Rolling Stone's 500 "Greatest Albums" Part 24 Quiz

Answer: Golden

Released in 2018, "Golden Hour" was the fourth album from Kacey Musgraves, who was a native of, appropriately, Golden, Texas. It won her four Grammys and topped the country music charts in both the UK and the USA.

Giving it a five-star review, Alexis Petridis wrote in the "Guardian": "....this is not the usual fare dished up by Music City's mainstream stars". He added: "It's an album that imagines a world in which its author is the mainstream, rather than an influential outlier. It says something about its quality that, by the time it's finished, that doesn't seem a fanciful notion at all."

Answer: Yeezus

Released in 2013, "Yeezus" was the sixth album from Kanye West and reached number one on the Billboard 200. It also topped the charts in theUK, New Zealand and Australia. In 'New Musical Express', Gavin Haynes wrote" "Yeezy is back with one of the best records of the year, and he's more controversial, contradictory and powerful than ever".

Answer: Away

Randy Newman was born in Los Angeles but raised in New Orleans. He was noted for humorous songs in which irony was never far from the surface. While his own recordings were only modest commercial successes, his songs were widely covered. Among those to have hits with Newman songs were Three Dog Night, who topped the charts with "Mama Told Me Not to Come". In the UK, The Alan Price Set took "Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear" to number four on the singles charts.

"Rolling Stone" called Newman L.A.'s weirdest singer-songwriter, and said "Sail Away" was "....his meanest and funniest American portrait..."

Answer: Double

In 1984, "Double Nickels on the Dime" was the third album from California punk trio Minutemen. The double album comprised 45 songs, most by the band but others were covers of other established outfits. These were "radical revisions", according to "The New York Times".

Ina four-year recording career, Minutemen came up with four studio and one live albums. There were also a number of extended play records. Six compilation albums were also released.

Answer: Help!

This soundtrack album to a Beatles movie includes some of the Fab Four's best remembered songs including "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", "Ticket to Ride," and "Yesterday," which Paul McCartney wrote and was the only Beatle on the track. "Rolling Stone" magazine noted it became "the most widely covered song in pop-music history."

In 2019, the "Independent" newspaper ranked all 12 Beatles albums 'in order of greatness' and placed "Help!" at number seven.

Answer: Wowee

Released in 1995, "Wowee Zone" was the third album from Californian indie rockers Pavement. While not a great hit in the USA, reaching number 117 on theBillboard 200, it hit number 17 in the UK. The critics could not be accused of being overkind. The "LA Times" called this a "sloppy effort."

Answer: Here

Released in 1985, "Wish You Were Here" took Pink Floyd to the top of the album charts in the USA, UK, Australia and other places.

Writing for 'BBC Music', John Lusk said "Wish You Were Here" was often unfairly overlooked in comparison with "The Dark Side of the Moon". He added in 2007: "With the benefit of hindsight, 'Wish You Were Here' has the same faultless pacing and sequencing of its predecessor, but a more coherent musical narrative, structure and tone, as well as greater lyrical sophistication."

Answer: Hard

Another soundtrack album, this was also the first to contain songs totally written by The Beatles. It was a chart topper in both the UK and the USA.

In 2019, the "Independent" newspaper ranked all 12 Beatles albums 'in order of greatness' and placed "A Hard Day's Night!" at number six. "This album was "light years ahead of the opposition in their homeland in 1964...", Graeme Ross wrote. What was the number one? - well it is probably somewhere ahead of us on this countdown....

Answer: Power

New Order burst onto the Manchester music scene in 1980 and included three members of Joy Division after the death by suicide of that band's lead singer, Ian Curtis. "Power, Corruption & Lies" was their second album and reached number four on the Official Charts Company listing.

In the "Guardian" in 2020, Dave Simpson wrote: "...with 'Power, Corruption & Lies', New Order found their sound. It's the heavenly hum of guitars and electronics, agony and ecstasy, sunlight bursting through the clouds - and one of the great pioneering albums of the 80s."

Answer: Check

Hip hop and hardcore punk were among the genres covered by New York City's Beastie Boys from 1981. They were probably the first white rap performers to gain a substantial following. "Check Your Head" was their third LP and reached number 10 on the Billboard 200.

Four of their eight studio albums between 1986 and 2011 were to reach the top of the Billboard 200. They won three Grammys in that period.