Posts filed under ‘On this Day’
On this day…
On this day in 1963 the Beatles recorded their first album at Abbey Road Studios. They were all suffering from colds and John was losing his voice by the time they tracked “Twist and Shout.” George Martin was intent on capturing the band with a live vibe… the resulting tracks would be released in the U.S. as Introducing … The Beatles. Happy Friday!
National Punk Day
You may or may not know that today is National Punk Day. This is an un-official annual holiday that encourages everyone to dress like a punk rocker (i.e. Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash). National Punk Day is always celebrated on January 31st (Johnny Rotten’s Birthday).
On this day…
On this day in 1959 Coral Records released “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” by Buddy Holly. It would be the last single Holly released before the plane crash that took his life on February 3, 1959. The song reached #1 in the UK on April 24, 1959 and remained in the top slot for three weeks becoming the first posthumous #1 hit UK chart history.
On This Day…
On this day in 1968 The Kinks released their sixth studio album The Village Green Preservation Society. The album was assembled from songs written and recorded over the previous two years, and it was the last album by the original quartet. Bassist Pete Quaife quit the group in early 1969. Although it failed to chart after its release, the record is widely considered to be the most influential and important album by The Kinks.
On This Day…
On this day in 1984 Madonna released her second studio album Like a Virgin on Sire Records. According to author J. Randy Taraborrelli, “Every important artist has at least one album in his or her career whose critical and commercial success becomes the artist’s magic moment; for Madonna, Like a Virgin was just such a defining moment”. Since its release the album has sold more than 21 million copies worldwide and has become one of the best-selling records of all time.
On this day…
On this day in 1986, R.E. M. performed at the University Of Virginia with the band Let’s Active. During the song “Seven Chinese Brothers,” a guy in the audience jumped up on stage and tried to grab Peter Buck’s guitar. He was unsuccessful, but he managed to escape back into the crowd. Peter tore off his guitar and jumped in after him. Mike and Michael then yelled at the guy from the stage as Peter tried to find him. Mike Mills: “If anybody sees that guy, grab him and bring him backstage after the show.” Michael Stipe: “So the Republicans won in this state, huh?” After a few minutes, Peter made his way back on stage without the assailant and the crowd cheered. After he re-tuned his guitar, and the band started into the song “Femme Fatale.”
On This Day…
Back in the days of my first band Crayon, we played a few shows with an all-girl punk rock band from Portland called Calamity Jane. In October 1992, Calamity Jane was asked if they would like to join Nirvana for a concert at the Velez Sarsfield Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The gig paid $5000. The show was on October 30, 1992, and while on stage the Calamity girls were heckled during their entire set. Nirvana (especially Kurt) was so pissed off at the crowd for being so rude to the openers that he refused to play their monster hit, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Instead, the rowdy Argentineans were treated to a 15-minute song consisting entirely of feedback. Kurt would later write sarcastically about the show in the liner notes of 1992′s Incesticide, “It was as rewarding as paying Calamity Jane five-thousand dollars to be heckled by twenty thousand macho boys in Argentina…”
On this Day…
On this day in 1982 Prince released his fifth album 1999. Originally released on vinyl as a double LP, 1999 was cut to a single vinyl edition in some countries. For example, Brazil issued the album as two separate vinyl records, 1999 and 1999 II. This would be Prince’s breakthrough album but his sixth album, Purple Rain would become his most successful.
On this day…
On this day in 1983 Minor Threat played their very last show at Lansburgh Center in Washington, D.C. They opened for the D.C. band Trouble Funk.
