InternetFM.com

Hand Curated Radio

You are here: Home / Archives for Phil Collins

Phil Collins

Today in Rock History – June 21

by

1967, Jimi Hendrix and the Jefferson Airplane perform at San Francisco’s Fillmore.

1968, The Who appeared at Durham University, Durham, England.

1969, Young David Bowie signs with Mercury Records. The label has to wait three years for him to produce a successful follow-up to “Space Oddity.”

1969, Jimi Hendrix plays the Newport Jazz Festival for a whopping $125,000. At the time it’s the largest fee ever for a concert appearance.

1973, On American Bandstand’s 20th anniversary show, Dick Clark welcomes Little Richard, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Cheech & Chong, and Three Dog Night.

1974, Bob Dylan and the Band release the live album “Before the Flood.”

1974, Van Morrison, The Allman Brothers, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Tim Buckley, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and The Doobie Brothers all appeared at Knebworth Park, Stevenage, England. A special PA system was used for the event, claiming to be the best ever for an outside show, weighing 12 tons and needing five technicians.

1975, Elton John, The Beach Boys, Joe Walsh, Rufus and The Eagles all appeared in front of 120,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, London. Tickets cost $5.95.

1975, Captain and Tennille started a four week run at number one on the singles chart with the Neil Sedaka song “Love Will Keep Us Together.”

1975, Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore quit Deep Purple to form his own group Rainbow.

1975, The Eagles and The Doobie Brothers both appeared at the Oakland Coliseum, California, Elton John made a surprise appearance with both groups during the concert.

1976, Touring North America for the first time Wings played the last dates of their 31-date tour with three nights at the Los Angeles Forum. Several songs from the June 23rd show appeared on the album Wings over America.

1976, The Grateful Dead played at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1977, Aerosmith played at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on their 81-date Draw The Line Tour.

1980, The Beach Boys, Santana, Mike Oldfield, Elkie Brooks, Lindisfarne and The Blues Band all appeared at Knebworth ’80, in Knebworth Park, England

1986, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, Tina Turner and Elton John all appeared at the fourth annual Prince’s Trust Rock Gala held in London.

1986, Genesis Invisible Touch became the band’s fourth UK number one album.

2001, John Lee Hooker, American blues singer and guitarist died in his sleep aged 83.  His songs have been covered by many artists including Cream, AC/DC, ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison, The Yardbirds, The Doors and The White Stripes. He appeared and sang “Boom,Boom” in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers.

2011, Maroon 5 released “Moves Like Jagger,” featuring Christina Aguilera.  The video featured old footage of Jagger and his iconic dance moves. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards.

Born on June 21: Lalo Schifrin, composer, Mission Impossible theme, Cool Hand Luke, Bullit soundtrack (1932); Miguel Vicens, Los Bravos (1944); Ray Davies (1944); Greg Munford, Strawberry Alarm Clock (1949); Nils Lofgren (1951); and Michael Einziger, Incubus (1976)

Get more Today in Rock History

Today in Rock History – June 3

by

the-who-sweden-19661966, The Who arrive at a TV studio in Stockholm to appear on the Popside program for Sverige Television. Coming onstage busting through a Union Jack paper hoop, they mime performances of “Daddy Rolling Stone,” “It’s Not True,” “Bald Headed Woman,” “The Kids Are Alright,” “Substitute,” and “My Generation” while standing on a ramp. The show is directed by Peter Goldmann, later to direct the promotional films for The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane.” It airs on Swedish television on two days later.

1967, The Doors “Light My Fire” was released in the US, it went on to reach number one on the singles chart two months later.

1967 Pink Floyd, Hydrogen Jukebox, and The Sun Trolley played to the largest crowd that the UFO Club had ever held. The Tottenham Court Road club in London was an early part of the London psychedelic scene. Jimi Hendrix, Eric Burdon, and Pete Townshend were among the rock stars in attendance.

