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Today in rock history: On this date in 1990, British pop singer George Michael released his second solo album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1. As the follow up to Michael’s blockbuster debut solo album, 1987’s chart-topping Faith, expectations were high for this sophomore release. Opting more for ballads and introspective tunes on this release, the album was critically praised but viewed as a commercial disappointment in comparison to its predecessor. While worldwide sales figures for Faith exceeded 20 million copies sold, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 topped out at around 8 million copies sold. Normally that number would be considered more than respectable but, in light of his previous achievement, Michael was faulted for not duplicating the enormous sales figures that Faith achieved. Hoping to be taken more seriously as a singer and songwriter, George consciously opted to not appear on the album’s front cover or in any of the music videos created to promote the record’s singles. The first single from the record, the moody “Praying For Time” made it all the way to No. 1 on Billboard’s pop singles chart and the dance smash “Freedom ‘90” was a Top 10 single as well. That track’s now-classic music video featured a series of supermodels lip-syncing the song’s lyrics with its actual singer notably absent from the clip. Although the record was a turning point in Michael’s career and led to dissention between he and his record label, the record is now widely regarded as George Michael’s masterpiece and his finest work.
AT THE EDGE OF HEAVEN
Remembering George Michael: He grew up, and left us, right before our eyes
Today in rock history: on this date in 1982, in an attempt to oppose the “me” generation mentality that was prevalent in the 1970s, Apple products cofounder Steve Wozniak put up a big chunk of his own money to create a music festival that was intended to forge a sense of community and technology as a precursor to the future of those two worlds converging. The three-day festival, dubbed the US Festival, took place in San Bernardino, California, attracted over 200,000 fans and featured musical artists like The Police, Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, The Kinks, The B-52's, Tom Petty and many others. The event was so successful that a follow-up festival took place the following year and was even bigger and more successful than the initial festival. In May, Bay area community radio station WMNF 88.5-FM staged a tribute concert dedicated to the festival.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1983, in undeniable proof that new bands and new sounds were making a major impact on America's record buying trends, British duo The Eurythmics reached the coveted No. 1 spot on the U.S. Billboard singles chart with its breakout hit, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." Released in May '83, the single made a slow yet steady climb to the top of the chart and was aided by the exposure its accompanying music video was getting on MTV. Led by the gorgeous, bright red-haired singer with a golden voice, Annie Lennox, the duo sounded and looked like no one else and made a major impact on record buyers of all ages. Although The Police's "Every Breath You Take" had a firm lock on the No. 1 spot on singles charts in the summer of '83, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were able to break through and score the one and only chart-topper the Eurythmics would enjoy in America.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1955, Steve Jones was born in Shepherd’s Bush, London, England. A founding member of the most notorious of all the original British punk rock bands of the late 1970s, Sex Pistols, Jones, with his loud guitar and his snarky attitude, perfectly embodied the attitude and the demeanor of the era. After the dissolution of the Pistols, Jones and the band’s drummer, Paul Cook, formed the high energy rock and roll band The Professionals and released two solid albums. Jones has remained active and busy throughout his career and has appeared on records by artists like Joan Jett, Iggy Pop and Johnny Thunders to name a few. Besides releasing a handful of solo albums, Jones has found time to do some acting and is currently the host of a popular Los Angeles-based radio show entitled “Jonesy’s Jukebox” that’s found him inviting popular musical artists as guests on the program. Jones wrote his memoir last year which, by all accounts, was a very intriguing read. Steve Jones celebrates his 63rd birthday today.
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 6, 2018.