Jam Out to This Quiz on Famous Rock Albums

In 1967, Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman signed an up-and-coming group known as the Doors. During Holzman’s commute down Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, he noticed billboards that seemed to advertise everything except music. With a $1,200-per-month investment, Holzman promoted the Doors’ debut album on a new billboard, hoping DJs would pass by and be inspired to spin their music.

Prince signed his first record deal while living in Minneapolis at just 18 years old. Prince told his new bosses at Warner Music that he wanted to play every instrument and produce the entire record himself. He went on to successfully perform all 27 instruments on "For You," including drums, guitar, bass, synthesizer, and finger cymbals.

Though Meat Loaf’s vocal performance defines the album, “Bat Out of Hell” wouldn’t have been possible without songwriter Jim Steinman. The album — which features popular songs including “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” — was produced by Todd Rundgren, who also performed guitar. Released in 1977, the album is still estimated to sell around 200,000 copies per year.

After suffering a panic attack while on tour in 1964, Brian Wilson took a hiatus from live performances and stayed home to work on new material. The resulting work was the masterpiece “Pet Sounds.” Wilson was inspired to write the album in part by the Beatles’ “Rubber Soul,” and in turn, Wilson’s songs inspired the Beatles to write “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Jethro Tull lead singer Ian Anderson was known for incorporating the flute — an untraditional instrument for rock music — into many of the band’s songs. Anderson performed his flute on the band’s classic 1971 album “Aqualung” in tracks such as “Locomotive Breath” and “Hymn 43.”

Both the album and song “Born to Run” are considered Bruce Springsteen’s magnum opus, and the title track alone took six months to complete. “Born to Run” was Springsteen’s third studio album, and features the hit songs “Thunder Road,” “Backstreets,” and “Jungleland.” The album features the powerful lead vocals and guitar of the Boss, and the musical talents of the supporting E Street Band.

Vocalist and keyboardist Christine McVie holds a plurality of five solo songwriting credits on the Fleetwood Mac album “Rumours.” Many tracks were inspired by her and John McVie’s divorce, as well as the breakup of singer Stevie Nicks and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. “Rumours” cost nearly $1 million to produce, which equates to nearly $5 million today.

The Bee Gees actually had no involvement in the movie “Saturday Night Fever” until after its filming. The band was approached to work on the soundtrack and composed eight songs — performing six — with none proving to be more famous than “Stayin’ Alive.” The album was the No. 1 bestselling soundtrack of all time for 15 years, until it was surpassed by “The Bodyguard” in 1992.

In 1961, Bob Dylan recorded his self-titled debut LP in all of six hours. Produced for just $402, the album featured a folk music style that made it distinct in an era dominated by upbeat pop. Dylan largely recorded covers for his debut, and the album featured only two originals: "Song to Woody," about his idol, Woody Guthrie, and "Talkin' New York."

In 1967, The Beatles released their groundbreaking album “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The group pushed the record label to make some expensive choices when it came to the album’s release, including a star-studded album cover, a gatefold sleeve with cutouts and badges inside, and most notably, having the song lyrics printed on the back of the sleeve.

In 1971, the Allman Brothers Band released the live double album “At Fillmore East,” one of the greatest live albums in rock history. The band recorded the album over three nights at Fillmore East in New York City, from March 11 to 13, 1971.

Released in 1967, “Are You Experienced” was the debut of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The U.K. version of the album featured indelible tracks such as “Foxy Lady” and “Fire,” while the U.S. version added “Purple Haze” and “Hey Joe.” Hendrix, bassist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell had only performed together for less than a month prior to recording.

First published by the “Fort Wayne Journal Gazette” in 1995, an article called “Dark Side of the Rainbow” pointed out the uncanny coincidences that happen when listening to the Pink Floyd album while watching “The Wizard of Oz.” Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason denied it was intentional, joking that “Dark Side of the Moon” actually synced up with “The Sound of Music.”

“Sunshine of Your Love” includes one of the most iconic guitar riffs in rock history, and appears on the 1967 psychedelic album “Disraeli Gears” by Cream. The band featured Eric Clapton on guitar, Jack Bruce on bass, and Ginger Baker on drums.

The Eagles dethroned Michael Jackson in 2018 when their greatest hits album was certified 38x platinum by the Recording Industry Artists of America. (“Thriller,” meanwhile, earned 33x platinum.) Unable to just take it easy with the No. 1 album of all time, the Eagles also hold the No. 3 spot with “Hotel California” — successes that must give the band a peaceful, easy feeling.

Led Zeppelin redefined hard rock with the release of their eponymous debut album in 1969, sometimes known as Led Zeppelin I. “Stairway to Heaven,” arguably the band’s most famous song, was included on Zeppelin’s fourth studio album in 1971.

Pianist Elton John collaborated with lyricist Bernie Taupin throughout his career. The 1973 album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” produced some of the pair’s most beloved songs, including “Bennie and the Jets” and “Candle in the Wind.”

Queen’s 1975 album “A Night at the Opera” jettisoned the band to stardom, as it debuted their most famous song, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The album’s title was borrowed from a Marx Brothers movie of the same name. It opens with the song “Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to…),” and features other beloved Queen tracks including “You’re My Best Friend.”

December 13, 1975, marked the release of “Horses,” the powerful debut album from Patti Smith. The cover, which features Smith in a white button-down with a jacket draped over her shoulder, was a nonconformist take on how female musicians were traditionally presented at the time.

“Frampton Comes Alive!” is one of the most successful live albums in music history, achieving eight-times-platinum status. The album was released in January 1976, and features songs recorded during multiple live performances in upstate New York several weeks earlier.

“The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars” was a 1972 classic released by David Bowie. In addition to Bowie as lead singer, the album featured Mick Ronson on guitar, Mick Woodmansey on drums, and Trevor Bolder on bass.

In 1967, pop-punk band the Velvet Underground released their debut album, “The Velvet Underground & Nico.” Not only did artist Andy Warhol design the legendary banana cover art, but he also briefly managed the band.

In 1970, George Harrison released the album “All Things Must Pass,” one of the most successful solo albums from a former Beatle. The album featured cameo performances from Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, and Ringo Starr.

The artwork of the Clash’s 1979 album “London Calling” pays homage to the design of another legendary rock album: Elvis Presley’s 1956 self-titled album. The album produced the Clash’s first American hit, a song called “Train in Vain,” which reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 despite not even initially being listed on the album’s exterior sleeve.

The Who redefined rock music with their 1969 double album “Tommy.” The rock opera spoke of a deaf, blind, and mute boy named Tommy who grows up to become a pinball expert. Working titles for the album included “Amazing Journey” and “Omnibus,” but composer Pete Townshend eventually settled on “Tommy,” which was a common nickname for British soldiers in World War I.