1967, Janis Joplin performed at California Hall in Berkeley, California.

1967, Aretha Franklin went to the top of he US singles charts with her version of the Otis Redding hit “Respect.” It was a top ten hit on the UK charts.

1967, Jefferson Airplane appear on American Bandstand, playing “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love.”

1968, Valerie Solanas shot Andy Warhol and art critic and curator Mario Amaya at Warhol’s studio in New York City. Solanas had been to see Warhol after asking for the return of a script which had apparently, been misplaced. Warhol was seriously wounded in the attack and barely survived.

1968, Pink Floyd performed at the Concertgebouw in Vissingen, The Netherlands, supported by Dragonfly.

1969, Yes appeared at the Bay Hotel, Sunderland, England.

1970, Deep Purple released their fourth studio album Deep Purple In Rock. This was the first album to feature the classic Mk II lineup of – Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.

1970, The Kinks’ Ray Davies was forced to make a 6,000 mile round trip from New York to London to record one word in a song. Davies had to change the word “Coca-Cola” to “Cherry Cola” on the bands forthcoming single “Lola” due to an advertising ban at BBC Radio.

1971, The Band appeared at London’s Royal Albert Hall during a European tour.

1971, King Crimson played at Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, England.

1972, Joe Cocker, The Beach Boys, Melanie, Richie Havens and Sha Na Na all appeared at the Crystal Palace Garden Party, England.

1972, Jethro Tull started a two-week run at number one on the US album chart with Thick As A Brick.

1972, Blue Oyster Cult and Aliotta, Haynes & Jeremiah performed at The Warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1972, The Rolling Stones kicked off their seventh North American tour at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada. The 32 date tour grossed $4 million (£2.5 m,) making it the richest rock tour in history.

1972, Family gospel group of father and three daughters The Staple Singers went to number one on the singles chart with “I’ll Take You There.”

1972, The Eagles release “Take It Easy.”

1972, Pink Floyd released the soundtrack to director Barbet Schroeder’s Obscured by Clouds in the UK. The album which was recorded in Paris, France in less than two weeks, peaked at number six on the UK chart and number 46 on the US chart.

1972, David Bowie performed at City Hall, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England.

1973, Led Zeppelin played a three hour show at The Forum, Inglewood, California. The setlist: Rock and Roll, Celebration Day, (Bring It On Home intro) Black Dog, Over the Hills and Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I’ve Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains the Same, Rain Song, Dazed and Confused (incl. San Francisco), Stairway to Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love (incl. Let That Boy Boogie, I’m Going Down, I’m a Man, The Hunter), The Ocean, Communication Breakdown, Organ solo ~ Thank You.

1975, Aerosmith played at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana.

1976, The Grateful Dead played at the Paramount Theater in Portland, Oregon.

1976, Yes headlined at the Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia.

1977, Rush performed at the Odeon Theatre, Birmingham, England.

1978, Genesis appeared at the Palais Des Sports, Dijon, France.

1979, Journey performed at War Memorial Auditorium. Syracuse, New York.

1980, Roxy Music played at the Palais Des Grottes, Cambrai, France.

1983, US session drummer Jim Gordon murdered his mother by pounding her head with a hammer. A diagnosed schizophrenic, it was not until his trial in 1984 that he was properly diagnosed. Due to the fact that his attorney was unable to use the insanity defense, Gordon was sentenced to sixteen years-to-life in prison in 1984. Gordon won Grammy Award  for co-writing “Layla” with Eric Clapton. Gordon worked with The Beach Boys, John Lennon, George Harrison Frank Zappa and many other artists.

1989, The Fine Young Cannibals started a seven-week run at number one on the US album chart with The Raw & The Cooked.

1990, The Big Day, free festival took place in Glasgow, Scotland with Wet Wet Wet, Deacon Blue, Hothouse Flowers, Sheena Easton, Texas, Hue and Cry, John Martyn, Eddi Reader, The Average White Band and others.

