Best Rock and Roll Fourth Albums Quiz

Answer: Led Zeppelin

"Led Zeppelin IV" has been certified 23 times platinum in the United States and has sold 37 million copies worldwide, making it one of the highest-selling rock albums of all-time.

The most notable song on the album, of course, is "Stairway to Heaven." Despite never being released as a single, it has gone on to become arguably the most popular rock song of all-time. It has been played on radio stations around the world over three million times. Its sheet music is the highest-selling piece of sheet music of all-time at over one million copies sold. "Guitar World" magazine ranked Jimmy Page's solo in this song as the best guitar solo of all-time.

Another famous song on the album is "Black Dog," which charted at number 15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and it also charted in eight other countries. Several publications such as "Rolling Stone," "Classic Rock," and "Q" have ranked this song on their lists of greatest rock song of all-time. The song isn't about a black dog; the title comes from an animal that they saw wandering around the studio where they recorded this album.

Another notable song is "Rock and Roll," which charted at number 47 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and it also charted in five other countries. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ranked it as one of their 500 songs that shaped rock and roll and Radio Caroline, VH1, and Q have also ranked it as one of the greatest rock songs of all time.

Another notable song is "When the Levee Breaks," the album's closer. This is a cover of a song written by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy in 1929 about the Great Mississippi flood of 1927. Led Zeppelin used many of the original lyrics but they almost completely remade the music. Guitarist Jimmy Page and Bassist John Paul Jones based their parts on the original song, but they changed the song's original three-chord structure to a one-chord structure to give it a droning sound. Singer Robert Plant sang the same lyrics but he added a harmonica and a reverse echo. As a result, the song has become a favorite among Led Zeppelin fans.

Answer: The Who

"Tommy" is a concept album about the life of a "Deaf dumb and blind boy" named Tommy Walker. It is considered to be the first ever rock opera and was an inspiration for the progressive rock bands that became popular in the 1970s (Pink Floyd, Yes, Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake and Palmer, etc.). It was certified two times platinum in the U.S. and was certified Gold in four different countries.

One notable song on the album is "Pinball Wizard," which charted at number 19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number four in the UK, and it also charted in nine other countries. It says that Tommy is an incredible pinball player despite being deaf dumb and blind, although the narrator has no idea how.

Another notable song is a cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Eyesight to the Blind." The Who covered this song because they felt the lyrics pretty well-described the kid in the song. Guitarist Pete Townsend wrote new music for the Who's version of the song.

Another notable song is "Christmas." In this song, we learn that Tommy doesn't get excited about Christmas like most people do. His parents think that because he doesn't care about Christmas, he's doomed to go to hell.

Another notable song is "We're Not Gonna Take it," the last song on the album. At the beginning of this song, Tommy is no longer deaf dumb and blind and he's starting a new religion: a religion where people have to plug up their eyes, ears, and mouths, be expert pinball players, and never smoke or drink alcohol. Everyone rejects his religion and he goes back to being deaf dumb and blind. This song ends with "See Me Feel Me," which isn't a separate song on the album but it's treated like a separate song at live shows and on greatest hits albums.

Answer: Queen

"A Night at the Opera" was the breakthrough album by Queen. It charted at number four in the U.S. and number one in four different countries. It has been certified triple platinum in the U.S., double platinum in Poland, and gold or platinum in nine different countries. Publications that have ranked this as one of the greatest albums of all-time include "Rolling Stone," "Q," "Classic Rock," "Kerrang," and "NME."

The most notable song on the album is "Bohemian Rhapsody," a single that has been certified eight times platinum in the U.S. and Australia, seven times platinum in Canada, and gold, platinum, or multi-platinum in eight other countries. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock songs of all-time. It starts off with an a capella section which is really just singer Freddie Mercury's voice recorded multiple times, then it becomes a slow, sad piano ballad, then it has a goofy operatic middle section, then it has a hard rock section before closing off with the final line "Nothing really matters to me" that may sum up the real meaning of the whole song. It became the title of a movie in 2018.

Another notable song is "You're My Best Friend," which charted at number 16 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and it charted at number seven in the UK and it also charted in six other countries. That single has been certified platinum in the U.S. and Gold in the UK. It's a love song that bassist John Deacon wrote for his wife.

Another notable song is "Death on Two Legs," the first song on the album. It starts off with an incredible piano solo by Mercury and then it becomes a very angry hard rock song. It's a letter that Freddie Mercury wrote to Queen's former manager, who had conned Queen out of a lot of money by making them sign bad contracts.

Another notable song is "'39," which was written and sung by guitarist Brian May. It's the B-side to the "You're My Best Friend" single. On the surface, it's about space travelers who go on what they think is a year-long space voyage, but when they get home, they find out that it's really been 100 years and everyone they've ever known has died. May said in an interview with "The Guardian" that it's really about himself, about how when Queen toured around the world, it exposed him worlds of rock music that were different from what he grew up with.

