Rolling Stone's 500 "Greatest Albums" Part 46 Quiz

Answer: Jay-Z

In 2001, "The Blueprint" was the sixth LP from rapper Jay-Z. It topped the Billboard 200 and was a number three in Canada, but fared less well elsewhere. The US National Recording Registry later added it to a list of albums that were "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important". It was the first album of the 21st Century be added.

The album was released on an inauspicious day for America, and the world: September 11, 2001. It sold more than 427,000 copies in its first week and spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard 200.

Answer: OutKast

"Aquemini" was the third LP from OutKast and was released in 1998. It reached number two on the Billboard 200. The title is an amalgam of the hip-hop duo's starsigns, Aquarius and Gemini.

Answer: Bob Marley and the Wailers

"Legend" was a compilation album of greatest hits from Bob Marley and the Wailers. Released in 1984, it topped the UK charts and eventually made it to number five on the Billboard 200.

The album brought together the best of Bob Marley's writing in one place. It became the best-selling reggae album worldwide, selling over 28 million copies in its first 35 years. In May 2021, 'Forbes' magazine reported the album had spent 13 years on the Billboard chart, at one level or other.

Answer: Ramones

"Ramones" was the self-titled debut album from the New York City punk rockers. While the album was not a commercial success, it did serve notice that something important was coming from the band. In 2016, the British Sunday newspaper 'The Observer' opined that "Ramones" was "Still the Best Punk Record of All Time" [SIC]. Tim Sommer wrote that the album started a revolution. Despite running to just 29 minutes, it was "one of the most original and satisfying works of art of our time," he added.

Answer: Paul Simon

A winner of two Grammys, "Graceland" was a huge seller for Paul Simon after its release in 1986, although it was held off the top of the album charts in the USA.

But while few doubted the quality of the songwriting, Simon was bitterly criticised for going to South Africa and recording there at a time when it was under international boycott because of the apartheid policies of the government.
On other hand hand, Simon worked with local musicians who were unknown in other countries. He later performed in Europe with some of these musicians.

Two tracks from the LP, "Graceland" and "You Can Call Me Al" provide to be reasonable hits, with "Al" hitting the top ten in several countries.

In 2018, the "Guardian" picked this as the best of ten Paul Simon albums, including those with Art Garfunkel.

Answer: Prince

"Sign O' the Times" was a double album released by Prince in 1987. It reached number six on the Billboard 200 and number four in the UK. It were later re-released in Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions with additional tracks.

While the original release was said by some to be groundbreaking, the addition of over 60 unreleased tracks made the later versions a complete insight into the talent that was Prince. The box set was, 'Rolling Stone' said: "a rich image of the pop master at his absolute peak."

Answer: Nas

In 1994, "Illmatic" was the debut album from rapper Nas. It reached number two in the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A re-release in 2014 saw it top that chart.

Nas was just 20 when he released "Illmatic" and he was inspired by the sights he saw in his native New York City. In 2021, the album was selected for preservation by the US Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Answer: A Tribe Called Quest

The Queen's, New York, hip-hop outfit A Tribe Called Quest released "The Low End Theory" as their second long player in 1991. Initially the critics were not won over and the album topped out at number 45 on the Billboard 200. Retrospective reviews have been much more favourable.

With its fusion of jazz and hip hop, 'The Low End Theory' remained "one of hip hop's defining moments and deserves to be in everyone's record collection", Chris Jones wrote for 'BBC Music'.

Answer: Radiohead

"OK Computer" was the first LP from English rockers Radiohead. In 1997 it topped the UK album chart and was a number two in Canada and 21 on the US Billboard 200. The single "Paranoid Android" reached number three on the UK charts.

And yet the album got mixed reviews, with some critics admitting it grew on them only very slowly. As Alexis Petridis noted in the "Guardian", initially its influence was different from the one the band might have hoped for, but, in retrospect, "it doesn't appear to have dated at all."

Answer: The Rolling Stones

Number 41: "Let It Bleed".

Put any number of Rolling Stones fans together and they will argue for hours about the "best" album by the band. "Let It Bleed" will be high up in consideration - the "Guardian" put it at number four of 23 in 2018. Alexis Petridis wrote that it boasted "perhaps the most powerful opening in rock history - the four and half minutes of apocalyptic dread that constitutes Gimme Shelter".

Released in 1969, the album reached numbers one, two, three and four in the UK, Australia, USA and Canada respectively.