1995, Bryan Adams started a five week run at number one on the US singles chart with”‘Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman,” Taken from the film Don Juan De Marco it became Adams third US solo chart topper, and a number four hit in the UK.

2002, Paul McCartney, Sting, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Cliff Richard, Ozzy Osbourne, The Corrs, Will Young, Atomic Kitten and S Club 7 all appeared at The Queen’s Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace, London.

2011, American singer, songwriter Andrew Gold died in his sleep aged 59 from a heart attack. Had the 1977 US number seven single “Lonely Boy,” and the 1978 UK top five single “Never Let Her Slip Away.”

Born on June 3: Allen Ginsburg (1926); Ian Hunter (1939); Curtis Mayfield (1942); Michael Clarke, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds (1943);  Dave Alexander, bass, Iggy Pop And The Stooge (1947); Mickey Finn, T Rex (1947); Billy Powell, keyboards, Lynyrd Skynyrd (1952); David Cole, C & C Music Factory (1962); Mike Gordon, Phish (1965)

Get more Today in Rock History

Today in Rock History – May 12

by

1965, The Rolling Stones recorded “(I Can’t Get No), Satisfaction” at RCA Hollywood studios. Keith Richards had come up with the guitar riff in the middle of the night a week earlier. It gave the band their first number one single in the US.

1967, Pink Floyd play London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, one of their first concerts to experiment with quadraphonic sound. The band composes a song for the Games for May event, which later becomes “See Emily Play.”

1967, Are You Experienced, the debut album by Jimi Hendrix was released in the UK. Hendrix also played a gig at the Bluesville Club, Manor House in London on this day.

1968, Jimi Hendrix was arrested by police on his way to Toronto for possession of hashish and heroin. Hendrix claimed the drugs had been planted on him.

1968, Brian Jones made his final live appearance with The Rolling Stones when they appeared at the New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert at the Empire Pool, Wembley, England.

1969, Pink Floyd appear at the Paris Cinema, Lower Regent Street in London.

1970, The Grateful Dead release Workingman’s Dead.

1971, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger married Bianca Macias at St. Tropez Town Hall. The guest list included the other members of the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Stephen Stills. The couple separated in 1977.

1972, David Bowie played at Polytechnic of Central London, London

1973, The Mothers of Invention performed at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.

1973, Led Zeppelin started a three week run at number one on the album chart with Houses Of The Holy, the group’s third chart topper.

1974, The Kinks appeared at the University of California in Santa Barbara.

1975, Genesis appeared at Rhein am Main Halle, Wiesbaden, Germany.

1975, Jefferson Starship gave a free concert in New York’s Central Park in front of 60,000 fans. The band and concert sponsor, WNEW-FM, were forced to pay $14,000 for cleaning up and damage done to the park after the event.

1976, The Rolling Stones performed at the Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland.

1977, After being dropped by both EMI and A&M records in less than 6 months, Virgin Records announced they had signed The Sex Pistols.

1979, The Who played at Arenes de Frejus, Cannes, France.

1980, The Who are on the cover of People magazine.

1981, Van Halen kicked off their 82 date North American Fair Warning Tour at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

1983, ZZ Top played at the Mississippi Coliseum, Jackson, Mississippi.

1985, Phil Collins kicked off the North American leg on his ‘No Jacket Required’ World Tour at the Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts.

2001, American singer and TV show host Perry Como died aged 88. He scored fourteen US number one singles, from 150 US chart hits and over 25 UK chart hits, including the single “Magic Moments” and “Catch A Falling Star.” Como was once the highest-paid performer in the history of television.

