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Today in Rock History – June 6

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1965, Herman’s Hermits play The Ed Sullivan Show.

1965, The Rolling Stones released the single “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” on the Decca label in the US. The song also featured on the American version of the Rolling Stones’ fourth studio album, Out of Our Heads, released that July.

1965, The Who played at St. Joseph’s Hall in London.

1966, Roy Orbison’s first wife, Claudette, was killed when a truck pulled out of a side road and collided with the motorbike that she and her husband were riding on in Gallatin, Texas, she was 25.

1966, The Who head from Sweden to Denmark, flying into Copenhagen. That night Keith Moon and John Entwistle go drinking at the Carousel Club and sit in for a set with The Tremeloes.

1968, Screaming Lord Sutch appeared at the Freehold Hullabaloo in Freehold, New Jersey. Sutch was touring the East Coast in a old custom-painted Rolls Royce hearse. The support band was The Castiles, with Bruce Springsteen on vocals).

1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Soul Survivors appeared at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.

1969, Rod Stewart signs as a solo artist to Mercury Records.

1970, Christie were at number one on the singles chart with “Yellow River,” the group’s only chart topper. Written by Jeff Christie for the Tremeloes who turned it down, so he recorded it himself.

1970, Felix Cavaliere & The Rascals played at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

1970, Syd Barrett played his first gig since leaving Pink Floyd at the Extraveganza ’70, at London’s Olympia. He was joined on stage by Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.

1970, This is the third of a four night residency for the Grateful Dead at San Francisco’s Fillmore West.

1970, The Doors appeared at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia.

1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono jammed live on stage with Frank Zappa at The Filmore East in New York. Some of these recordings were released in 1972, on John Lennon’s third post-Beatles album, Some Time in New York City.

1971, This date was the last broadcast of The Ed Sullivan Show. Ed’s final musical guests are Gladys Knight & the Pips.

1972, David Bowie releases his album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

1973, King Crimson played at Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, Tennessee.

1974, Billy Swan records his chart topping song “I Can Help.”

1975, Pink Floyd fly to America for a tour. It would end in disaster when an addled Roger Waters spits on the audience. The event would serve as the inspiration for writing The Wall in an attempt to exorcise his demons.

1975, The Rolling Stones appeared at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri.

1976, Genesis performed at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

1977, Queen appeared at Earls Court in London, England.

1977, Students at UCLA are shocked when Stevie Wonder appears as a guest lecturer, talking about his experiences with Motown and then performing music by way of illustration.

1978, Bob Dylan performed at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.

1979, Def Leppard played at Crookes Workingman’s Club in Sheffield. The gig was reviewed in UK music paper Sounds and led to a recording contract with Phonogram Records.

1981, Van Halen appeared at the Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington.

1982, Tom Petty, Crosby Stills & Nash, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and Jackson Browne all appeared at The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California to a crowd of 85,000 fans at the six hour Peace Sunday, We Have A Dream antinuclear concert. Dylan was joined onstage with Joan Baez and duetted with her on “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “With God On Our Side.” The show was partly broadcast on ABC TV’s Entertainment Tonight program on the same day.

1984, Blue Oyster Cult performed at the Agora Ballroom,  a “cavernous” former bowling alley in an industrial area in Hartford, Connecticut.

1986, A&R man Dick Rowe died of diabetes. Rowe became famous for not signing The Beatles to Decca records and made the classic quote “Nobody cares about guitar group’s anymore.” He did however sign The Rolling Stones to Decca.

2003, Keyboard player with The Animals Dave Rowberry died aged 62. He replaced Alan Price who left in 1965. The Animals had the 1964 UK and US number one single “House Of The Rising Sun.”

2006, Billy Preston died of kidney failure. The Grammy-winning keyboard player collaborated with some of the greatest names in the music industry, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Nat King Cole, Little Richard, Ray Charles, George Harrison, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan.

Born on June 6: Levi Stubbs, The Four Tops (1936); Gary “US” Bonds (1939); Clarence White, The Byrds (1944); and Steve Vai, guitarist, Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake (1960)

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Today in Rock History – April 11

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1964, The Beatles set a new chart record when they had 14 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. The songs ranged from “Can’t Buy Me Love” at number one to “Love Me Do” at number 81.

1965, Performing at the New Musical Express poll winners concert, at London’s Wembley Empire Pool, England, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, Freddie and the Dreamers, The Animals, The Kinks, Herman’s Hermits, Moody Blues, Them, Cilla Black, The Seekers and Donovan.

1966, Buffalo Springfield made their live debut at The Troubadour in Hollywood, California. The folk rock band are renowned both for their music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Buffalo Springfield were among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion.

