First we have to acknowledge the Birthdays!!!
Happy Birthday, Tommy Lee
Happy Birthday, Stevie Ray Vaughan
Happy Birthday, Lindsey Buckingham
And on this Day in Rock History!!!!
1969 - The Beatles release Abbey Road in the US
1973: The Who, forced to comply with union rules by recording a new track to “5:15″ for their appearance on Top Of The Pops, take out their frustrations at the end of the performance. Pete Townshend smashes their gear and gives a producer the two-finger salute, Keith Moon throws wigs from the props department into the audience. The offensive bits are edited out when the show airs the following night.
1975: The Who released their seventh studio album, The Who By Numbers, in the UK. Three weeks later, it was issued in the US by MCA Records.
1978: At an Aerosmith show in Fort Wayne, Indiana, cops arrest fans for smoking marijuana, prompting Steven Tyler to chastise them Jim Morrison-style from the stage. Tyler announces that the band will bail out anyone who is arrested that night, and the next day they do just that. Understandably, memories of the event are hazy, and the number arrested has been reported at anywhere from 28-58.
1980: Bruce Springsteen begins his tour for The River in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he’s joined by Bob Seger in a performance of “Thunder Road.”
1980: The Police’s third album release, Zenyatta Mondatta, continues their theme of giving their records French-sounding titles. This time, the title has no clear translation, although it is suggested that it is a stylized combination of “zenith” and “monde” (Top of the World). It becomes their most successful album so far in America, reaching a peak of #5 and winning the band a pair of Grammy awards.
1981: Two months after MTV’s debut, Blue Öyster Cult’s “Burnin’ For You” reaches its peak of #40 in the US - their first Top 40 since “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” - thanks to a video shot in a Los Angeles culvert. Few American acts are making videos, so established rockers like BÖC and REO Speedwagon can get airtime. This changes a few years later when more photogenic artists make videos on a regular basis.
1981: Rod Stewart brings out special guest Tina Turner to join him on (what else) “Hot Legs” during his appearance on Saturday Night Live.
2000: Benjamin Orr (bassist/singer for The Cars) dies of pancreatic cancer in Atlanta, Georgia, at age 53.
2003: School of Rock opens in theaters, starring Jack Black as a musician who poses as a substitute teacher and forms a band with the students. Classic rock abounds in the film, with teachable moments soundtracked to “Highway to Hell,” “Smoke on the Water” and even “Immigrant Song” - a track secured after Black made a video literally begging Led Zeppelin to let them use it. The movie is also notable for featuring Miranda Cosgrove’s acting debut.
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