Classic Albums of the 1980s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hysteria

This album was the follow-up to the hugely popular "Pyromania". Produced by Mutt Lange and released in 1987, Def Leppard proved that not even having your drummer lose an arm would keep them down. Rick Allen lost his arm in an automobile accident.

Answer: Eliminator

ZZ Top released this album in 1983. Their videos for "Legs", "Sharp Dresed Man", and "Gimme All Your Lovin'" made them widely popular with the teenaged boys of the era. Each video featured the likes of a pretty young girl and their ZZ Top car, a 1934 Ford coupe. The album was produced by Bill Ham, who many consider to be ZZ Top's fourth member.

Answer: Moving Pictures

In my humble opinion, this is one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time. Released in 1981 and featuring the hit "Tom Sawyer", this album set the bar for all arena rock bands in the 80's. All sven tracks on the album are incredible to listen to either live or in your living room.

Answer: Master Of Puppets

One of the most remarkable heavy metal albums of all times. Hands down the greatest achievement of one of the greatest bands I ever heard. This album was the third album that Metallica put out. It was released in 1986 and reached number 30 on the Billboard charts, despite almost no radio airplay.

The album has sold over 3 million copies, and that number continues to rise. Metallica has just hired their fourth bass player, Rob Trujillo, of Suicidal Tendencies and Ozzy Osbourne fame. I'm sure this will once again propel Metallica to the top. I expect for Metallica to forget about their age and to rock again like they did in the 80's.

Answer: 1984

The last album with David Lee Roth as singer, "1984" was a huge success, partly due to some great videos on MTV. Who can forget Waldo in the "Hot For Teacher" video? Ted Templeman once again was called on to produce this album, and with the addition of some keyboards by Eddie Van Halen, the album quickly sold over a million copies worldwide; it finally eclipsed the ten million mark, making it a diamond seller.

Answer: Zenyatta Mondatta

This classic album was released in 1980 and was produced by Nigel Gray. The album peaked at number 3 in the US and reached number 1 in the UK. If you have never heard this album, I definitely recommend it. The instrumental track ("Behind My Camel") showcase the band's awesome musicianship, and won them a Grammy.

This album also marked the first time that Sting voiced his political views on an album.

Answer: The Joshua Tree

Produced by the extremely talented Brian Eno, "The Joshua Tree" thrust U2 into superstardom. This sometimes eerie and dark album was released in 1987 during a time when the band was discovering America for what it really was during that time. Bono became a little obsessed with the USA during this time, and many of the songs are written around that feeling.

Answer: Appetite For Destruction

Released in 1987, "Appetite For Destuction" is the epitome of what rock was about in the 80's. Booze, drugs, and sex is the theme for this album. I would love to see what music the band could have made if they had stayed together, but too many ego clashes put a wedge between Axl and the rest of the band. I have heard that the remaining members of the band are to record an album with Scott Weiland of The Stone Temple Pilots. That should be interesting, to say the least.

Answer: Born in the USA

One of "The Boss's" greatest albums, "Born in the USA" spawned seven top ten singles and is one of the best selling albums of all time. The album is a gritty look at America in all of its working class splendor. Ronald Reagan attempted to use songs from the album, released in 1984, as part of his campaign.

Answer: Back in Black

This album was the first release following the death of original singer Bon Scott. Released in 1980, "Back in Black" defined what hard rock was all about in the 80's. The album is full of hard rocking anthems that immediately hit the charts and remained there for a very long time and sold over 16 million copies.

The songs on this album remain staples at skating rinks, strip clubs, and football games, indicating just how versatile an album this is. "Back in Black" was produced by Mutt Lange, making it the second album on this quiz to be produced by the husband of Shania Twain.