1967, During a 18-date European tour The Rolling Stones played two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France

1968, Janis Joplin and Big Brother & the Holding Company perform on ABC’s Hollywood Palace.

1970, Peter Green quit Fleetwood Mac while on tour in Germany, to avoid breach of contract he agreed to finish the current tour.

1970, The Beatles started a two week run at No.1 on the singles chart with ‘Let It Be’. It became the group’s 19th No.1 in 6 years.

1973, The Beach Boys appeared at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, Georgia. The Beach Boys were at a very low ebb in popularity in America and this show proved a financial disaster for the promoter, with less than 3,000 tickets sold for the 16,000 capacity venue. Opening act was Mothers Finest and middle of the bill was Bruce Springsteen who played a 60-minute set.

1974, David Bowie Arrives in New York on the SS France. Checks into the Sherry Netherlands Hotel on 5th Avenue. During his stay in New York Bowie spent time putting together a new tour band and seeing live music, particularly black artists such as The Temptations, The Spinners and Marvin Gaye at venues in Harlem such as the Apollo Theatre.

1976, During a tour of Australia, Queen appeared at the Entertainments Centre in Perth.

1977, Alice Cooper played to an audience of 40,000 in Sydney, Australia, the largest crowd to attend a rock concert in the country’s history. After the show Cooper was placed under house arrest at his hotel until he posted a bond for $59,632. That amount was the sum that a promoter claimed to have paid Cooper for a 1975 Australia tour he never made. The two settled when it was found that the promoter did not fulfill his part of the agreement either.

1981, Eddie Van Halen married actress Valerie Bertinelli, co-star of the 1980’s television hit, One Day at a Time. The two had met eight months earlier when Bertinelli’s brother took her to a Van Halen concert in Shreveport, Louisiana.

1992, Def Leppard scored their second UK chart topping album with Adrenalize, the follow-up to the multi million selling Hysteria album.

1994, Oasis released their first single “Supersonic,” which peaked at  number 31 on the UK charts. However, over time it has amassed sales of over 215,000, making it their 13th biggest selling single ever in the UK. “Supersonic” was also the band’s first single to chart in the United States, where it peaked at number eleven on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

2006, June Pointer, the youngest of the four Pointer Sisters who went from teenage Gospel singers to the top of the Pop charts with such hits as “Fire,” “Slow Hand,” and “I’m So Excited,” died of cancer at the age of 52.

2014, Nirvana were enshrined to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, alongside the likes of KISS and Beatles manager Brian Epstein. REM’s Michael Stipe inducted the group, saying, “Nirvana tapped into a voice that was yearning to be heard. Nirvana were kicking against the mainstream. They spoke truth and a lot of people listened.”

Born on April 11: Neville Staples, The Specials (1956); Stuart Adamson, Big Country (1958); Nigel Pulsford, Bush (1965); Joss Stone, singer (1987)

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Today in Rock History – March 3

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Buffalo Springfield

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, Jeff Beck, Roy Orbison and Paul and Barry Ryan.

1967, In London, guitarist Jeff Beck debuts his new group featuring bassist Ron Wood, drummer Aynsley Dunbar, and a new singer by the name of Rod Stewart.

1967, Pink Floyd performed at Market Hall in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England.

1967, After a promoter refuses to pay the Animals an advance for their concert in Ottawa, the band decides not to play. The audience riots and causes $5,000 in damages

1968, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio.

1968, Blood, Sweat & Tears appeared at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.

1969, The Who end the recording of Tommy at IBC Studio A after almost five months in the studio.

1969, Led Zeppelin recorded their first BBC Radio 1 Top Gear session during the afternoon at the Playouse Theatre in London, England. Songs recorded were “Dazed And Confused,” “Communication Breakdown,” “You Shook Me,” and “I Can’t Quit You Baby.” Free, The Moody Blues and Deep Purple were also in session on the show.

1970, Genesis plays at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, London.

1972, The Allman Brothers Band performed at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco

1973, Slade’s “Cum On Feel The Noize,” entered the UK charts at number one, making Slade the first act to achieve this since The Beatles.

1973, winners at the Grammy Awards included, Roberta Flack who won Song of the year and Record of the year with “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and Harry Nilsson won Best pop vocal performance for “Without You.”

1974, Lynyrd Skynyrd played at Ellis Auditorium North Hall, Memphis, Tennessee.

1975, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas.

1976, David Bowie performed at the International Amphitheater, Chicago.

Iggy Pop in 1977

1977, the first night of an UK tour with Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Cherry Vanilla, and The Police kicked off at the Roxy Club, London. John Otway and Wild Willie Baratt played at The Speakeasy, London and Iggy Pop supported by The Vibrators appeared at Huddersfield Poly.

