Rolling Stone's 500 "Greatest Albums" Part 48 Quiz

Answer: Jimi Hendrix

In 1966 Jimi Hendrix was a backing guitarist struggling to make it. Ex-Animals bassist Chas Chandler took an interest and became his manager. This led to the recording of "Are You Experienced" in 1967. This debut album was an instant hit with critics and record buyers alike, making it to number two in the UK and number five in the USA. The US track listing was different.

In a retrospective to mark the 50th anniversary of the album, Ron Hart wrote in 'The Observer': "...his debut album hit like a pipe bomb. The scattershot of its shrapnel has since influenced generations of aspiring guitarists, songwriters and musicians of all stripes to think far beyond the confines of the three-minute pop song while rewiring its very concept all at the same time."

Hendrix is often cited as one of the best guitarists ever, although sometimes his songwriting was underrated. Other guitarists raved about him. Pete Townsend said: "What he played was...incredibly lyrical and expert. He managed to build this bridge between true blues guitar...and modern sounds. He brought the two together brilliantly." Prince noted: "I learned from Jimi Hendrix. They all wanted him to do the tricks, and at the end of his career he just wanted to play...I can see how those pressures can really play with your head." According to Jeff Beck: "For me, the first shockwave was Jimi Hendrix. That was the major thing that shook everybody up over here. Even though we'd all established ourselves as fairly safe in the guitar field, he came along and reset all of the rules in one evening."

Answer: The Beatles

In 1968 the "White Album", also known as "The Beatles", was the ninth LP from the Fab Four. They wrote the songs while on retreat with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India. This double album, the only of its kind from the group, topped the charts across the world.

Despite the sales, it was not universally loved by the critics at the time. In 'The New York Times', Nick Cohn wrote that for the first time The Beatles and The Rolling Stones had new albums out at the same time. He said "Beggars Banquet" was terrific and the Stones had reached real sophistication without losing any of their basic fierceness. By comparison "The White Album" was "nothing". Adding "....it's boring beyond belief".

(It is actually worth doing an internet search for that article to see Cohn's take on the Stones vs Beatles argument.)

Answer: D'Angelo

In 2000, "Voodoo" was the second album from Richmond, Virginia's Michael Eugene Archer. It topped the Billboard 200 and was a number seven in Canada.

Writing for 'BBC Music' in 2010, Daryl Easlea said that while it was only a minor hit in the UK (number 21), it was was one of the most vital listens in soul music in the decade.

The album was a Grammy winner and Daryl Else noted: "With a foot in soul, one in hip hop and simultaneously embracing virtually every genre of black music that had preceded him, D'Angelo created an album of great, if unfocussed, beauty."

Answer: Wu-Tang Clan

"C.R.E.A.M." ("Cash Rules Everything Around Me") was a single from the 1993 debut album "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)". The LP reached number eight on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The single reached number eight on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart.

Answer: Patti Smith

Patti Smith hailed from that hotbed of musical talent, Chicago Illinois, and had an early interest in poetry and performing art. By 1973 her career in rock music had begun and her debut album "Horses" appeared two years later.

Smith was said by some to be an acquired taste and in the studio producer John Cale captured the rawness of her live performances. The album achieved only modest success on the charts, even if it sealed her place in punk history. In 2007, Chris Jones wrote for 'BBC Music': "'Horses' remains a towering masterpiece of bile and beat. At the time it was a shock to the system - it retains its power to this day."

More-commercial albums followed before Smith withdrew from the business to raise a family. She reappeared in the mid-1990s.

Answer: Carole King

Doing the 1960s, Carole King was one of the most respected songwriters around, particularly in collaboration with Gerry Goffin. Together they came up with a host of hits for others. The UK's Official Charts company noted that King was America's most successful female songwriter of the 20th century, having written or co-written 118 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1971 she released "Tapestry". It hit the top of the charts in the US and Canada, and went on to become a best-seller, with more than 15 million sales worldwide.

Answer: The Beatles

In as much as it was inspirational, this was a transitional album. "We were fed up with being Beatles. We were not boys, we were men ... artists rather than performers," Paul McCartney said in later years.

He may well have been frustrated by the 129 days it took to record: "...they were inventing the stuff with which to make this record as they went along," Chris Jones wrote for 'BBC Music' in 2007

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was the eighth album from The Beatles and its content and imagery was said to have spurred on other bands, such as The Beach Boys, to try something similar. It hit the top and spent 128 weeks on the Official UK Album chart and was also a number one in Australia, Canada and the US.

