1968 - At the University of Southampton, Pink Floyd play their first gig without founding member Syd Barrett, who never returns to the band. On the band's way to the show, the four members (David Gilmour had joined the band a few weeks earlier) simply decided not to pick up Barrett on their way.
The original intention was that Barrett would continue as the band songwriter without taking part on their live shows, just like Brian Wilson and "The Beach Boys". But, even this idea was soon abandoned due to Syd's mental state.
1970 - John Lennon writes and records "Instant Karma" all in one day, calling in Phil Spector to produce the song. He probably would have released it as well had the technology existed then too.
Lennon told Rolling Stone in January 1971 about the recording of this song and its quick turnaround: "I wrote it in the morning on the piano. I went to the office and sang it many times. So I said 'Hell, let's do it,' and we booked the studio, and Phil came in, and said, 'How do you want it?' I said, 'You know, 1950's.' He said, 'right,' and boom, I did it in about three goes or something like that.
George Harrison played guitar on this and Billy Preston played piano on this track. Alan White from Yes, played drums.
1970 - The Simon & Garfunkel album Bridge Over Troubled Water is released, with the title track simultaneously issued as a single. Both would go to #1.
The duo thought the upbeat singalong "Cecilia" would be the first single, but their label insisted it be the title track, a nearly 5-minute plaintive ballad with gospel textures. It was the right call. The other hits on the album were strong as well, Cecilia, The Boxer, and El Condor Pasa (If I Could). One of the most delicately textured albums to close out the 1960s. The irony was that for all of the record's and the music's appeal, the duo's partnership ended in the course of creating and completing the album.
1973 -Elton John issues his sixth studio album, Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player. It's his his most direct, pop-oriented album to date, designed as a pastiche of classic and contemporary pop styles. The hits are good, "Daniel" is a moving ballad and "Crocodile Rock" is a sly take on '50s rock & roll. Other highlights include the album tracks, particularly the knowing "I'm Going to Be a Teenage Idol" and the rocking "Elderberry Wine". A very enjoyable piece of well-crafted pop/rock.
Birthdays:
Eddie Van Halen was born on this day in 1955. He belongs in a rarefied group of musicians who changed the very notion of the possibilities of their chosen instrument. A guitarist of superlative imagination and skill, innovating and introducing a number of techniques that would soon become part of the arsenal of many guitarists, including finger-tapping, hammer-ons, and dive bombs on a whammy bar. All of these could be heard on the self-titled 1978 debut by his namesake band, Van Halen, but the key to his group's success is that they walked the fine line separating heavy metal and pop. Eddie and his drummer brother Alex pushed the band toward hard rock while their lead singer David Lee Roth steered them toward the Top 40, a blend that found a huge audience in the early 1980s.
Lucinda Williams is 71. The daughter of a well-respected poet, Williams brought a literacy and sense of detail to her music that was unpretentious but powerfully evocative and emotional, and a number of major artists covered her tunes while she was still establishing herself as a musician. As a vocalist, Williams used the rough edges of her instrument to her advantage, allowing the grit to heighten the authenticity of her performance. (Photo by Robert Mora/Getty Images)
One This Day in Music History was sourced, copied, pasted, edited, and occasionally woven together with my own crude prose from This Day in Music, Song Facts, Ultimate Classic Rock, and Wikipedia.
KBCO