1978, Van Halen opens its first tour at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. The group’s contract specifies that M&Ms be provided to the group during the stint with the brown candies removed. Part of this first tour was to open up for Black Sabbath in several locations.

1979, The Bee Gees scored their fourth number one single with “Tragedy.” Also today The Bee Gees went to number one on the album chart with ‘Spirits Having Flown‘, the group’s second chart topping album.

1980, A napkin signed by Elvis Presley fetches £500 ($800) at a Sotheby’s auction in London. Four dollar bills signed by the Beatles sell for £220 ($350), as does a packet of letters written by the Rolling Stones.

1984, Nena started a three week run at number one on the UK singles chart with “99 Red Balloons.” Originally sung in German, “99 Luftballons” was re-recorded in English as “99 Red Balloons.” The song was a number two hit in the US and the only UK hit for Nena making her a one-hit wonder.

1990, During a world tour Paul McCartney played the first of 6 sold-out nights at the Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan. The final night was broadcast live to venues in 10 other Japanese cities; Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Matsuyama, Nagoya, Niigata, Osaka, Sapporp, Sendai and Takamatsu.

1994, The Smashing Pumpkins were banned from appearing on BBC TV’s Top Of The Pops, due to the content of the song’s lyrics. The bands single “Disarm” was this week’s highest new entry.

1995, Foo Fighters made their live debut during a benefit show at The Satyricon in Portland, Oregon.

2008, The Beatles’ engineer Norman Smith died at the age of 85. Smith who worked on every studio recording the band made between 1962 and 1965 was nicknamed “Normal Norman” by John Lennon. As a producer in 1966, he signed Pink Floyd and produced some of their early albums including Saucerful of Secrets and as Hurricane Smith had the 1971 UK number two hit “Don’t Let It Die.”

2009, To celebrate the release of U2’s twelfth studio album and their appearance every night for a week on The Late Show with David Letterman, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg temporarily renamed part of 53rd street in Midtown Manhattan U2 Way.

Born on March 3: Junior Parker, bluesman (1927); Mike Pender, The Searchers (1942);  Jance Garfat, Dr. Hook (1944); Jennifer Warnes (1947); Snowy White, Thin Lizzy (1948); and Robyn Hitchcock (1953)

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Song Of The Day – “Devil And Jesus” by Eric Burdon

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EricBurdonTilWhile the world gets ready to get their ya-ya’s out over The Stones’ 50th Anniversary tour, and the two somewhat lame new tracks they recently released on yet another greatest hits record, another legendary British Invasion hero just released a new album that stands head and shoulders next to much of his material from is glory days with The Animals.

Eric Burdon seemingly all but disappeared from the musical landscape until last year’s South By Southwest gathering where Bruce Springsteen talked about the profound influence Burdon had on him during his keynote speech. Later that evening, Burdon joined Springsteen and The E Street Band on stage for a rousing version of “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” reintroducing him to a new generation of rock fans.

The fact is, Burdon never really went away or stopped performing. Over the years, he’s released quite a few solo records and he even reunited and toured with The Animals. Last November he released a limited edition four-song EP on Black Friday Record Store Day backed by The Greenhornes. (The Greenhornes are an Ohio band that has been around for over fifteen years. Two of the band’s members are Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler who left the group to form The Raconteurs with Brendon Benson and Jack White.)

That record was a patchy appetizer to his first all new record of original material since 2004 called ‘Til Your River Runs Dry. Burdon is in fine voice on this solid effort that captures him doing what he does best, meat and potatoes rock ‘n’ roll. Burdon wrote or co-wrote 10 of the12 tunes here, and at age 71, he sounds positively renewed.

The rockers on this record find Burden at his most Animalesque, especially on the fierce “Old Habits Die Hard” and the album’s opener and first single, “Water,” which is a hippy diatribe about water conservation.

Burdon has been paying tribute to Bo Diddley since his days in The Animals, and although he never met him in person, there are two salutes to his hero here; one is a fierce and faithful cover of Diddley’s “Before You Accuse Me,” and the other is a tribute called “Bo Diddley Special” featuring the patented Bo Diddley beat.

Burdon also runs the voodoo down to “Nawlins” with the low down funk of “Devil In Jesus,” (today’s Song Of  The Day) and “River Is Rising” is a song inspired by Fats Domino’s ordeal right after hurricane Katrina when he was thought to be missing. Burdon recorded this track, which he says is one of his favorites on the album, in New Orleans with members of Domino’s band.

