1964, The High Numbers, (The Who) played at The Scene in Soho London, England. 1964, The Beatles kicked off a North American tour at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, to a crowd of 17,130. Playing 12 songs which made up their repertoire for the entire tour: Twist and Shout, You Can’t Do That, […]
Song Of The Day – “The Magdalene Laundries” by Joni Mitchell
“Turbulent Indigo” was Joni Mitchell’s last great album. That’s not to say that all that followed wasn’t any good, it’s just that “Indigo” was her last consistently good album from beginning to end. Coming in on the heels of a trio of experimental records on the Geffen label – “Dog Eat Dog,” “Chalk Marks In […]
Today in Rock History – July 16
1965, The Who play the Cheltenham Festival in Gloucestersire, England, along with The Yardbirds, Shades of Blue and The Hellions. It is one of the oldest music festivals in Britain, held annually in Cheltenham in June/July since 1945. 1966, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton formed the group Cream. The band is widely regarded […]
Song Of The Day – “Free Man In Paris” by Joni Mitchell
I watched the PBS “American Masters” documentary on David Geffen today for the second time. Geffen was the guy who signed one of my all-time favorite singer-songwriters, Laura Nyro, whom he championed and cut deals making sure that the likes of Three Dog Night, The Fifth Dimension and Blood Sweat and Tears recorded hit versions of her […]
Today in Rock History – July 7
1963, The Rolling Stones made their UK TV debut when they appeared on Thank Your Lucky Stars. Also seen on the show were Mickie Most, The Cadets, Helen Shapiro and Gordon Mills. The Stones made a total of 13 appearances on the show between 1963 and 1966 1965, The Who played at a gala opening […]
Today in Rock History – June 26
1965, The Byrds went to number one on the US singles chart with their version of Bob Dylan’s “Mr Tambourine Man.” Only Roger McGuinn from the band played on the song, Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine played on the track. 1965, The Strangeloves, three Australian aborigines who were really three New Yorkers, enter Billboard’s Hot […]
Today in Rock History – June 1
Rock History for June 1 1966, The Beatles returned Abbey Road studios to complete recording on “Yellow Submarine. ” The band, plus friends and members of the staff helped search for a “weird instrument” to create the desired sound effects. John Lennon ended up blowing bubbles in a bucket of water. Paul and John imitated […]
Today in Rock History – May 17
1967, Pete Townshend records an interview for the BBC overseas radio program Dateline London then The Who pre-tape a Top Of The Pops insert miming to “Pictures Of Lily.” From there they travel to Stevenage to play the Locarno Ballroom. Backstage, John lashed out at a “well-known pop singer” by punching his picture on the […]
Today in Rock History – April 6
1968, Pink Floyd announced founder Syd Barrett had officially left the group. Barrett was suffering from psychiatric disorders compounded by drug use. 1968, Simon and Garfunkel went to number one on the US album chart with the soundtrack of Mike Nichols’ movie The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. The film boosted the profile […]
Today in Rock History – September 22
1965, San Francisco band The Great Society, featuring Grace Slick, make their live debut at The Coffee Gallery, North Beach, California. The lineup featured Grace, her then-husband Jerry Slick on drums, his brother Darby Slick on guitar, David Miner on vocals and guitar, Bard DuPont on bass, and Peter van Gelder on flute, bass, and […]