Answer: KISS

KISS broke through with their first live album the year prior. At that point, they had become known as an amazing live show, but their previous studio albums hadn't sold very much. Now that they had money, they hired a producer who they admired, Bob Ezrin, who had previously produced four albums for one of KISS's biggest influences, Alice Cooper. The result was an album that was certified triple-platinum in the U.S.

One notable song on the album is "Beth," which charted at number seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and won a People's Choice Award. Originally, it was the B-side to the "Detroit Rock City" single. Then, a director of a radio station in Ontario, Canada decided to flip the single over and play "Beth" after her daughter urged her to do so. When the song became a hit, KISS presented a gold record to the daughter.

Another notable song on the album is "Shout it Out Loud," which charted at number 31 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and it also charted in four other countries. It was basically a sequel to their previous hit "Rock and Roll All Nite," except this song had singers Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons trading lead vocals in the verses. The title was inspired by the Hollies' "We Want to Shout it Out Loud" that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley covered in their previous band, Wicked Lester.

Another notable song is "Detroit Rock City," a fan favorite. This song tells the story of a man listening to KISS in his car while driving to a KISS concert, but on the way he dies in a car accident. This song was inspired by a true story; the event that inspired the song actually happened in Charlotte, North Carolina, but the song is about Detroit because that was the first city that KISS was famous in.

Another notable song is "God of Thunder," also a fan favorite. This song was written by Paul Stanley, but Ezrin decided it waas better suited for Simmons' voice. The song became a fan favorite and a staple of their live shows, often with a drum solo in the middle. Gene Simmons is often called "The God of Thunder" nowadays. A demo with Stanley singing it can be heard on their boxed set.

Answer: The White Stripes

"Elephant" was certified double platinum in Australia, Canada, and the UK, and it was certified gold or platinum in seven other countries. It peaked at number six on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and charted at number one in the UK, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden, as well as charting in six other countries. It won a Grammy for best alternative album.

One notable song on the album is "Seven Nation Army" which charted at number one on the U.S. Alternative Airplay chart; it also charted in six other countries. This song has become a staple at sporting chants. Fans chant the main riff whenever their team scores a goal, or a touchdown, or whatever it's called in the sport that they are watching. It became arguably the most popular sports song in the world; of course it helped that the previous most popular sporting anthem, "Rock and Roll Part Two (The Hey Song)," had been experiencing a sharp decline in popularity due to crimes committed by that song's writer. Something had to replace that as the anthem of sports, and that something was "Seven Nation Army."

Another notable song on the album is "The Hardest Button to Button," which charted at number on on the UK Indie chart and also charted in five other countries. The song was used in the Simpsons episode "Jazzy and the Pussycats," an episode in which Bart learns how to play the drums and instantly become great at it, making Lisa jealous. There's a scene in that episode which parodies the music video for this song.

Another notable song is "Ball and Biscuit." The song is over seven minutes long, a rarity for a band that has always been known for relatively short and simple songs. It's a song about a man who's trying to impress a woman by claiming he's a seventh son, The ball and biscuit may refer to drugs. This song is used in the 2010 movie "The Social Network."

Another notable song is "I Just Don't Know What to do with Myself," a cover of a Dusty Springfield song. The White Stripes version charted at number 13 on the UK singles chart and also charted in six other countries.

Answer: Soundgarden

"Superunknown" has been certified five times platinum in the U.S. and has been certified gold or double platinum in six other countries. It has sold over nine million copies worldwide. "Rolling Stone" magazine ranked it at number nine on their list of the 50 grunge albums of all-time.

One notable song on the album is "Black Hole Sun," which charted at number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and in Iceland, and has charted in at least ten different countries. The single has been certified gold in Australia. Singer/songwriter Chris Cornell says that the lyrics were mostly trying to paint a picture in your mind, that there wasn't much meaning in the verses. The chorus likely has an idea though. The sun represents happiness and the rain represents sadness, so Cornell is hoping that his depression will go away and he'll feel happy. Ever since his death, his fans have used a line in this song, "No one sings like you anymore," to describe him. Ironically, there's another phrase in this song ("Hang my head") that describes how he would ultimately die.

Another notable song is "Spoonman," which charted at number three on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and also charted in eight other countries. It's about a famous musician named Artis the Spoonman, who played music with spoons.

Another notable song is "Fell on Black Days," which charted at number four on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and it also charted in six other countries. It's a song about feeling depressed even though things are going well for you.

Another notable song is "The Day I Tried to Live," which charted at number 13 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and number 42 on the UK Singles chart. It's a song about trying to get along with other people, but then realizing you just can't do it.

Answer: The Rolling Stones

"Aftermath" was certified platinum in the United States.

One notable song on the U.S. version of the album is "Paint it Black," which charted at number one in the U.S., the UK, and Germany, in it also charted in the top four in eight other countries. It's a song about a man who's suffering from severe depression because he lost his wife, and he wants the whole world to look and feel the way he does.