War is also a central subject on this record. On “Memorial Day,” Burdon sings “It’s the rich man’s war but the poor will pay / Innocence is lost and guilt will fade in time,” and “Invitation To The White House” finds Burdon in a dream sequence advising the president to focus on our country before going out and trying to fix the world.

The toll of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle is addressed on “27 Forever,” an ode to the “27 club” that includes Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Robert Johnson, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse, who all succumbed at that young age.

Burdon is still a great vocalist whose voice has held up way better than, say Mick Jagger…so roll over Mick, the original Animal is on the loose and back in action.

Today in Rock History – October 18

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Animals-19641964, The Animals kicked off their first headlining UK tour at the ABC in Manchester with Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent and The Nashville Teens supporting.

1964, Taking a day off from their British tour The Beatles go into the studio and complete the recording of six album tracks and the A-side of their next single, “I Feel Fine.” They also complete “Eight Days a Week,” “Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey,” “Mr. Moonlight,” “I’ll Follow the Sun,” “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” “Rock and Roll Music,” and “Words of Love.”

1966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first gig as a band supporting French pop star Johnny Hallyday at the Paris Olympia in France.

1967, John Lennon stars as Private Gripweed in Richard Lester’s film How I Won the War, which opens at London’s Premiere Theatre.

1967, The Bee Gees were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Massachusetts.” It was the group’s first of five UK chart toppers. Engelbert Humperdink was at number two with “The Last Waltz,” and Traffic were third with “Hole In My Shoe.”

1968, John and Yoko were taken to Paddington Green police station and charged with obstruction, after cannabis was discovered at the apartment they were staying in. Lennon pleaded guilty the following month and was fined £150 ($240.)

1968, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Marquee Club in London. By contractual agreement they were billed at the New Yardbirds. They received 50% of the gross ticket sales, less £15 ($24) to pay for the support act, The Bakerloo Blues Line.

1968, Its a Beautiful Day and The Youngbloods perform at Terrace Ballroom in Salt Lake City, Utah.

1969, The Temptations scored their second US number one single with “Can’t Get Next To You,” a number 13 hit in the UK.

1969, Pink Floyd appeared at University College, London.

1969, Jefferson Airplane’s Paul Kantner is arrested for marijuana possession in Hawaii.

1969, Led Zeppelin, along with Lee Michaels, and the Magic Veil Light Show, performed at the Detroit Olympia in Detroit, Michigan. The “Old Red Barn” was home to the Red Wings hockey club from 1927 until 1979.

1969, BB King, Albert King, and Santana appeared at The Kinetic Playground in Chicago.

the-who-19711970, The Who performed at the Odeon, Lewisham, England, having taken a week break due to Roger Daltrey’s bout with bronchitis.

1971, King Crimson appeared at De Montford Hall, Leicester, England.

1972, The Grateful Dead played at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri.

1974, Rush and KISS performed at the Parthenon Theatre, Hammond, Indiana.

 1975, For the second episode of Saturday Night Live, the musical guests are Simon & Garfunkel, temporarily reunited for this TV appearance.

1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd played at the Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, Florida.

1978, Bob Dylan performed at the Chicago Stadium, Chicago.

1979, Buggles were at number one on the UK singles chart with “Video Killed The Radio Star.” The Buggles were a studio band featuring producer Trevor Horn. Famously, it was the first ever music video shown on MTV.

1980, The third single from Pete Townhend’s solo album Empty Glass, “A Little Is Enough” backed with “Cats In The Cupboard,” peaks at number 72 in the U.S. Billboard charts. It reaches number 89 in Cash Box.

1985, Who bassist John Entwistle and his mansion Quarwood are featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. The show contains footage of John playing with the first lineup of his solo band “The Rock”.

1986, Huey Lewis and the News went to number one on the US album chart with Fore!

1989, During a gig at The Los Angeles Coliseum, California, opening for the Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses front man Axl Rose announced that this would be the last Guns N’ Roses concert, unless the band members “got their shit together.” He was referring to their use of heroin. He later wrote a song about a heroin dealer, “Mr. Brownstone.”

1990, Pete Townshend performs part of his musical The Iron Man on German television.

2000, American singer and actress Julie London died after suffering a stroke. She notched the 1956 US number nine and UK number 22 single “Cry Me A River,” which was also featured in the 1956 film The Girl Can’t Help It. She recorded 32 albums during her career, and played the role of nurse Dixie McCall, in the television series Emergency!  from 1972 to 1979.

2002, After a 15-year court battle, New York State’s highest court ruled that the Ronettes, did not have the right to share the money earned by their producer Phil Spector through the use of the group’s songs in movies, television and advertising. Citing a 1963 contract signed by the group, the court also substantially reduced the amount they stood to gain from royalties on sales of records and compact discs.

