There Ain't Half Been Some Great Albums: S Quiz

Answer: Blue Öyster Cult

"Secret Treaties" was Blue Öyster Cult's third studio album, and for my money it was not just their best, but the greatest album of all time.

Attracted by the enigmatic titles and odd cover art, I bought "Secret Treaties" second-hand in the early 1980s. I was too young to understand many of the references, but was enchanted by the album's Delphic imagery. Its allure has never worn off and whereas I have run hot and cold on most artists and albums, "Secret Treaties" has accompanied me throughout my life since the day I bought it.

Why was it so good? It was the Goldilocks album: everything was just right. Graceful songs which worked on several layers, mesmerizing lyrics rich in evocative imagery and dark humour, top-notch musical performances all round, and wonderful production. Flawless.

Answer: Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band

"Safe as Milk" was Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band's debut studio album. The group had already released two singles for A&M records before being dropped.

"Safe as Milk" was a commercial flop at the time but did catch the attention of some very influential people, particularly in Europe. Since its release, it has become one of the most revered albums in popular music, although has probably never sold masses of units.

Of course, the 1960s is remembered as an era in which innovation in popular music was spreading like wildfire, but few were as eclectic, eccentric or electrifying as Captain Beefheart and his band of merry men. The blues influences were clear, but I doubt many blues purists had much time for the off-the wall take the madcap Captain had on their quasi-sacred genre. Nevertheless, it was anything but mockery. In fact, it was probably the most fitting tribute one could make, i.e. not just a rehash.

Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band went on to produce all sorts of brilliant music, from all sorts of angles. Some of it didn't work, much of it did. On "Safe as Milk" it all worked.

Answer: John and Beverley Martyn

When John and Beverley Martyn released "Stormbringer!" in 1970, John had already released two studio albums. It was Beverley's debut album although she had recorded several singles as a solo artist as well as with a group called The Levee Breakers. The couple released another album together, "The Road to Ruin", in 1970 after which John went back to being a solo artist. On this album, the duo were backed up by some of the most well-respected and prolific musicians in the business such as bassist Harvey Brooks (Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, The Doors), Levon Helm (The Band), and Billy Mundi (Mothers of Invention).

What made "Stormbringer!" so special was the quality of the songs, six of which were written by John and four by Beverley. I reckon that on the whole it was John's songs which made the album so special, although Beverley's lighter tone worked well in breaking John's intensity which could have otherwise been overwhelming. Indeed, the track list was set up exactly that way. One standout song written by Beverley was the wonderful "Sweet Honesty".

Throughout John Martyn's career, which lasted over forty years, his vocal delivery and timing could imbue anything with meaning, depth and feeling. I don't think he ever surpassed "Stormbringer!" though.

Answer: N.W.A.

"Straight Outta Compton" was N.W.A.'s debut album release. It immediately garnered a huge number of fans, but also drew the attention of the authorities due to its controversial lyrical content. It also divided opinions among music critics and cultural commentators. Some claimed the group glorified gang violence, misogyny, and anti-police attitudes, while others defended the group saying they were showing a reality that many members of US society would rather ignore. I find N.W.A.'s attitude towards ethnicity, which could be considered self-deprecatory albeit not through humility but cocksureness, one of the rappers' most interesting sub-texts and a possible key to unlock whether they were just making a fast buck by exploiting the disadvantaged, or making a pertinent point.

Musically, "Straight Outta Compton" also divided critics. Some love the pared down, cheap sound compared to much hip hop of the era which was getting poppier and more into big production. Personally, I love the sound of the album. There were lots of carefully selected samples which really worked, and MC Ren, Ice Cube and Eazy-E were on a roll from start to finish.

Answer: The Smiths

"Strangeways, Here We Come" was The Smiths' fourth studio album and the last one before the band split up. I'm sure many Smiths' fans would disagree with me, but I think it was their best. The Smiths never made a bad record, but on this album the sound seemed to really open up and they went way beyond the so-called "jingly-jangly" pop they were pigeon-holed as peddling.

"Strangeways, Here We Come" showed off the huge range in The Smiths' repertoire better than any of their other album releases. This was nowhere more evident than half-way through side one when the vast sounding "Death of a Disco Dancer" was followed by the pop sensibility of "Girlfriend in a Coma". They wore their admiration for glam rock on their sleeves on the wonderful "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", perfected the classic Smiths' sound and witty lyrics on "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before", and came up with what must be the apex of Smiths melodrama on "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me". Even the less-celebrated songs on side two stand up to anything else the group ever recorded.