Answer: The Velvet Underground

"The Velvet Underground and Nico" was an album by the New Yorkers who, some say, originated punk rock, joined by the German singer Nico (Christa Päffgen).

Released in 1967 it failed to claim any high position on the charts but its influence was felt far and wide - not least in legal circles, with both the front and rear of the album sleeve being the subject of litigation. Andy Warhol, the band's manager, produced the recording, not entirely to the satisfaction of Lou Reed. The relationships between the New Yorkers and Nico was not always harmonious, either.

This was "...an album that spawned entire genres, influenced countless bands and altered the course of rock 'n' roll history," Owen Bailey wrote for 'guitar.com' in 2020.

Answer: The Notorious B.I.G.

In 1994 "Ready To Die" was the debut album from The Notorious B.I.G. It reached number three on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

The career of "Biggie" (Christopher Wallace) was tragically cut short when he was shot dead at the age of 24 three years after this release. 'Billboard' named him the greatest rapper of all time.

Answer: Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen had something of a minority cult following before the single "Born To Run" was released in late 1974. It became an underground hit and then hit the mainstream. The album came out in 1975 and reached number three on the Billboard 200.

In November 2020, 'NME' ranked 20 Springsteen albums and placed "Born To Run" at number one. Matthew Taub gave his personal opinion this was "...probably the single best rock album of the 1970s, and easily one of the finest ever recorded."

Answer: Radiohead

In 2000, the English rockers Radiohead released "Kid A" as their fourth album. This was initially an internet release and the album showed well on the listings of download sites. A physical release in compact disc format followed.

The album has frequently been included in list of the "top" or "best" albums by a number of promoters. In 2009, 'Rolling Stone' placed it top of its list of "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade". On release, the 'Pitchfork' music review site gave the album a rating of 10.0.

'New Musical Express' (NME) said this was Radiohead's best LP. Meanwhile, acknowledging that the album had received lukewarm reviews at the time, the 'Guardian' put it in a list of "five flawed albums that became classics". ("Horses", by Patti Smith was also on that list, as was "Straight Outta Compton" by NWA.)

Answer: Kendrick Lamar

Released in 2015, "To Pimp A Butterfly" was the third album from Kendrick Lamar. It hit the top spot in Canada, the USA, Australia and the UK.

Reviews were consistently positive for an album that turned a spotlight on issues facing people of colour in the USA - issues that remained unresolved despite having been identified decades before.

Answer: Bob Dylan

Released in 1965, "Highway 61 Revisited" was the sixth LP from Bob Dylan and marked a step away from his previous (mainly) acoustic recordings to rock influences. It reached number three on the Billboard 200 and number four in the UK.

Writing for 'Record Collector' in 2010, Sean Egan said that at the time Dylan had been at a crossroads: he could stay faithful to folk music, or take the route towards rock. He said Dylan "...plunged forward with a rock or bust strategy. His gamble paid off and left him triumphant. Part of the reason for this was, simply, that 'Highway 61 Revisited' - his first full rock outing - was the greatest album ever made."

In May 2021, to mark Dylan's 80th birthday, the 'Irish Times' compiled a list that ranked all his 39 albums. It put "Highway 61 Revisited" a number three. That was a ranking that the "Independent" in the UK agreed with, although the two newspapers differed on their number one.

Answer: Kanye West

"My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" was the fifth album from Kanye West. In 2010 it topped the Billboard 200.

A host of top stars joined West in the studios in Hawaii. Among them were Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas and Elton John. What they came up with was not perfect, some of West's rhymes were described as clunky, but as a whole there were enough highlights to impress the critics.

Answer: The Clash

In 2011, a 'Rolling Stone' readers' poll ranked the ten best punk bands ever and placed The Clash at number two. To highlight the perils of relying on what readers and listeners think, quite improbably the number one on that list was Green Day.

"London Calling" was the third album from The Clash and was released in December 1979 in the UK and the following month in the USA. It reached number nine in the UK and number 27 on the the Billboard 200.

This was "...a low-priced uneven double album that contains some excellent songs, a lot of good-natured fun, and very few dull moments", according to a 'Guardian' review in 1980. 'Rolling Stone' placed it as their best album of the 1980s. 'Meanwhile, ''Billboard' called it "...a stunning show of musical growth fed by respect for the past, and it's played with all the confidence, joy, aggression and passion essential to rock'n'roll".