2008, Adele appeared on Saturday Night Live along with then US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The show earned its highest ratings in 14 years with a total of 17 million viewers. Adele who performed “Chasing Pavements” and “Cold Shoulder,” then topped the iTunes charts the following day. Her debut album jumped thirty-five places to number 11 on the US chart the following week.

2013, Paul McCartney gave an impromptu gig in Covent Garden, London to a crowd of more than 2,000 fans during the lunchtime hour. McCartney’s latest solo album New was released in the same week.

Born on October 18: Chuck Berry (1926); Laura Nyro (1946); Gary Richrath, REO Speedwagon, Joe Egan, Stealers Wheel (1949); and Keith Knudson, drummer, The Doobie Brothers (1952)

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Song Of The Day – “Work Song” by Nina Simone

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ninasimoneHere’s one that was released the year I was born, yet it sounds as hip and current as, well, I am.  OK, it is hipper and more current than I am, but it goes to show just how timeless Nina Simone’s recordings really were.

Simone’s interpretive talents as a singer and piano player earned her the nickname, “The High Priestess Of Soul,” and put her right up there with greats like Anita O’Day, Odetta, Sarah Vaughan and Judy Henske, who all possess a similar earthy style. She was a terrific songwriter, comfortable mingling soul, gospel, folk and blues into a stew that was uniquely her own, and she was also an outspoken Civil Rights activist.

It took a long time for me to crack the hard façade that Nina Simone projected, before I could really appreciate the depths of her talent. Her severe earnestness over the struggles she faced as a black woman during the infancy of the civil rights movement created a seemingly impenetrable barrier between me and her music. But with maturity on my side, I’ve come to love and respect Simone’s whole approach, and the influence she’s had on everyone from Laura Nyro and John Lennon (who cited her recording of “I Put A Spell On You” as an inspiration for The Beatles “Michelle”) to Alicia Keys and Diana Krall.

Simone came to Colpix Records in 1959, after scoring a big hit with “I Loves You, Porgy” on the Bethlehem label. Her deal at Colpix gave her complete artistic control over the material she recorded which was unheard of at the time, and she released nine albums for the label, seven of which were recorded live in front of an audience.  Today’s Song Of The Day, the much covered “Work Song” written by Nat Adderly and Oscar Brown, Jr., is from her second record for the label, 1961’s studio effort Forbidden Fruit.

Part of the album’s excellence comes down to Simone’s sympathetic backing trio consisting of Chris White on bass, Bobby Hamilton on drums, and crucially, the great Al Schackman on guitar, whose tasty licks light up this entire recording, especially on the tunes “Just Say I Love Him” and the album’s opener “Rags And Old Iron.” But its Simone’s vocals and amazing piano accompaniments, especially on “Gin House Blues,” the swaggering “I Love To Love” and the album’s title track, “Forbidden Fruit,” that really elevate the proceedings to new heights of gospel fervor.

Later albums like Nina Simone In Concert from 1964 and the essential RCA album Nina Simone Sings The Blues from 1967, included signature songs that dealt with the civil rights issues of black women like “Mississippi Goddam,” “Backlash Blues,” “Four Women” and “To Be Young, Gifted And Black,” which was later covered by Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway.  She was also responsible for introducing the songs “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “House Of The Rising Sun,” years before The Animals recorded them.

Additionally, her recording of “Sinnerman” was sampled by the likes of Kanye West and Timbaland, but her greatest success came surprisingly from the song “My Baby Cares For Me” which was recorded on  her 1960 debut album for Colpix, but didn’t become popular until 1987 when it was used in a UK television commercial for Chanel No. 5 perfume.

Song Of The Day – “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by The Animals

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NMENME2A full set of classic Animals from the 1965 NME Poll Winners Concert, as “Song Of The Day by Eric Berman” looks at a terrific “grey area” CD release!

The New Musical Express is a weekly British newspaper that has focused solely on the music scene for nearly 50 years. For several years during the 1960s, the paper sponsored concerts featuring artists who topped their music polls. The 1965 edition took place at Wembley Stadium on April 11, 1965, and was filmed. An edited version of the concert was screened on ABC TV in the U.S. on April 18 of that year. The New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert 1965 2 CD set was compiled from the soundtrack of the unedited master.

OK, so today’s Song Of The Day (and resultant album), isn’t an “official” release. It was put out in 1998 by Vigotone Industries, one of the best of the “grey area” record labels that existed for a brief time in the late 1990s. Vigotone specialized in Beatles and Beach Boy related bootlegs, comprised mostly of studio outtakes. Some of their landmark releases included The Beach Boys’ Leggo My Ego, featuring studio outs from 1965, and the Beatles Off White Album featuring the 1968 Escher demos recorded at George Harrison’s house shortly after the group returned from India.

