Yes playing a concert in Indiana on August 30, 1977. Credit: Rick Dikeman [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia Commons

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Today in rock history: On this date in 1971, British prog-rock group Yes released its breakthrough fourth album Fragile in the months after receiving praise and accolades for its previous release, The Yes Album (released earlier the same year). The multi-platinum selling album gave the Yes a bona fide radio hit single (an edited version of album opener "Roundabout") and introduced the innovative group to new listeners. Often regarded as the band's best work, this classic album also contains Yes staples like "South Side of the Sky," "Long Distance Runaround" and "Heart of the Sunrise."

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Today in rock history: On this date in 1968, blues-influenced British trio Cream performed its last concert at London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall. Internal differences led to the band's demise, but all three members — guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker — decided to play two final shows to mark the end of the band's short, but successful, run. Opening acts for the band's farewell shows were a newly formed band called Yes and another called Taste, which featured Irish guitar virtuoso, Rory Gallagher.

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Today in rock history: On this date in 1976, "Anarchy In the U.K." — the very first single from pioneering British punk-rock band Sex Pistols — was released on EMI Records. Mired in controversy, but successful nonetheless, the song peaked at No. 38 on British singles charts despite being issued in a plain sleeve that didn't boast the colorful and artistic sleeves the band would eventually become known for. The band was dropped by EMI Records the following January after it used profane language on a live British television program. The stunt opened the floodgates for the band to be regarded as dirty and obscene, but it also drastically catapulted Sex Pistols' image and mystique. Original copies of the EMI Records release now fetch a high premium in collectors markets.

Today in rock history: On this date in 1973, New York Dolls made its U.K. live debut. The show happened, fittingly enough, at Biba's Rainbow Room in London, a club situated on the top floor of a trendy fashion store. Along with Sex Pistols and The Ramons, the Dolls would eventually be cited as being a major influence on the formation of punk rock.

This article appears in Nov 22-29, 2018.

I was born on a Sunday Morning.I soon received The Gift of loving music.Through music, I Found A Reason for living.It was when I discovered rock and roll that I Was Beginning To See The Light.Because through...