Born on this day: Burt Bachrach (1928); Ian Drury (1942); Billy Swan (1944); Ian McLagan, keyboards, Small Faces (1946); Steve Winwood (1948); and Billy Squier (1950)

Get more Today in Rock History

Today in Rock History – March 2

by

1967, The ninth annual Grammy Awards are held. Frank Sinatra’s Sinatra, A Man and His Music wins Album of the Year, while “Strangers in the Night” is named Record of the Year. John Lennon and Paul McCartney win the Song of the Year Grammy for “Michelle.”

1967, Engelbert Humperdinck was at number one on the singles chart with “Release Me.” The singer’s first of two number ones, the song spent six weeks at the top of the chart and a record fifty-six weeks on the chart.

1968, Blue Cheer give birth to heavy metal when their interpretation of “Summertime Blues” is released. The single goes to number 14.

1968, “Call Me Lighting” backed with “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” enters the US charts. It reaches number 40 in the Billboard charts and number 38 in Cash Box. That night The Who perform at New Edmonton Gardens in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. After the show they are thrown out of their hotel’s English-style pub for having long hair. In response John writes the song “What Are We Doing Here?”

1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono perform at a jazz festival in Cambridge, England, where they record “Let’s Go On Flying,” “Snow Is Falling All the Time,” “Don’t Worry Kyoko,” “Song for John,” and “Cambridge 1969.” It’s the first time a Beatle has performed solo.

1970, Genesis appears at the Mistrale Club, Beckenham, in the London Borough of Bromley, England.

1972, Yes appeared at the Onondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse, New York.

1973, David Bowie played at the Masonic Temple Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan.

1974, Stevie Wonder won four awards at the Grammys. Innervisions is named Album of the year, while Best R&B song and Best vocal go to “Superstition” and “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” wins for Pop vocal performance. Joel Dorn (producer) and Roberta Flack take home a statue for “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”

1974, Terry Jacks started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with “Seasons In The Sun.”

1975, A policeman who stopped a Lincoln Continental for running a red light in Los Angeles was surprised to find Paul McCartney at the wheel with his wife Linda. The cop detected a smell of marijuana and on searching the car found eight ounces of the drug. Linda was arrested for the offense.

1976, The Who appeared at the Pavillon de Paris, Paris.

1977,  Black Sabbath performed at The Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland.

1977, The Jam played the first of a five-week Wednesday night run at The Red Cow, Hammersmith, London. The group had just signed a four-year recording contract with Polydor records.

1977, AC/DC appeared at The Top Rank in Swansea, England.

1977, David Bowie and Iggy Pop played at Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle, England.

1978, Eric Clapton performed at the Boutwell Auditorium, Birmingham, Alabama.

1979, Rush appeared at the Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas.

1979, Stevie Ray Vaughn played at Soap Creek Saloon, Austin, Texas.

1980, ZZ Top performed Dane County Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin.

1983, A new digital audio system, a five-inch compact disc containing up to 1 hour of music was launched by Sony, Philips and Polygram.

1985, Phil Collins started a five-week run at number one on the UK chart with his third solo LP No Jacket Required.

1985, The Smiths were at number one on the UK indie charts with “How Soon Is Now.”

1991, 21 years after it’s first release, “All Right Now” by Free made it to number two in the UK singles chart after being re-issued to coincide with its use in a Wrigley’s Chewing gum TV ad.

1991, French singer Serge Gainsbourg died of a heart attack. Famous for his 1969 UK chart topping duet with Jane Birkin on “Je t’aime… Moi non plus.” During his career, he wrote the soundtracks for more than 40 films.

1996, Oasis scored their second UK number one single when “Don’t Look Back In Anger” went to number one. From the band’s What’s The Story Morning Glory‘album. It was the first Oasis single to feature Noel on lead vocals instead of his brother, Liam Gallagher.

1999, Dusty Springfield died after a long battle against cancer, aged 59. The British singer had her first UK hit single in 1963 with “I Only Want To Be With You,” which reached number four, the 1966 UK number one and US number four single with “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me,” plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles.