Kicking things off are The Moody Blues, no not the version with the overblown orchestral arrangements and such, but the Brit-beat version of the group with future Wings-man, Denny Laine, performing a muscular and extended take of “Bo Diddley,” plus a version of their current single at the time, “Go Now.”

Next up are Freddie And The Dreamers with a credible version of Thurston Harris’ “Little Bitty Pretty One,” followed by Georgie Fame And The Blue Flames, and an early instrumental take of “Yeah Yeah,” plus a terrific performance of “Walkin’ The Dog.”

From there, it’s a trip down under for The Seekers and their hits “I’ll Never Find Another You” and “A World Of Our Own.” Herman’s Hermits were riding high with three records in the U.S. top ten at the time of this recording. They debut their then, brand new single “What A Wonderful World,” followed by the crowd pleaser “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter.”

The Ivy League And Division Two take the stage next, with the gorgeous ballad “That’s Why I’m Crying,” and then Sounds Incorporated spread a little of their instrumental magic with “Time For You” and a rocking version of Grieg’s classical masterwork “In The Hall Of The Mountain King.”

A real crowd pleaser is up next with Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders performing “Game Of Love” and “Just A Little Bit Too Late,” before The Rolling Stones tear it up with a four-song set  comprised of “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love,” Otis Redding’s “Pain In My Heart,” Chuck Berry’s “Around And Around,” and finally, “The Last Time.”

Disc one is rounded off by Cilla Black backed by Sounds Incorporated on “Going Out Of My Head,” and that old Disney favorite “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,” which was covered by in the U.S. by Bob B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans, as well as fellow Brit Invasion groups Freddie And The Dreamers, The Hollies and Dave Clark Five.

The second disc kicks off with Donovan, “The British Dylan,” performing six minutes of “You’re Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond” followed by “Catch The Wind,” before the Belfast Cowboy (Van Morrison) and Them are brought on for rough and ready takes of “Here Comes The Night” and an nearly seven minute version of “Turn On Your Love Light.”

The Searchers are up next with “Bumble Bee” and “Let The Good Times Roll,” before pop royalty takes the stage in the form of Dusty Springfield giving Martha Reeves a run for her money on “Dancing In The Street,” followed by a cover of Inez and Charlie Foxx’s “Mockingbird” and “I Can’t Hear You.”

The big ending is in sight with three more heavy hitters on deck, including The Animals tearing it up on John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “Talkin’ ‘Bout You,” followed by The Kinks with two of their very best, “You Really Got Me” and “Tired Of Waiting For You.”

Finally, the group that the audience has been waiting for all day takes the stage! It’s The Beatles with a five song set including “I Feel Fine,” “She’s A Woman,” “Baby’s In Black,” “Ticket To Ride” and “Long Tall Sally” bringing the festivities to a rousing conclusion.

Much of this concert is up on YouTube (search by artist and NME 1965) and is recommended viewing.  So there we have the next to last NME Poll Winners Concert from 1965 in its entirety, in pristine sound quality to boot. Why hasn’t this been released officially?

The Animals “Boom Boom”

The Animals “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”

The Animals “Talkin”Bout You”

Today in Rock History – September 5

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1964, The Animals started a three week run at number one on the singles chart with “House Of The Rising Sun.” When first released the record company printed the time of the song on the record as three minutes feeling that the real time of four minutes was too long for radio airplay.

1965, Sonny & Cher made their first live UK appearance when they appeared at the 100 Club in London.

1965, The Rolling Stones recorded their eighth single “Get Off Of My Cloud” at RCA studios in Hollywood. The song peaked at number one in the US and the UK.

1966, John Lennon started work in Germany on his role as Private Gripweed in the film How I Won The War.

1967, Working at Abbey Road studios, London, The Beatles began recording John Lennon’s new song “I Am the Walrus,” recording 16 takes of the basic backing track.

1968, On their first ever visit to the UK The Doors appeared on Top of The Pops performing “Hello I Love You” live on the TV show.

1969, King Crimson performed at Market Hall, Romford, England.

1969, The Stooges made their New York debut at The Pavilion supporting MC5.

1970, Janis Joplin started recording sessions recording a version of the Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster song “Me and Bobby McGee.” Joplin, who was a lover and a friend of Kristofferson’s from the beginning of her career to her death, topped the US singles chart with the song in 1971, making the song the second posthumous number one single in US chart history after “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding.