Another notable song is "Under My Thumb." It's about a man who has complete control over his girlfriend after it used to be vice-versa; he's showing her how it feels. Social Distortion covered this song for their 1995 album "Mainliner," and again as a hidden track on their 1996 album "White Light White Heat White Trash" and again on their live album "Live at the Roxy."

Another notable song is "Stupid Girl," the B-side to the "Paint it Black" single. The narrator of the song is crticizing a girl that he knows for her behavior, and he tries to make it clear that he is not criticizing her for her appearance.

Another notable song is "Lady Jane," which charted at number 24 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It's a song sung from the point of view of Henry VIII, singing to a few of his wives. The only one that he liked was "Lady Jane" (Jane Seymour) who gave him a son.

Answer: Kansas

"Leftoverture" was certified four times platinum in the U.S. It's one of the first ever progressive rock albums by an American band; most well-known progressive rock bands were from the UK. Styx singer Tommy Shaw said on their "Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight" live album that "Leftoverture" inspired him to write one of the best unknown Styx songs, "Man in the Wilderness." Shaw said he was inspired to write that when Styx opened for Kansas in the 1976. Ironically, in 2010, Kansas opened for Styx.

One notable song on the album is "Carry on Wayward Son," which charted at number 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the Canada RPM Top Singles chart. The single has been certified gold in the U.S. It's a song about a teenager who is trying to be like everybody else and he tries to act like he's a wise man who knows everything and people can come to him for advice, but in reality he has very little experience with the world and he knows very little. So by pretending to be something he's not, he's wayward. However, his father tells him that he will find peace when he stops doing this.

Another notable song is "The Wall." It's a song about someone whose decisions in life have lead him to a dead end, and he feels like there's a wall between him and success and he wants to get to the other side. If songwriter Kerry Livgren was writing about himself, the good news is that with this album, Kansas made it to the other side of the wall.

Another notable song is "What's on My Mind" a song about a happy relationship. The man is telling his partner how happy she made him. This song is atypical for Kansas because it's short, upbeat, catchy, and not very complex.

Another notable song is "Cheyenne Anthem." This is a song about white men emigrating from the United Kingdom to what is now the United States and killing the natives there. It's sung from the point of view of a Native American who has welcomed the white people to his home, but they kill his people anyway. This song starts off quietly, but it gets louder and faster as it progresses and it has a choir in the middle.

Answer: Jimmy Eat World

Jimmy Eat World released their fourth album on July 24, 2001. It was originally titled "Bleed American," but the name was changed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The album has been certified platinum in the U.S. and Canada.

One notable song is "Bleed American," which charted at number 18 on the U.S. Alternative Airplay chart. Just like the album, the song was re-titled after 9/11/01, this time its name was changed to "Salt Sweat Sugar." The song seems to be about a man who works a difficult outdoor job ("Salt sweat sugar on the asphalt our hearts littering the topsoil") and he relaxes on his days off by watching TV, taking pills and drinking speyside.

Another notable song is "A Praise Chorus," which charted at number 16 on the U.S. Alternative Airplay chart. In the song, singer Jim Adkins says that he needs to hear a song that he knows. He grew up in the 1980s, so many lyrics near the end of the song reference songs from the 1980s. Examples include "Our house in the middle of the street," which references a song by Madness, "Don't, don't, don't let's start," which references a song by They Might be Giants, and "Kickstart my rock 'n roll heart," which references a song by Motley Crue.

Another notable song is "The Middle," which charted at number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and it also charted in seven other countries. The song has a message for kids: do whatever you want and don't let bullies tell you what to do or what not to do.

Another notable song is "Sweetness," which charted at number two on the U.S. Alternative Airplay chart. It was written for their previous album, "Clarity," and played live many times on that tour, but it ended up on "Bleed American." It appears in the video game "NHL 2003."

Answer: P.O.D.

P.O.D. is an acronym for "Payable on Death." They became famous with their fourth album, "Satellite". The album has been certified three times platinum in the United States and has been certified gold or platinum in five other countries.

One notable song on the album is "Alive," which charted at number four on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and also charted in at least ten other countries. The narrator of the song feels like he has found God, and that's making him feel so alive that he thinks he can fly.

Another notable song is "Youth of the Nation," which charted at number 28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and also charted in at least ten other countries. It's a song about school shootings and what causes them. It encourages adults to step in and show that they care about the kids, so that the kids don't feel the need to get a gun and shoot people or themselves.

Another notable song is "Boom," which charted in Australia, Germany, and Sweden. In this song, singer Sonny Sandoval sings about himself and about P.O.D. He says in the song that P.O.D. are going to be a very famous Christian metal band, touring all around the world. He tells people that they aren't a new band (they weren't new they just hadn't become famous yet) but they will be famous soon. He was right.

Another notable song is the title song. It's a song about God, who is the satellite. Sandoval looks up to God and believes that God is looking down at him from up in space like a satellite.