Answer: Horace Silver

When jazz pianist Horace Silver recorded the album "Song for My Father", he had already been recording as both a sideman and a band leader for about fifteen years. It has become one of his best-loved albums and the title track is arguably his signature tune. The main bass notes of said tune were used by Steely Dan on their hugely successful single "Rikki Don't Lose That Number".

The rest of the album carried on in much the same vein, which was laid-back, accessible jazz. Silver got much of the inspiration from his time spent in Brazil. As the title suggested, the album was a tribute to Silver's father, John Tavares Silva, who was from Cape Verde and of Portuguese ancestry. Mr Silva is seen sat down smoking a cigar on the album cover.

Answer: Marillion

"Script for a Jester's Tear" was Marillion's debut studio album. To my mind the line-up with Fish as lead vocalist never surpassed it, and after he left they became something else. It would be unfair to try and compare the two incarnations of the group.

Fish-era Marillion were often unfairly likened to Peter Gabriel-era Genesis. Although the influence was clearly there, it was a very lazy comparison based as much on face paint as vocal delivery or lyrical themes. In fact, Van der Graaf Generator's vocalist Peter Hammill's influence was arguably more prevalent, but I daresay less newsworthy.

The album featured six songs, each of which managed to stand alone and fit into a cohesive whole. No mean feat on a debut album. That cohesion seemed to be a powerful mixture of despondency, nostalgia and dolorous bitterness.

There wasn't really a stand-out track on "Script for a Jester's Tear", although I am especially keen on "Chelsea Monday" and the album's first single, "He Knows You Know". I'm less fond of the album's second single "Garden Party". I don't think it worked and it sounded almost twee. That sort of whimsicality which sometimes unravels English progressive rock is exactly what Marillion avoided so well on this album.

Answer: The Wailers

"Soul Rebels" was The Wailers' second studio album. It was produced by Jamaican music trailblazer Lee "Scratch" Perry whose influence could easily be heard. In later years, the group, and Bob Marley in particular, built on what Perry had taught them but managed to put their own slant on things thus becoming pioneers in their own right.

What was noticeable about "Soul Rebels" and other early Wailers' stuff was that Bob Marley hadn't risen to the fore yet and didn't dominate. In fact, if anybody did dominate, it was producer Perry who stamped his immediately recognizable, visionary, sound on the album. Whatever, it was a hugely enjoyable album which sounded a bit like lots of other Jamaican things but not quite like them, and a bit like American soul music of the era, but not quite like it. It was a country mile from the slick sound Bob Marley and the Wailers ended up with.

Answer: The Cramps

"Songs the Lord Taught Us" was The Cramps' debut studio album. The Cramps had already released a wonderful ep called "Gravest Hits" a year earlier with the same producer, Mr Alex Chilton, who knew exactly what type of sound the group needed. Alex Chilton had been in the Box Tops who had a hit with "The Letter" in 1967, and the criminally underrated but hugely influential Big Star.

"Songs the Lord Taught Us" was a brilliant mixture of carefully-chosen covers, chosen from the impressive record collection of strange music gourmets and Cramps founder members Lux Interior and Poison Ivy, and equally bizarre originals. What was most apparent was that The Cramps were all about the original rock 'n' roll mojo. The group occupied a strange place since they had a lot in common with the burgeoning punk movement, but were very much on their own seedy noir trip through Americana.

Answer: Anthrax

"Spreading the Disease" was Anthrax's second studio album and displayed a slight change from their debut which was more within the realms of traditional heavy metal despite veering heavily towards thrash metal. "Spreading the Disease" was firmly within the flourishing thrash metal scene and was instrumental in establishing the East Coast, and in particular the New York, approach. That meant something closer to the harsh sounds of hardcore, the groovy bass lines loved by the intrepid mosh-pitters, and a New York attitude.

It also meant tight songwriting skills. Anthrax always had an ear for a catchy tune compared to the West Coast groups' (in particular Metallica's) propensity for long songs seemingly influenced by progressive rock more than punk rock. That catchiness runs right through "Spreading the Disease" and we got great singalongs and chants.

I was lucky enough to see Anthrax supporting Metallica on the latter's "Master of Puppets" tour in 1986 and they gave the headliners a run for their money through pure energy and prosaic approach. On later releases, Anthrax seemed to drift away from that, to their detriment in my opinion. However, on "Spreading the Disease" they were just what you wanted from a rock 'n' roll band of any sub-genre.