, and even Bob Dylan wrote songs there. Dylan actually wrote or co-wrote three songs on the album and did the cover illustration for the album. "The White Album" (AKA: "The Beatles") is by the Beatles, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is from Elton John, and "Blue" is a Joni Mitchell album.

From Quiz Rolling Stones' All-Time 500 Albums 21-30

Answer: Stevie Wonder

The album was released in 1973 on Motown subsidiary Tamla records. Wonder played all the instruments on seven of the albums tracks. The album peaked at number four in the USA on the Billboard Album Charts. The album won Grammys for "Album of the Year" and "Best R&B Song" for the single "Livin' for the City".

From Quiz Top 10 Albums From Rolling Stone's All-Time 500

Answer: The Rolling Stones

The album was released in May, 1972. It reached number one in the USA on the Billboard 200 chart in the USA and in the UK. A digitally remastered version was released in May 2010 with 10 bonus tracks. Most music critics, including Rolling Stone magazine, consider it the Stones greatest album.

From Quiz Rolling Stone Top Ten Albums of the Eighties

Answer: Thriller

"Thriller" is the sixth studio album by Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records. It soon became the best selling album of all time, selling between 45 and 100 million copies. Seven of the nine songs from the album such as "The Girl is Mine", "Wanna be Startin' Somethin'", "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" went on to be in the top 10. Michael was 23 years old when recording began. Producer Quincy Jones intended to at least match the success of "Off the Wall". The album was started at Michaels' home sixteen-track studio and when the songs were ready for final production they were recorded at Westlake Audio in Hollywood. "Bad" was released five years after Thriller and remains Jackson's second biggest-selling album. "Off The Wall" is a 1979 release and did not qualify for the list. "Dangerous" did not come along until 1991.

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time Albums 41-50

Answer: The Band

This was the second studio album from The Band. The album, released in September 1969, reached number nine on Billboard's pop album chart. In 2000, the album recharted at number ten on Billboard's internet album chart. "The Village Voice" writer Robert Christgau called it an "A-plus record if I've ever rated one."

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time Albums Numbers 11-20

Answer: The Jimi Hendrix Experience

This debut album from the group was recorded in England in 1967. In the UK, the album reached number two, stalling behind the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" album. In the USA, the album tracks were rearranged and a few songs added. It peaked at number five on the Billboard album chart and spent an amazing 106 consecutive weeks on the chart in the USA. The other members of the band were bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell.

From Quiz Top 10 Albums From Rolling Stone's All-Time 500

Answer: Marvin Gaye

The album was released in May, 1971 on Tamla records, a subsidiary of Motown. The album took on socially conscious topics of that period (some still with us) such as ecology, the Vietnam War, drug abuse, and poverty. This was the first real social conscious album Motown was involved with as well as Gaye. It lead to a great quote from "Rolling Stone" critic Vince Aletti in 1971: Ambitious, personal albums may be a glut on the market elsewhere, but at Motown they're something new ... the album as a whole takes precedence, absorbing its own flaws. There are very few performers who can carry a project like this off. I've always admired Marvin Gaye, but I didn't expect he would be one of them. Guess I seriously underestimated him. It won't happen again. Tragically, Marvin Gaye was shot by his own father on April 1, 1984. Sadly ironic, it was with a gun Marvin had given him as a gift.

From Quiz Rolling Stone Top Ten Albums of the Eighties

Answer: Born in the U.S.A.

"Born in the U.S.A." became the first compact disc manufactured in the United States when CBS Records opened its manufacturing plant in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1984. Previous CDs had been imported from Japan. According to "Rolling Stone" Bruce knew that he was at a crossroads where "Born in the U.S.A." would have to be his biggest album to date. Bruce went to LA to write much of the material before joining up with the E Street Band and finalizing the arrangements. "Dancing in the Dark" was done after the album was essentially wrapped and went on to become a number two single. The production is a collaborative effort between Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin and Steve Van Zandt. "Nebraska", "Tunnel of Love" and "The River" were other Springsteen releases from the eighties. "Tunnel of Love" is ranked at number 25 and "Nebraska hit 43.

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time 500 Albums Numbers 31-40

Answer: Tapestry

This album, released in 1971, is one of the biggest selling albums of all-time. As of the writing of this quiz, it has sold about 25 million copies worldwide. It was produced by Lou Adler, who also produced some Eagles' albums as well. Carole King was a highly successful songwriter in the 1960s with her first husband, Gerry Goffin, including songs "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and "The Loco-Motion" for Little Eva, their babysitter! They also wrote "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" for Aretha Franklin. "Rumours" is from Fleetwood Mac, "Thriller" is from Michael Jackson, and "Jagged Little Pill" is from Alanis Morissette.

From Quiz Rolling Stones' All-Time 500 Albums 21-30

Answer: Fleetwood Mac

The album was recorded mainly in California, Sausalito and Los Angeles. It was released in February 1977 and went to number one on the UK Album charts and on the Billboard Album chart in the USA. It is one of the top selling albums of all-time, about 45 million copies worldwide so far. Many artists have mentioned it as an influence, from Elton John and Jewel, to the Goo Goo Dolls and Death Cab for Cutie. An interesting side note: one of the producers of the album was Ken Caillat, father to current recording star Colbie Caillat. He produces her albums too.

From Quiz Rolling Stones All-Time Albums Numbers 11-20

Answer: Bob Dylan

The album was released in January 1975. It peaked at number one in the USA on the Billboard 100 album chart and number four on the UK Album Chart. According to Jakob Dylan, member of the Wallflowers and Bob's son, "The songs are my parents talking".

From Quiz Top 10 Albums From Rolling Stone's All-Time 500

Answer: The Beatles

The sixth studio album from the Beatles, it was released in December 1965. This album was noted by most critics as the beginning of a growing sophistication musically and lyrically for the Beatles. George Harrison even used a sitar on "Norwegian Wood". Paul McCartney conceived the title after overhearing Mick Jagger's singing style described as "plastic soul". The album title was a pun of that. The single "Michelle", from the album, was the only Beatle's song ever to win a Grammy for "Song of the Year". That was in 1967.

From Quiz Rolling Stone Top Ten Albums of the Eighties

Answer: "Graceland"/Paul Simon

The 1986 release, "Gracelend", hit number five on the list. The album has its nucleus with a cassette that Paul Simon came across by Boyoyo Boys called "Gumboots: Accordian Jive Hits Volume II". Paul was impressed by the lively sound which was reminiscent of the fifties although is was from South Africa. After listening to several albums by South African artists, Simon ventured to Johannesburg and began recording the album. Soaking in the local rhythms resulted in an exciting and novel album. Proceeds from several "Graceland" tour concerts went to black charities in the US and South Africa. The album reached the number three spot on the album charts. "Uh-Huh" by John Cougar Mellencamp came in at number 32. Marvin Gaye's "Midnight Love" hit number 37 and "Oh Mercy" from Bob Dylan made the 44th spot.

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Last Updated Apr 22 2024 11:05 AM

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