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Today in rock history: On this date in 1951, William Earl Collins was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Known primarily by his nickname, “Bootsy,” this dynamic and magnificent bassist was one of the integral players in the birth of funk and soul music. Landing the prestigious role of playing in the backing band for soul music legend James Brown, Bootsy Collins is more commonly recognized for his key role in George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic collective throughout the 1970s. Known for his star-shaped glasses, star-shaped bass and his flashy, colorful clothing, Collins is without a doubt one of the most recognizable and distinctive players to rise to prominence in the world of funk. Releasing successful solo albums that charted respectably, Bootsy racked up a string of funk hit singles in the mid-’70s including “Stretching Out,” “The Pinocchio Theory” and “Bootzilla,” which topped Billboard’s R&B singles chart in 1978. In 1997, Collins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with Parliament-Funkadelic, and he has worked with an impressive array of musicians including Fatboy Slim, Deee-Lite and Snoop Dogg throughout his sparkling career
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1981, “Under Pressure” — one of the greatest rock music collaborations — was released. Created through sheer improvisation in a recording studio, the intricate, catchy tune came together when David Bowie came to sing backup vocals on a song Queen was recording in Montreux, Switzerland. While Bowie’s vocal parts didn’t make the final cut on “Cool Cat” (a song that wound up on Queen’s 1982 album Hot Space) the four band members and Bowie instead put together “Under Pressure,” which is now regarded as a bona fide classic. Most of the song was admittedly written by Queen’s outstanding lead singer, the late Freddie Mercury, who also added the scat-like vocal parts and was integral in assembling the vocal melodies throughout the tune. “Under Pressure” went to No. 1 in England and also wound up on Queen’s 1982 album. The song’s recognizable, distinctive bass line was later stolen without proper authorization by Vanilla Ice in the early 1990s to serve as the backbone of his breakthrough single, “Ice Ice Baby.”
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1992, sultry, soulful Nigerian vocalist Sade released her fourth album, the exquisite Love Deluxe. Often regarded as her best and most consistent work, the album contained some of Sade’s best and most enduring singles like “No Ordinary Love,” “Cherish the Day” and “Kiss of Life.” Rich, lush, sensual and sexy, Love Deluxe was a massive hit for the singer and her backing band, which is also named Sade. The record charted as high as the Top 10 on sales charts in several countries around the world including England and America where it reached No. 3 on Billboard’s pop albums chart and No. 2 on the publication’s R&B albums chart. Love Deluxe went on to sell over 4 million copies in the U.S. alone and spawned a highly successful world tour for Sade and her classy, versatile band.
Today in rock history: On this date in 1993, The Velvet Underground (arguably the most influential American band of all time) released its surprise live album, the double-CD set, Live MCMXCIII. The title references the year 1993 in Roman numerals, which is the year that the core members of the legendary band unexpectedly reformed long enough to play a series of live shows including a three-night stand in Paris from which the recordings for this album originate. Playing a long, impressive list of classic tracks from its rich catalog, original band members Lou Reed, John Cale, Maureen Tucker and Sterling Morrison — who, in 1992, made the decision to temporarily reform — played together for the first time in decades for this brief reunion. Blazing through essential songs like “Sweet Jane,” “White Light/White Heat” and “Rock & Roll” among many others, the set was met with enthusiasm by the band’s dedicated fans. Rock critics were not as kind. Panning the band for the late, unexpected decision to reform, Cale himself was personally not happy with the sound captured on the recording and felt that it wasn’t a true representation of the band’s performances. Originally released in both two-CD format and an abridged single-disc format, the set has since been released as a quadruple-LP, limited edition set pressed on blue vinyl that was one of the most eagerly anticipated releases on the Black Friday/Record Store Day event in 2014.
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This article appears in Oct 25 – Nov 1, 2018.
