UK Number One Albums of the 1970s Quiz

Answer: Simon & Garfunkel

Recorded in November 1969 and released on Columbia records in January 1970, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was the fifth and final studio album by Simon & Garfunkel. Despite the enormous success of this album, both critical and commercial, the duo decided to part company later in 1970.

The album won two Grammy Awards, plus four more for the title single which topped the UK singles chart for three weeks in March 1970 and the Billboard Top 100 chart in the USA for six weeks from late February. The album also included another single, "The Boxer", which has subsequently become a classic although it failed to top any singles charts. Both "Cecilia" and "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" were also released as singles.

Of the alternatives, The Beatles' final two albums both topped the UK album chart in 1970: "Abbey Road" made it to number one in December 1969 and remained there for six weeks, and "Let It Be" was number one for three weeks in May-June 1970. Led Zeppelin's second album, "Led Zeppelin II", gave those future rock legends their first number one album on both sides of the Atlantic in February 1970 and "Led Zeppelin III" repeated the process in November. The Stones topped the UK chart for two weeks in September 1970 with "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert".

Answer: George Harrison

George Harrison's first two solo albums, "Wonderwall Music" in 1968 and "Electronic Sound" in 1969, had failed to register on the UK album chart. "All Things Must Pass" was his third solo album and it topped the album charts not only in the UK but also in the USA, Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The album included the worldwide number one single "My Sweet Lord".

This would be the only Harrison studio album to top the UK chart, although he did return to number one in January 1972 with "The Concert for Bangladesh", a live collaboration with Bob Dylan and others. His fourth studio album, "Living in the Material World", topped the USA, Australian and Canadian album charts but stalled at number two in the UK.

Of the alternatives, Paul and Linda McCartney topped the UK album chart in June 1971 with "Ram". "Imagine" by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band topped the chart in October-November 1971. Only Ringo Starr failed to produce a number one solo album: his first studio album, "Sentimental Journey" (in 1970) and his third, "Ringo" (in 1973) both reached number seven, his best chart position in the UK.

Answer: T. Rex

Originally named Tyrannosaurus Rex when they were founded in 1967 as the vehicle for the talents of vocalist and guitarist Marc Bolan, the group shortened their name to T. Rex in 1970. Their eponymous debut album using the revamped name reached number seven in 1970 and spawned the singles "Ride a White Swan" (number two) and the first of their four chart-topping singles, "Hot Love".

The singles, "Get it On" (their second UK number one and their only US Top Ten single) and "Jeepster" (number two in the UK) both came from "Electric Warrior". Their final two singles, "Telegram Sam" and the band's biggest hit, "Metal Guru", both came from the 1972 album "The Slider", which reached number four in the UK album chart.

T. Rex topped the UK album chart twice more in 1972, with the release of "Prophets, Seers & Sages/My People Were Fair", a compilation double album that topped the chart briefly in May 1972, and with "Bogan Boogie", another compilation album that spent three weeks at number one in May-June 1972.

Of the alternatives, English folk-rock group Lindisfarne scored their only number one album with "Fog on the Tyne" in March 1972. Rock legends Deep Purple scored their only UK number one album (and the first of only two Top Ten albums in the US) with "Machine Head" in 1972. Another legendary band, The Who, also managed to top the UK album chart only once, with "Who's Next" in 1971. Remarkably, their two best-known studio albums, "Tommy" in 1969 and "Quadrophenia" in 1973 both reached only number two in the UK chart.

Answer: Slade

Founded as The N'Betweens in Wolverhampton, England in 1966, Slade became one of the most popular bands in the UK during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. Their third studio album, "Slayed" topped the UK album chart for twice (although only for a total of three weeks) in early 1973. The album also spawned the group's third number one single, "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", as well as "Gudbuy T'Jane", which reached number two.

The group had previously reached number two in the UK album chart in 1972 with the live release, "Slade Live!". They followed their first number one by returning to the top spot with the compilation album, "Sladest!", which stayed at the top for three weeks in October 1973. Their final UK number one album came the following year, with "Old New Borrowed and Blue", which was released under the title "Stomp Your Hands, Clap Your Feet" in the USA.

Of the alternatives, The Faces reached number one in the UK album chart in 1973 with their fourth and final studio release, "Ooh La La", having previously reached number two with "A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse" in 1971. Status Quo enjoyed the first of their four UK number one albums in 1973 with "Hello!". Roxy Music also scored their first chart-topper with with their third studio album, "Stranded", in 1973: it would be the 1980s before they scored their other two number one albums.

Answer: Yes

English prog-rock supergroup Yes had previously released two Top Ten albums in 1971 ("The Yes Album" and "Fragile") and another in 1972 ("Close to the Edge") before finally hitting the top of the UK album chart with "Tales from Topographic Oceans" in January 1974.

This is a most unusual album, with only four tracks (the shortest of which runs more than eighteen and a half minutes), one on each side of the double LP. Keyboard-player Rick Wakeman famously ordered and ate a Chinese takeout on stage whilst the rest of the group played just one track from this album.

The next four Yes albums would also climb into the Top Ten in the UK, although of those four only "Going for the One" (in 1977) topped the chart.

