Rolling Stone's 500 "Greatest Albums" Part 19 Quiz

Answer: Angeles

In 1980, "Los Angles" was the debut album from California rockers X. While it did not chart on the Billboard 200, it reached number 14 on the UK Indie Charts. X were a band who seemed to be a closely guarded secret. MTV passed them by and their main exposure was on college radio.

Answer: Roses

The Stone Roses came out of a hotbed of music in Manchester, England, in the early 1980s. In 1989 their self-titled album was a breakthrough hit, reaching number 19 on the UK albums charts. In 2019, "New Musical Express" placed this at number four on a list of 'The 15 Greatest Manchester Albums Ever'. The band was active between 1983 and 1996, but got back together again between 2011 and 2017.

Answer: Rope

With her 1997 release, "The Velvet Rope", Janet Jackson was said to have inspired a whole generation. This, her sixth, long player was described by the "Guardian" as "a darker, more confessional coming-of-age album". It topped the Billboard 200 and was a number six on the UK albums charts.

Coming soon after Jackson signed an $80m contact with Virgin Records, the album had its share of controversy and attracted the ire of conservative religious groups, among others.

Answer: Satin

"Lady In Satin" was released in June 1958 and was the last released in her lifetime; she died in July 1959. "Lady Day" as she was known, was one of the best jazz singers of her generation.

Billie Holiday began her career in New York City jazz clubs in about 1930. Louis Armstrong was an early influence. Despite her musical output being critically acclaimed, "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" was to be her biggest chart hit. Another song she wrote, "God Bless the Child" went on to become a jazz and blues standard. Finally in 1959, her longtime abuse of heroin and alcohol caught up with her and she died at the age of 44.

Answer: Sell

In 1967, "The Who Sell Out" reached number 13 on the UK album charts. Most of the tracks were written by Pete Townsend as social commentary on the era of commercialisation Years later, 'ultimateclassicrock' placed it at number five on a list of 'The Who albums ranked worst to best'.

Answer: Mal

Released in 2018, "El Mal Querer" ("The Bad Loving") was the second album from Spanish singer/songwriter Rosalia Vila Tobella. It was a number one in Spain and also hit the top of the Billboard Latin Pop Albums chart. It also won a Grammy. Rosalía is the only Spanish artist to appear in this countdown.

Answer: One

Released in 1996, "On In A Million" was the second album from New York City singer, actor and model Aaliyah. It reached number 18 on the Billboard 200 and number 33 on the UK Official Charts.

Answer: City

In 2000, "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea" was the fifth album from English alt rocker Polly Jean Harvey. It reached number 23 in the UK album charts and number 42 on the Billboard 200. Many of the tracks were inspired by the time she spent in New York City in the late 1990s.

Answer: Seat

Released in 2016, "A Seat At The Table" was the third album from the Houston, Texas, songbird Solange Piaget Knowles. It went on to top the Billboard 200. In 2016, a "Guardian" newspaper review found this was "...a stately, sprawling celebration of black identity".

Answer: Beach

Released in 1974, "On The Beach" was the fifth album from Neil Young. It came at a time his star will still riding high from his earlier album "Harvest". It reached number eight on the Billboard Cash Box Top 100 Albums chart. The critics were divided. Some felt that Young was hitting a lot of personal targets in his songwriting, although "Rolling Stone" called it "a depressing album". Young concurred: "'On the Beach' is probably one of the most depressing records I've ever made," he said in a 1975 interview with "Rolling Stone".

Rating "On The Beach" as the fourth best of 45 Neil Young albums, the "Guardian" described it as "Despairing and disconsolate, but set to beautiful music". Their number one on that November 2020 list was "Rust Never Sleeps" (1979).