Rod Stewart’s 1974 album,“Smiler,” was unfairly panned and ridiculed by rock fans and critics alike upon its release. While it’s true that “Smiler” was Stewart’s last album for Mercury Records before jumping ship to Warner Bros., I just don’t buy the criticism that he had run out of gas and was basically treading water by […]
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 – April 1
1966, The Troggs recorded “Wild Thing” at Regent Sound Studio in London. The song went on to be a chart topping US and number two UK hit in June the following year. 1966, The Who and The Yardbirds appear together in a live French edition of Ready, Steady GO! called, appropriately, Ready, Steady, Allez! According […]
Today in Rock History – March 13
1965, Eric Clapton quit The Yardbirds due to musical differences with the other band members. Clapton wanted to continue in a blues type vein, while the rest of the band preferred the more commercial style of their first hit, ‘For Your Love’. 1965, The Beatles started a two week run at No.1 on the singles […]
Today in Rock History – March 8
1964, On The Ed Sullivan Show, the Dave Clark Five perform “Glad All Over.” Comparing them to the Rolling Stones, Sullivan declares the Five “nice, neat boys.” They would perform more times on his show than any other rock act. 1965, Bob Dylan’s single “Subterranean Homesick Blues” was released in the US. The lead track […]
Today in Rock History – March 5
1965, The Rolling Stones kicked off their fifth UK tour at The Regal Theatre, Edmonton, London. A 14-date package tour with The Hollies, The Konrads and Dave Berry and the Cruisers. 1966, Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass went to number one on the album chart with Going Places. 1966, Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler started a […]
Today in Rock History – March 3
1966, Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay formed Buffalo Springfield in Los Angeles. 1966, The Who played at the Victoria Ballroom in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. 1967, The Doors appear at the Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco. 1967, A twice-nightly tour kicked off in the UK at The ABC in Romford Essex featuring, The Small Faces, […]
Today in Rock History – December 2
1967, The Monkees album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd went to number one on the album chart. It was their fourth album to sell over a million copies, following The Monkees, More Of The Monkees and Headquarters. 1967, Pink Floyd play at The Dome in Brighton, England 1969, George Harrison joins Delaney & Bonnie […]
Today in Rock History – November 27
1964, The Beatles release their single “I Feel Fine” in the U.K. and perform on the British TV show Ready Steady Go! Beatles manager Brian Epstein denies US reports that he will sell his contract with the band “at any price.” 1965, The Who’s “My Generation” reaches its UK peak at number two, being beaten […]
Today in Rock History – November 13
1964, Decca Records released The Rolling Stones’ “Little Red Rooster.” Written by Willie Dixon, as “The Red Rooster,” and previously recorded by Howlin’ Wolf and Sam Cooke, the single was recorded at Chess Studios in Chicago. It was a number one hit in the UK and remains the only time a blues song has ever […]
