1965 - Working on the album Rubber Soul at Abbey Road Studios in London, The Beatles recorded the song, "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)." The track included George Harrison's double-tracked sitar part, marking the first appearance of the Indian instrument on a pop record.
Now...about a year earlier, the Yardbirds attempted a version of "Heart Full of Soul" with a sitar player, but couldn't get the timing right. Jeff Beck stood in and used his fuzz box with a tone blender that created a similar and extremely effective sound.
1969 - A DJ on Detroit's WKNR radio station received a phone call telling him that if you play The Beatles "Revolution 9" backwards, a voice says, "Turn me on, dead man." Gibb plays the record in reverse on the air, and the phone lines light up with astonished listeners offering more clues as to why Paul McCartney might be dead. For about a week, Gibb entertains a stream of rumors on the show the story goes national. Other clues include a voice at the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever" that says "I Buried Paul" (actually John Lennon saying "Cranberry Sauce") This started a worldwide rumour that Paul McCartney was dead.
1970 -Jesus Christ Superstar opens on Broadway, telling the story of the last seven days in the life of Jesus.
1974 - Blondie appeared at CBGB’s in New York City, under the name Blondie for the first time. The name is derived from comments made by truck drivers who catcalled "Hey, Blondie" to Debbie Harry as they drove by.
1979 - Fleetwood Mac releases Tusk. Coming after the monumental Rumours, this was a huge disappointment, but the truth of the matter is that Fleetwood Mac couldn't top that success no matter how hard they tried, so it was better for them to indulge themselves and come up with something as unique as Tusk.
It's mellow for long stretches, and then bursts wide open in manic, frantic explosions, such as the mounting tension on "The Ledge" or the rampaging "That's Enough for Me," or the marching band-driven paranoia of the title track, all of which are relieved by smooth, reflective work from all three songwriters. While McVie and Nicks contribute some excellent songs, Buckingham owns this record with his nervous energy and obsessive production, winding up with a fussily detailed yet wildly messy record unlike any other.
At the time of its release, it was a flop, but Tusk is a bracing, weirdly affecting work as a piece of pop art.
1981 - U2 release their second album, October. Not as bracing as their debut, but when the band hits it's stride as on "Gloria," "I Threw a Brick Through a Window," and "I Fall Down," the results are thoroughly impressive.
1987 - INXS release their breakthrough album Kick. Probably the craziest thing about KICK is that it was originally rejected by Atlantic when the band played it for the label executives. No joke: they felt that the LP leaned too heavily into funk and dance. The president of the label told me that he'd give us $1 million to go back to Australia and make another album.” Fortunately, they didn't.
Kick spun off four Top Ten singles, including the band's only American number one, "Need You Tonight." Kick crystallized all of the band's influences -- Stones-y rock & roll, pop, funk, contemporary dance-pop -- into a cool, stylish dance/rock hybrid. And that's why Kick was one of the best mainstream pop albums of the '80s.(Photo by TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP via Getty Images)
Birthdays:
Sam Moore of Sam & Dave is 88. He was one of the great voices of the soul music era, With Dave Prater, Sam & Dave scored a long string of hits, including "Soul Man," "Hold on, I'm Coming," and "I Thank You".
R.I.P.:
1985 - Guitarist Ricky Wilson, founding member of the B-52s, died on this day in 1985 of complications from AIDS. His guitar playing helped propel their blend of surf, music, '60s pop, vintage soul, and low-budget sci-fi.
Ricky usually removed the two middle strings to give his guitar a rougher sound.
1997- John Denver was killed when the handmade, experimental airplane he was flying ran out of gas and crashed off the coast of Monterey Bay, California.
One of the most popular recording artists of the 1970s, country-folk singer/songwriter John Denver's gentle, environmentally conscious music established him among the most beloved entertainers of his era; wholesome and clean-cut, his appeal extended to fans of all ages and backgrounds, and led to parallel careers as both an actor and a humanitarian. He's in the Colorado Music Hall Of Fame.
Dave Matthews covered his "Take Me To Tomorrow" on KBCO Studio C Vol. 32
On This Day In Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Rhino, Allmusic, Song Facts and Wikipedia.
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