2003, Singer, songwriter Hank Ballard died from throat cancer. He wrote and recorded “The Twist” but it was only released on the B-side of a record. One year later, Chubby Checker debuted his own version of “The Twist” on Dick Clark’s Philadelphia television show. It topped the charts and launched a dance craze that prompted the creation of other Twist songs, including “Twist and Shout” by the Isley Brothers and “Twistin’ the Night Away” by Sam Cooke.

2008, Canadian guitarist, singer, Jeff Healey, died of cancer. Healey lost his sight to retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eyes when he was eight months old, resulting in his eyes being surgically removed. After living cancer-free for 38 years, he developed sarcoma in his legs. Despite surgery for this, the sarcoma spread to his lungs and ultimately was the cause of his death. Healey released over 12 albums, presented a long running radio show and worked with many artists including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, BB King, ZZ Top & Eric Clapton.

2013, A pencil doodle by Paul McCartney when he was a teenager sold for over $5,000. The sketches were drawn by McCartney during the late 1950’s while a student at the Liverpool Institute High School For Boys. The drawings showed multiple faces with different expressions on a single sheet of paper in pencil. The auction house said the drawing sold for £3,764 ($5,692)

Born on March 2: Kurt Weill (1900); Lawrence Payton, American singer-songwriter, producer, Four Tops (1938); Lou Reed (1942); Rory Gallagher (1949); Karen Carpenter (1950); Dale Bozzio, American singer, Missing Persons (1955); John Cowsill (1956); Mark Evans, bass, AC/DC (1956); John Bon Jovi (1962); Chris Martin, singer-songwriter, Coldplay (1977);

Get more Today in Rock History

Today in Rock History – December 23

by

brian-wilson-19641964, During a US tour Beach Boy Brian Wilson had a nervous breakdown during a flight from Los Angeles to Houston. Wilson left the band to concentrate on writing and producing. Glen Campbell replaced Wilson for the bands live shows.

1964, Radio London, one of England’s first offshore “pirate” radio stations, begins broadcasting. Ella Fitzgerald’s recording of “Can’t Buy Me Love” hits the English charts at number 34. It’s the first time a Beatles cover has become a hit there.

1964,  Number one Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “I Feel Fine,” The Beatles. This song is the 30th by the group to hit Chart Toppers’s Hot 100 in 1964, the most songs in one year by any group.

1966, The UFO Club opens in London’s Tottenham Court Road. With Pink Floyd as the club’s house band, the venue becomes a hive of psychedelic activity.

1966, ITV (Redifusion) broadcasts Ready, Steady Go! for the last time, after the Musicians Union enforced a ban on miming. The special guests for the farewell show were Mick Jagger, The Who, Eric Burdon, The Spencer Davis Group, Donovan and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.

1967, Buffalo Springfield performs at the Fillmore West in San Francisco.

1967, John Lennon writes a get-well-soon letter to his estranged father Alfred, who has taken ill. Lennon also sends Alfred a car so that he can visit his son at Weybridge, England. However, his magnum opus “I Am the Walrus” only struggles to No. 56 in the American singles charts today.

1967, Cream played at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit, Michigan.

1969, Hawkwind appears at Town Hall in the St.Pancras neighborhood in London.

1970, The Grateful Dead perform an acoustic set at Winterland Auditorium to raise money for their pal Owsley “The Bear” Stanley’s legal issues.  Also on the bill, Hot Tuna and the New Riders of the Purple Sage. The show was promoted as a benefit for “the Montessori School & The Bear.”

1971,  Hawkwind performed at Seymour Hall, London.

1972, The Who’s newest single, “Relay” backed with “Waspman,” is released in Britain. It is The Who’s last stand-alone single not pulled from an album. Tony Stewart reviews “Relay” for New Musical Express, “Why don’t this band ever fail? Simply because they’re the guv’nors in rock ‘n roll. And this composition by Pete Townshend must be their best single to date. It’s a calculated time-structure piece and not an all-out rocker, thus giving Big John and Keith room to prove their feel and expertise, as well as allowing Roger to use the full force and range of his voice. There’s an unforgettable chorus line, and some neat guitar lines hitting out. I do believe they’ve done it again.” It peaks at #21 in the U.K. charts.

