Rolling Stone's 500 "Greatest Albums" Part 10 Quiz

Answer: Honey

The Beach Boys were well established when their 13th album "Wild Honey" was released in 1967. It did, though, mark a foray into soul music. The album topped out at number 24 on the Billboard 200.

The album came as something of a relief to critics and fans who had been dismayed by the earlier "Smiley Smile" long player, which "Rolling Stone" magazine had described as "an abortive attempt to match the talents of Lennon and McCartney." Additionally, "Classic Rock Review" called the new album "...a huge improvement over 'Smiley Smile' in every possible way."

Answer: Dead

Released in 1970, "Workingman's Dead" was the fourth LP from the Bay Area rockers. It was also a step into the unknown with a change in musical approach and, some critics said, completely changed what the band meant to their listeners. "The enormous risk they took in changing their sound entirely resulted in a heartbreakingly beautiful, unquestionably pure statement and one of the more important documents of its time," in the view of Fred Thomas at 'AllMusic".

Answer: Ace

Founded in 1975, Motörhead led the charge of the heavy metal brigade in Britain. For the next 40 years they released an impressive number of albums and collected a passionate fan base. Never noted as a singles band, Motörhead sold well on the albums charts.

The 'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame' noted in 2020: "If their music and image sometimes seem like a rock cliché it's only because so many bands copied what they originated. Motörhead was the creation of bassist and singer Lemmy Kilmister with one simple goal: to make loud, fast, and vicious rock."

Answer: Nowhere

Neil Young was what might be termed as a "Marmite" artist: you either loved him or you hated him. Certainly his guitar style was divisive: some hailed it as genius, others as primitive. In one interview he said: "The technical aspect is absolute hogwash as far as I'm concerned. It bores me to tears. I can't play fast. I don't even know my scales. I know that most of the notes I play aren't where I play them. They're simply not there. So you can play any note you like. I think about it on another level, I don't care about that sort of (thing)".

Released in 1969, "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" was the second album from the Toronto born Young. It reached number 34 on the Billboard 200. "Rolling Stone" magazine found the songs "a little disappointing", but "Young's music partially makes up for its lack of grace by its energy and its assurance."

Answer: Love

In a feature in the "Guardian" newspaper in 2011, Mark Beaumont selected "69 Love Songs" as his favourite album. Released in 1999 as a three-part recording, it was the fifth album from the Boston, Massachusetts, indie outfit Magnetic Fields. Yes, there actually were 69 tracks. Although it garnered a passionate following, it did not make much headway on any charts.

Answer: Nuggets

"Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era" was a 1972 compilation of American psychedelic and garage rock songs from the 1960s. A second volume was planned but never released.

Answer: Rapture

With a voice that "rings like a bell", Anita Baker breathed new life into the 1980s soul scene, according to Daryl Easlea writing on "BBC Sounds" in 2020. He added: "Rapture was much-loved when it was released and made Baker the doyen of sophisticated soul."

The album topped the R&B Charts and was a number 11 on the 200 albums charts. It also won Baker two Grammys.

Answer: Supreme

"Supreme Clientele" was hailed by some critics as an unsurpassed classic. This was the second studio album from the hip hop singer born Dennis David Coles in New York City. It reached number seven on the Billboard 200. The recording sessions had been interrupted by a six-month term Ghostface Killah spent in prison for possession of a weapon.

Answer: Expensive

Born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti in Nigeria, Fela Kuti was a multi-instrumentalist who was one of Africa's top performers. He attended university in England and became known on the London jazz club scene with his band Koola Lobitos. He returned to Africa, then embarked on a tour of the USA with a new band. Some say that on this tour he developed his political consciousness.

Back in Africa, he continued to record and was the continent's top selling performer. His politics brought him to the attention of the authorities and he was frequently targeted and assaulted. He was also jailed on a trumped-up charge. He died at the age of 58.

This album was released in 1977 and re-issued in 2005.

Answer: Blondie

In 1976, the debut eponymous album from the New York rockers Blondie sank without a trace in the USA. Australians liked it, making it a number 14 while it was number 75 in the UK.

So why the poor showing on home soil? Writing in the "Guardian" newspaper in 2015, Caroline Sullivan believed "They were initially dismissed by the New York punks as too kitschy and pop". It was not until their tenth single -"Heart of Glass" that Blondie charted in the USA: all the while chalking up the hits elsewhere.

But Blondie went on cover a wide range of genres, from pop to disco; hip hop to reggae. They were active between 1974 and 1982 and then broke up for a time. Returning in 1997, they remained active 25 years later. In all they had six UK and four US number one singles and sold over 40 million records worldwide. Worldwide they had had 25 number ones and 73 Top Ten chart positions. In 2020, a commercial group brought the rights to 197 Blondie songs, including all the hits, for an undisclosed sum.