Rolling Stone's 500 "Greatest Albums" Part 6 Quiz

Answer: Ram

"Ram" produced Paul McCartney's first number one single after leaving The Beatles, "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey".

It is strange to see it on this list since, at the time, few liked the album very much. John Lennon said the songs were "muzak", Ringo Starr said it was sad it did not have any great songs. The album, though, topped the UK Albums Charts and as number one in Canada also. It was a number two on the Billboard 200.

Answer: Elephant

The White Stripes were the Detroit duo Jack and Meg White. They claimed to be brother and sister: in reality they were a divorced couple. Released in 2003 "Elephant" was recorded in London on analogue equipment from the 1960s. In 2007, the "Guardian" newspaper placed it at number seven on its "Albums of the Decade".

It topped the album charts in the UK and in Ireland and was a number six on the Billboard 200. The single "Seven Nations Army" reached number seven on the Official UK Charts and topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Answer: Dictionary

"Dictionary of Soul" was the final album from Otis Redding; he died in a plane crash just a year later in December 1967. On the disc he brought his own sound to songs by others, and added several of his own compositions.

Also known as "Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul", it was recorded with assistance of members of Booker T's group, as well as Isaac Hays and the Memphis Horns, and reached number five on the Billboard R&B Charts.

Sadly, his premature death meant that the full potential of Otis Redding was never realised. Reviewing the album in 2009, Daryl Easlea, writing for BBC music website, said: "The vibrancy and variety of 'The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul' means that he continues to be such a strong influence on music and vocal performances so many decades later."

Answer: 100

Hailing from Puerto Rica, Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) included a variety of styles in his 2018 album "X 100pre". It topped the Billboard Latin charts and was number 11 on the Billboard 200.

His music has been described as "genre-bending"; in 2020, Bad Bunny released three albums, and often collaborated with other Latin artists. As well as album sales, in 2020 "Dakiti' by Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez was the most-streamed track on Spotify, 38.56 million.

Answer: Satchidanada

Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Alice McLeod began her musical journey playing piano and organ in a baptist church. In her teens she was giving classical piano recitals. Travelling to Paris brought her a love of jazz. On returning to the US, she met John Coltrane in New York City and they married.

After his death in 1967 her journey continued and she began to blend jazz influences - often introducing the harp into a jazz setting. "Journey in Satchidananda" was released in 1970.

Answer: Edge

"Rolling Stone" magazine considered "Close To The Edge" to be the best lineup of Yes at their absolute peak. It noted that drummer Bill Bruford quit the band due to the stress of the 1971 recording sessions. He also felt Yes were going too far with progressive music.

On release, the album reached number four on the UK album charts, number three on the Billboard 200 and was a number one in Holland.

Answer: Machine

Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart was born in New York City and was trained as a child in classical piano. She was writing her own songs by the age of eight.

"Extraordinary Machine" was her third album, but had to be overhauled before release because her record company was not happy with it. It took three years to put things right. It was finally released in 2005 and was nominated for a Grammy. It reached number seven on the Billboard 200.

Answer: Monsters

Also known as "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)", this was Bowie's 14th album and was released in 1980. It topped the UK album charts and was number 12 on the Billboard 200.

The single "Ashes To Ashes" reached number one on the Official UK Charts. It referenced Bowie's 1969 hit "Space Oddity":

"Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know Major Tom's a junkie
Strung out in heaven's high
Hitting an all-time low..."

Answer: Beauty

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye was born in Toronto, Ontario. His early songs were uploaded anonymously onto social media. He soon came to the attention of record companies. In 2015 he released "Beauty Behind The Madness". It went to number one in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia. Two singles, "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills", were chart toppers in the USA and Canada.

"Beauty Behind The Madness" and "Earned It" were Grammy winners. The album also entered Guinness World Records as the most streamed album of the year - 60 million hits on one platform alone. There were also slews of nominations and wins in the Juno and MTV awards.

Answer: Blackout

In July 2007, Britney Spears released "Blackout" - described by "Rolling Stone" as "the weirdest, wildest music of her life." It came at a time when Spears, then 25, was having lot of personal issues. As the "Irish Times" noted in 2017, the recording went from career car crash to classic album.

Without rehashing the issues that Britney faced in the four years between "In The Zone" and "Blackout", they were all very public. (And more were to follow.)

Away from all that, "Blackout" received positive comments from the critics and sold well. It was number two on the Billboard 200 and also on the Official Charts Company album charts in the UK.