1972, David Bowie appeared at the Rainbow Theatre in London.

1972, Former Grand Funk Railroad manager Terry Knight arrived during a concert by the band with a court order to seize $1m in money or assets. Police inform the ex manager that he couldn’t take anything until after the show.

1973, The Who played at the Sundown in Edmonton, North London.

1974, George Harrison releases one of his rare Christmas records, “Ding Dong, Ding Dong.” It fails to crack the top 30.

1975, The Who played at the Hammersmith Odeon, London.

1976, AC/DC appeared at Miami High School Great Hall, Gold Coast, Australia.

cat-stevens1977, English singer-songwriter, Cat Stevens formally changed his name to Yusef Islam.

1979, ZZ Top played at El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas.

1984, Aerosmith appeared at the Orange County Civic Center, Orlando, Florida.

1985, Pete Townshend performed at the Dominion Theatre, London.

1989, Phil Collins started a four week run at number one on the US singles chart with ‘Another Day In Paradise’, his 7th US solo chart topper. It was taken from his number one album …But Seriously. “Another Day in Paradise” was written to bring attention to the problem of homelessness.

1999, George Harrison’s home in Maui in the Hawaiian Islands was broken into by Cristin Keleher, who cooked a frozen pizza, drank beer from the fridge, started some laundry and phoned her mother in New Jersey. Keleher was arrested and charged with burglary and theft.

2002, Sir Paul McCartney was granted his own coat of arms by the College of Arms, the English heraldic body formed in 1484. The crest featured a bird that appeared to be holding a guitar in its claw. The motto is “Ecce Cor Meum”, Latin for ‘Behold My Heart’, which is the title of an oratorio he composed.

2005, Geezer Butler, the bass player with Black Sabbath offered £5,000 for any information leading to the safe return of Toga, the three-month-old penguin that had been stolen from a zoo on the Isle of Wight a few days earlier.

2007, The Police were named as the highest earning touring group for the year, bringing in nearly £66.5m, ($132m). The band’s 54-date North American tour had generated almost double the total of the second-placed act, country star Kenny Chesney.

Born on December 23:  Jorma Kaukonen, Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna (1940); Ron Bushy, Iron Butterfly (1941); Tim Hardin (1941); Ariel Bender, Mott the Hoople;  Adrian Belew, King Crimson (1949); Luther Grosvenor, Spooky Tooth  (1949); Dave Murray, guitar, Iron Maiden (1958); and Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam (1964)

Link to Today in Rock History archive

Today in Rock History – November 30

by

beatles-with-the-beatles1963, The Beatles second album With The Beatles became the first million selling album by a group in the UK.

1968, Glen Campbell started a five-week run at number one on the album chart with “Wichita Lineman.” The song was written by Jimmy Webb, who’s inspiration for the lyrics came while driving through Washita County in northern Oklahoma.

1969, Pink Floyd performed at the Lyceum Ballroom along the Strand in London. Supported by Audience and Cub’s Blues Band.

1969, The Monkees made what would be their last live appearance for fifteen years when they played at The Oakland Coliseum, California.

1969, David Bowie, The Graham Bond Organisation and Dusty Springfield all performed at a fund raising show in London for youth magazine Rave.

1969, Simon & Garfunkel appear in their first TV special. They screen footage of Bobby Kennedy’s funeral and the Vietnam War, which causes original sponsor AT&T to dissociate itself from the program.

1969, The Rolling Stones played the final night on a 17-date North American tour at the International Raceway Festival, West Palm Beach, Florida. Also appearing, The Moody Blues, Ten Years After, King Crimson, Janis Joplin, The Band, Steppenwolf and Iron Butterfly.