1970, Poco appeared at the Terrace Ballroom in Salt Lake City, Utah.

1971, During a North American tour Led Zeppelin appeared at Chicago International Amphitheatre.

1972, Yes played at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland.

1974, David Bowie played at the Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, California.

1975, Black Sabbath performed at Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, California.

1976, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington was seriously injured in a car crash in Florida.

1978, Joe Negroni from Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers died of a brain hemorrhage. They had the 1956 UK number one and US number six single “Why Do Fools Fall In Love.”

1978, The Electric Light Orchestra appeared at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi.

1979, The Allman Brothers Band played at the Civic Center, Dothan, Alabama.

1980, Black Sabbath performed at the Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, Florida.

1981, Soft Cell were at number one on the UK singles chart with their electronic version of “Tainted Love.” The song had been a hit for Gloria Jones in 1964. Jones who became Marc Bolan’s girlfriend, was the driver of the car, that crashed and killed Bolan on  September 16, 1977. Jones nearly died in the accident.

1981, Stevie Nicks went to number one on the US album with Bella Donna, featuring the tracks “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Tom Petty, “Leather and Lace,” with Don Henley, “Edge of Seventeen,” and “After the Glitter Fades.”

1994, Oasis appeared at The Hacienda in Manchester to celebrate the launch of their debut album Definitely Maybe. The album went on to become the fastest selling debut album of all time in the UK and marked the beginning of Oasis’ success in America, selling over one million copies there.

2006, Arctic Monkeys won the UK Mercury Prize for their album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. The Sheffield-based bands album became the fastest-selling debut in chart history after shifting more than 360,000 copies in its first week of release in Feb 2006.

2012, Singer-songwriter Joe South, who had hits in the late 1960s and early ’70s, including “Games People Play,” “Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” and (“I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden,” died at home in Atlanta, Georgia from a heart attack, aged 72.

Born on September 5: John Stewart, The Kingston Trio (1934); Al Stewart (1945) Freddie Mercury, Loudon Wainwright III, and Buddy Miles (1946); Dave Clempson, guitar, Humble Pie (1949)

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Today in Rock History – July 17

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1967, American jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane died from liver cancer at Huntington Hospital in Long Island, New York, aged 40. Worked with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie. Released the 1964 album ‘A Love Supreme’.

1967, The Who performed at the Agrodome, Vancouver, Canada.

1967, The Beatles single “All You Need Is Love” / “Baby You’re A Rich Man, ” originally called “One Of The Beautiful People,” was released in the US. It became The Beatles 14th No.1.

1968, The animated film Yellow Submarine premiered at The London Pavilion. The Beatles made a cameo appearance in the film but didn’t supply their own voices for the characters.

1971, The Allman Brothers Band played at the  Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia.

1972, In Montreal, a bomb destroys several speaker cones inside an equipment truck belonging to the touring Rolling Stones. The musical terrorist responsible remains at large.

1974, The Moody Blues opened what they claimed was the first Quadraphonic recording studio in the world.

1974, The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service orders John Lennon to leave the country within 60 days.

1975, Bob Marley and the Wailers played the first of two nights at The Lyceum, London, and both nights were recorded for the November released ‘live’ album, featuring the single ‘No Woman No Cry.’

1976, The Grateful Dead played the fifth of six shows that week at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, California.

1978, Simple Minds made their live debut at The Satellite Club, Glasgow.

1979, Guitarist Gary Moore leaves Thin Lizzy, to be replaced by future Ultravox member and “Do They Know It’s Christmas” songwriter Midge Ure.

1996, Chas Chandler died aged 57 at Newcastle General Hospital, England, where he was undergoing tests related to an aortic aneurysm. He had been the bass player with The Animals and manager of Slade, Nick Drake and Jimi Hendrix.

Born on this day: Spencer Davis (1939); Wolfgang Flur, Kraftwerk (1947); Geezer Butler, bass, Black Sabbath (1949) Phoebe Snow and Chet McCracKen,  The Doobie Brothers (1952)

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Today in Rock History – July 13

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1964, The Animals continued to top the UK singles charts  with “The House Of The Rising Sun.” Recorded in one take, this was the first number one to have a playing time of more than four minutes.

1964, The Supremes record “Come See About Me,” which later goes to number one.

1965, Paul McCartney was presented with five Ivor Novello Awards at a lunch party at The Savoy, London. John Lennon refused to attend. Paul was 40 minutes late after he had forgotten about the engagement.

1967, Pink Floyd performed “See Emily Play” live for the second of three times on Top Of The Pops. It was broadcast on BBC1 TV.

