Today in rock history, on this date in 1968. San Diego hard rock band Iron Butterfly released their second album, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Often referred to as an early predecessor of heavy metal music, the album put the band on the map and gained notoriety for its title track, all 17-minutes of it, occupying the entire second side of the record. One of the best-selling albums of all time from the Atlantic Records label roster, the record is considered a classic and has sold in excess of thirty million copies worldwide since its release.
Born on this date in 1961 in London, England — George O'Dowd, soon to be known to the world simply as Boy George. Fashion plate, club scenester and colorful figure, it wouldn't be long before George would find himself fronting British reggae-inspired new wave pop band Culture Club. Boy George would become one of the world's best known and most recognizable pop stars of the 1980s. His soulful, rich vocals filled radio airwaves throughout the decade and his outlandish costumes and striking looks made him a mainstay on MTV for many years.
Today in rock history, on this date in 1982. The Who songwriter and guitarist Pete Townshend released his third solo album, the oddly-titled All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes. Made up of tracks that were mostly unused material from previous Who projects, the album was mostly panned by critics at the time of its release. Singles taken from the album included " Face Dances, Pt. 2" and "Slit Skirts." The album has since been regarded with higher praise than what it was greeted with at the time of its release.
Today in rock history, on this date in 1965. Paul McCartney recorded what might be the most popular Beatles song of all time, "Yesterday." The version that was released and topped singles charts around the world later in 1965 was only the second recorded take of the song. The plaintive ballad has been covered by more than 3,000 recording artists in a variety of styles and genres and holds the distinction of being the most covered song in the history of recorded music. Paul is set to play Tampa's Amalie Arena on July 10 — more information on the show is available here.