1971, Sly And The Family Stone were at number one on the singles chart with “Family Affair.”

wings-hi-hi-hi1973, Wings release their single “Hi, Hi, Hi.” However, the BBC bans the record because it declares the lyrics “unsuitable” for broadcast.

1974, Elton John started a ten-week run at number one on the US album chart with his Greatest Hits.

1979, The Grateful Dead appeared at Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1982, Michael Jackson’s Thriller album was released. It spent 190 weeks on the UK album chart, becoming the biggest selling pop album of all time, with sales over 50 million copies. Seven singles were released from the album, including “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” which featured guitarists Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather of Toto.

1985, Phil Collins had his fifth number one with “Separate Lives.” The song was taken from the film White Nights.

1989, Manchester bands The Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses both made their debut appearance on UK TV music show Top Of The Pops. The Mondays performed “Hellelujah,” and the Stone Roses played “Fools Gold.”

1997, Metallica were at number one on the US album chart with Reload, the band’s third US chart topping album.

1999, Don “Sugarcane” Harris was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment at the age of 61. The American guitarist and violinist was part of the ’50s duo Don & Dewey. He also worked with Little Richard, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, John Lee Hooker and Johnny Otis.

2003, A block of East 2nd Street in New York City was officially renamed Joey Ramone Place. It is the block where Joey once lived with band mate Dee Dee Ramone, and is near the music club CBGB, where the Ramones played their first gigs. In 2010, it was reported that “Joey Ramone Place,” was New York City’s most stolen sign. The sign had to be moved to 20 feet above ground level.

2006, The sale of Syd Barrett’s final belongings were sold by Cheffins auctioneers in Cambridge, England. The sale of the 77 items raised £119,890 ($233,786). Ten paintings alone raised over £55,000 ($88,000) and two bicycles over £10,000 ($16,000.) The sale included such things as the armchair he used to sit in, his home-made bread bin, tools, notebooks and binders, and books. The sale catalog described Barrett, who was fired from Pink Floyd in 1968, as a man with a “total disinterest in materialism.”

Born on November 30: Allan Sherman, parody singer (1924); Johnny Horton, singer, and  Dick Clark (1929); Paul Stookey, vocals, Peter Paul and Mary (1937); Rob Grill, Grass Roots (1944); Roger Glover, bass, Deep Purple (1945); George McArdale, Little River Band (1954); Billy Idol (1955); and John Ashton, guitar, Psychedelic Furs (1957)

Link to Today in Rock History archive

Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Watcher Of The Skies” by Genesis

by

The story of Genesis was a tale of two bands. One was led by Peter Gabriel, and created some of the finest and most challenging progressive rock of the early seventies. Once Gabriel left after their 1974 magnum opus The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, drummer Phil Collins stepped up to front the band leading them in a more pop-oriented direction leaving chart-topping hits and multi-platinum albums in his wake. Fans of the Gabriel version of Genesis were not necessarily fans of the Collins-led band, yet if you listen to the first few Collins-led Genesis albums, A Trick Of The Tail and Wind And Wuthering, you realize the change in ownership was seamless resulting in very little difference in sound. It was only when the band became a trio following the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett, and Collins and company began going for the hits that this division in sound and direction arose. Frankly, some of my favorite Genesis albums are Collins-led including the aforementioned “Trick” from 1976 and abacab from 1982…and both Gabriel and Collins went on to release great solo records in their own right. This track is culled from the Gabriel-led Foxtrot album from 1972 and really highlights all that was great about early Genesis. The track rocks like nothing that came before it in their canon, yet the airy-fairy minstrel-in-the-garden lyrics that make prog-rock records so quaint and near-and-dear to fan’s hearts are still in place. Gabriel’s voice positively soars here, and if that isn’t enough, this record also includes the epic side-long “Supper’s Ready” a staple of early Genesis concerts.