1968, Black Sabbath played their first gig at a small backstreet Blues club in Birmingham, England.

1968, Pink Floyd, supported by The Rationals, performed at Fifth Dimension in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

1968, On the album charts, Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends is number one for the third week.

1969, Iron Butterfly played at Musicarnival in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. Musicarnival was a music “tent” theater, among the first of its kind.  The theater was used for performances of musicals, operettas and operas, but also hosted a number of famous musicians and rock bands, and had a capacity of 2,563.

1969, Over 100 US radio stations banned The Beatles new single “The Balled Of John and Yoko, due to the line “Christ, you know it ain’t easy,” calling it offensive.

1969, New York’s Flushing Meadows Singer Bowl plays host to a festival including sets from the Jeff Beck Group, Vanilla Fudge, Jethro Tull, Ten Years After, and Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin literally play a set that no one can follow, and Vanilla Fudge pull out of the lineup rather than try to top the heavy metal quartet. During the Jeff Beck Group’s set, John Bonham strips off his clothes and has to be bundled off stage. The evening ends with various musicians performing “Jailhouse Rock.”

1972, During a North American tour The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at the Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan.

1973, Bob Dylan releases his soundtrack to Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

1973, Queen release their self-titled debut album.

1974, Elton John started a two-week run at number one on the UK album chart and a four-week stint on the US album charts with Caribou, his third chart topping album.

1974, Eric Clapton releases his hit version of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff.”

1974, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played the first of a three night, six show residency at the newly-opened Bottom Line in New York City. The shows received rave reviews and created a buzz in the music industry.

1974, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young play the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum in Oakland, California.

1975, Aerosmith appeared at the International Center Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii.

1976, The first issue of UK punk fanzine Sniffin’ Glue was published, with features on The Stranglers, Ramones and Blue Oyster Cult. Former bank clerk Mark Perry edited the fanzine.

1977,  New York is hit by a blackout that interrupts gigs all over Manhattan. While Boz Scaggs packs up and goes home, the enterprising NRBQ find some flashlights and carry performing acoustically.

1978, The Rolling Stones performed at the Superdome in New Orleans.

1979, Pete Townshend played at the Rainbow Theatre, London.

1985, At 12.01 Status Quo started the Live Aid extravaganza, held between Wembley Stadium, London and The JFK Stadium, Philadelphia. The cream of the world’s biggest rock stars took part in the worldwide event, raising over $60 million (£40million.) TV pictures beamed to over 1.5 billion people in 160 countries made it the biggest live broadcast ever known. Artists who appeared included Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, The Who, U2, David Bowie and Mick Jagger, Queen, Tina Turner, The Cars, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Bryan Adams, Hall and Oates, Lionel Richie and Led Zeppelin.

1985, Duran Duran became the first artists to have a number one on the US singles chart with a James Bond theme when “A View To A Kill,” went to the top of the charts.

1985, Elton John re-signed with MCA Records in America, his five-album deal being worth $8 million, the biggest advance in history at the time.

1987, Representatives of fifty of America’s largest record retailers were guests at Michael Jackson’s home in Encino, California to preview his new album, Bad. The LP would go on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide.

1991, Bryan Adams went to number one on the UK singles chart with “Everything I Do I Do It For You,” which was featured on the soundtrack for the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It stayed at number one for a record-breaking 16 weeks, breaking a record held since 1955. It was also a chart topper in the US for 7 weeks, and a hit in 16 other countries. It won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture in 1992.

1996, Over 2,000 guitar players, including Chet Atkins and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, set a new world record for the largest jam session ever when they played “Heartbreak Hotel” for 75 minutes at Nashville’s Riverfront Park. The previous record was set in Vancouver, Canada on May 7th, 1994, when Randy Bachman led 1,322 amateur guitarists in a performance that lasted 68 minutes.

2004, Arthur “Killer” Kane, bass player with The New York Dolls, died aged 55 after checking himself in to a Los Angeles emergency room, complaining of fatigue. He was quickly diagnosed with leukemia, and died within two hours. The influential American band formed in 1972 and made just two albums, the 1973’s New York Dolls and 1974’s Too Much Too Soon.

2012, Roger Waters’ tour The Wall Live, topped worldwide concert ticket sales for the first half of 2012. The show based Pink Floyd’s hit 1979 album, took $158.1m (£102.3m) beating Bruce Springsteen and Madonna. Waters sold 1.4 million tickets according to Pollstar magazine, which tracks the live concert business

Born on July 13: Roger McGuinn (1942); Stephen Jo Bladd, drums, The J Geils Band (1942); Cheech Marin (1946); Mark “The Animal” Mendoza, bassist Twisted Sister (1955)

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