1971 - The Rolling Stones released their classic album Sticky Fingers. Pieced together from outtakes and much-labored-over songs, Sticky Fingers manages to have a loose, ramshackle ambience that belies both its origins and the dark undercurrents of the songs. It's a weary, drug-laden album -- well over half the songs explicitly mention drug use, while the others merely allude to it. With its offhand mixture of decadence, roots music, and outright malevolence, Sticky Fingers set the tone for the rest of the decade for the Stones. The cover was designed by Andy Warhol, who was paid $15,000 for his efforts. Although it's widely assumed the cover model is Mick Jagger, the jeans in the photo were actually worn by actor Joe Dallesandro.
1976 - The Ramones released their eponymous debut album. With the three-chord assault of "Blitzkrieg Bop," The Ramones begins at a blinding speed and never once over the course of its 14 songs does it let up. The Ramones is all about speed, hooks, stupidity, and simplicity. The songs are imaginative reductions of early rock & roll, girl group pop, and surf rock. There's no denying that it still sounds brilliantly fresh and intoxicatingly fun.
1983 - "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners went to No. 1 in the U.S. It was the only American hit for the English group. While the song will fit nicely in an '80s music time capsule, it sounded nothing like the other hits of the era. There are no synthesizers on the song, but there is banjo, accordion, fiddle and saxophone. The band's name was inspired by the amphetamine drug Dexedrine, which is commonly known as "Dexys."
1991 - Founder and member of the New York Dolls Johnny Thunders (John Anthony Genzale, Jr), died of a drug overdose. The band's first two albums -- New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974) -- became among the most popular cult records in rock. Thunders later played with The Heartbreakers (not Tom Petty's) and as a solo artist before passing away.
2002 - Wilco released Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on Nonesuch Records. The release was not without controversy - the band made the album in 2001 but Reprise Records, a Warner Music Group label, refused to release it. Then Wilco left the label, got the rights to the album, and released it for free on their website. Wilco signed with Nonesuch Records (another Warner label) in November of that year, and the album was officially released on April 23 of 2002. It is Wilco's best-selling work. (Photo FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
Birthdays:
Roy Orbison was born today in 1936.
Steve Clark of Def Leppard was born today in 1960.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts, Allmusic and Wikipedia.