Rolling Stone's 500 "Greatest Albums" Part 33 Quiz

Answer: Changes

With its distinctive album cover of faces and profiles in the shape of the continent of Africa, "Forever Changes" was the third album from Los Angeles psychedelic rockers Love. Released in 1967, it peaked at number 154 on the Billboard 200 in the USA in 1968, but climbed to number 24 in the UK in that year. It was to be the subject of re-releases in the years that followed.

Love were led by the charismatic Arthur Lee and were said to have ushered in a new era of Californian sound. Indeed, there are those, including the critic Max Bell, who believed that Lee had inspired Jimi Hendrix. Bell called Love "the unsung heroes of the musical Big Bang that took place in 1966".

Answer: Life

If ever an album was appropriately titled it was "Life After Death". Christopher George Latore Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., recorded the album, his second, in late 1996. While in Los Angeles to promote the album and make a video, he was shot dead in a drive-by shooting. The album was released that March, 16 days after his death. It went on to top the Billboard 200.

What might have become of 'Biggie' we will never know. In a "Rolling Stone" article, Pusha T. was in no doubt, though: "Notorious B.I.G. was the Greatest Rapper Who's Ever Lived". "Billboard" magazine concurred, placing him at number one in 2015 list of "The 10 Best Rappers of All Time".

Answer: Blue

Otis Redding released "Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul" in 1965 as his third LP. It topped the Billboard R&B charts and made number six in the UK.

Two years later, Redding died in a plane crash along with other members of his touring band. As "The New Yorker" magazine noted, by that time "...he was regarded by growing numbers of black and white listeners in the United States and Europe as the most charismatic and beloved soul singer of his generation, the male counterpart to Aretha Franklin." Redding's was the pen behind one of Franklin's greatest songs "Respect".

Answer: Picture

In 1971, "Every Picture Tells A Story" was the third solo LP from Rod Stewart. It topped the charts in the UK, Australia, Canada and the USA. Combined with the hit single ""Maggie Mae", it secured Stewart's future.

Stewart had only recently left the Faces, and persuaded his former bandmates to join him in the recording studio. The title track was co-written with Ronnie Wood. Stewart was to go on to sell more than 250million records. In 2020, the "Sunday Times" Rich List placed him at 10th on the list of British musicians, with an estimated worth of £200 million.

Answer: Black

Released in 1990, "Fear Of A Dark Planet" was the third album from Public Enemy. It reached number ten on the Billboard 200.

In a later review, "NME" called the album: "...a masterpiece of righteous anger and furious energy". Public Enemy were not afraid to wear their political hearts on their sleeves and those political views were not to everyone's taste. Though chastened by public response to some anti-Semitic comments, they did not let up with songs on their third LP - the police and capitalism were among targets. In all, Kevin E.G. Perry wrote: "'Fear Of A Black Planet' is hip-hop at its most musically ambitious."

Answer: DAMN

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth hailed from Compton, California, and in 2017 this was his fourth album. It topped the Billboard 200 and the UK R&B charts, as well as making number one on charts in Australia and Canada.

The album won a host of awards, including two Grammys. In a five-star review, the "Guardian" said: "Luscious harmonies and hints of psychedelic soul - plus guest support from Bono and Rihanna - couch brilliant, sharp-edged storytelling from an artist at the top of his game."

Answer: Harder

The soundtrack album from the movie "The Harder They Come" topped out at number 140 on the Billboard 200 in 1973. The movie was a Jamaican production and was a crime drama set in Kingston. It was also well received outwith the Caribbean island.

The established reggae singer Jimmy Cliff had a leading role and sang on the album, including writing a song "The Harder They Come". Cliff had a busy career in music and has been credited for introducing reggae music to a wide audience. Two of his albums "Cliff Hanger" (1985) and "Rebirth" (2012) won Grammys.

Answer: In

In 1993, "In Utero" was the third and last album from Washington State grunge band Nirvana. It was a worldwide hit, topping the charts in the UK and USA. The band's surge to success was halted by the suicide of frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994. 'In Utero' is a medical phrase, taken to refer to an illness or damage occurring before birth. Cobain had initially intended to name the album "I Hate Myself and Want to Die".

Given what we know of the album's gestation, and Cobain himself, the "NME" assessment that this was "...a profoundly confused record" was probably a fair one. John Mulvey added: "Nevertheless it is perversely enough, very good. At times rowdy and unnerving, at others disarmingly gentle, 'In Utero' sounds like a great band staggering around looking for a direction they can psychologically deal with. A mess, but a bloody entertaining one".

Answer: Bridge

By 1970, the cracks had begun to show for the collaboration of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel and BOTW was the last of five albums. Nevertheless, it topped the charts the world over. The album sold 25 million units, helped by some of Paul Simon's best-loved compositions. The title track won Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1971.

Simon wrote the title track while Garfunkel was away in Europe starring in the movie "Catch-22". The solo voice on the track was Garfunkel's. He had been hesitant in singing it, and Simon later told "Rolling Stone" he regretted setting the song up in that way.

Answer: Daydream

In 1988, "Daydream Nation" was the fifth album from New York City alternative rockers Sonic Youth. Despite widespread acclaim by the critics,- some said it was the band's finest moment - it did not trouble the chart compilers at the Billboard 200 and just crept into the British top 100 at number 99.

In 2020, "Far Out" magazine posted "Daydream Nation" top of the list of "All 17 Sonic Youth albums ranked from worst to best".