Of the alternatives, The Carpenters had scored four Top Five albums in the US in the first four years of the 1970s, but achieved their first number one on the east side of the Atlantic in 1974 with the compilation "The Singles: 1969-1973", the best-selling album of the year. Scottish glam-rock band The Bay City Rollers took the teenage record market by storm by topping the UK album chart with their debut release, "Rollin'" in October 1974. Wings scored their first UK number one album in 1974 with the classic "Band on the Run" (credited as "Paul McCartney & Wings").

Answer: Rod Stewart

"Atlantic Crossing" was Rod Stewart's sixth studio album and also his fifth consecutive UK number one. "Every Picture Tells a Story" had topped the charts in both the UK and the US in 1971, and "Never a Dull Moment", the compilation album "Sing it Again, Rod" (1973) and "Smiler" (1974) had all reached number one in the UK. "A Night on the Town" would also top the chart in 1976, the last of his studio albums to do so until "Time" in 2013 although he did record another number one with "Greatest Hits Vol 1" in 1979.

The cover of the Sutherland Brothers song from "Atlantic Crossing" that rocketed to number one in the UK singles chart was "Sailing". A second single from the album, "This Old Heart of Mine", reached number four.

Of the alternatives, Elton John entered 1975 at the top of the UK album chart with "Elton John's Greatest Hits", which had perched at number one since November and remained there until early February. This followed three consecutive number one releases with "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" in 1973 and "Caribou" in 1974. The late Jim Reeves also topped the UK chart in 1975 (for the only time) with a "Greatest Hits" compilation. The amazing Welsh icon Max Boyce MBE also scored his only number one album in 1975, with "We All Had Doctor's Papers".

Answer: Queen

Their fourth studio album, "A Night at the Opera" was followed by another number one, "A Day at the Races" in January 1977, and established Queen as true superstars of the rock world. The single from the album, released in October 1975, was "Bohemian Rhapsody" and it seems remarkable today that the record company didn't want to release it and radio stations refused to play it because it was too long. In a 2012 poll by ITV, "Bohemian Rhapsody" topped the voting to find "The Nation's Favourite Number One".

Of the alternatives, Led Zeppelin topped the chart twice in 1976, with "Presence" and the live album "The Song Remains the Same", numbers six and seven in a remarkable run of eight consecutive number one albums. ABBA topped the chart in 1976 with a "Greatest Hits" compilation, which is amazing really after releasing only three previous albums (two of them number ones). Status Quo's "Blue for You" was their third number one album in a run of 13 consecutive Top Ten albums over a 15 year period.

Answer: ABBA

"Arrival!" was the fourth studio album by Swedish superstars ABBA, a group who epitomize the sound of 1970s pop music. Remarkably, of the eight studio albums they produced between 1973 and 1981, only the very first one, "Ring Ring" failed to top the UK album chart, and it got to number two. The album also produced two UK number one singles, "Dancing Queen" (which also topped the US chart) and "Knowing Me, Knowing You".

This was also the second year in a row that ABBA scored the year's best-selling album, having done so in 1976 with their "Greatest Hits" release.

Of the alternatives, Dr. Feelgood scored their only UK number one album in 1976, with the live album "Stupidity". The Sex Pistols made it to number one in the UK chart (yes, I know, hard to believe, isn't it - what were people thinking?) with their only studio album, "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols". Californian soft-rock group Bread also topped the UK chart in 1977, reaching number one in November with a compilation album, "The Sound of Bread".

Answer: Saturday Night Fever

The original soundtrack not only dominated the UK album chart in 1978, but also topped charts around the world, from Australia, New Zealand and Japan to the USA and Canada via France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Norway and Sweden. It sold more than 15 million in the US alone, with a further two million in both the UK and France. It also won six Grammys including Album of the Year.

Of the alternatives, the original soundtrack for "That'll Be the Day" topped the UK album chart for seven weeks in the summer of 1973. The soundtrack for "Grease" followed soon after "Saturday Night Fever" and also topped the chart for a long period, from October 1978 until January 1979. The "Fame" soundtrack enjoyed only a single week at the top of the UK album chart, in July 1982.

Answer: Fleetwood Mac

The album that spent just a single week at number one in early 1978 was the legendary "Rumors" by Fleetwood, and with more than 40 million copies sold worldwide it is one of the best-selling albums of all time.

"Tusk", released in 1979, also reached number one but spent just a single week there despite being the most expensive rock album ever made at that point -- it cost more than $1 million to record. Only the title track reached the Top Ten in the UK singles chart (peeking at number six) although both "Tusk" and "Sara" were Top Ten hits in the US (getting to numbers eight and seven respectively).

Of the alternatives, Blondie scored their first UK number one album in 1979 with "Parallel Lines". Their next release, "Eat to the Beat", gave the group their second (and last) number one in 1980. Boney M scored UK number one albums in 1978 with "Nightflight to Venus" and in 1979 with "Oceans of Fantasy" and added a third chart-topper with a "Greatest Hits" compilation in 1980. The Police scored the first of their four consecutive UK number one albums in 1979 with their second studio release, "Reggatta de Blanc".