Today in rock history: On this date in 1972, legendary New York rock band The Velvet Underground released a concert album, Live at Max's Kansas City. The album consisted of recordings of the band near the end of its existence in 1970, during a run of shows at Max's in New York City. Consisting of songs from the band’s entire catalog, the band captured the performances on a small, portable cassette recorder and, for the most part, sound surprisingly good — despite the way they recorded them. Longtime Andy Warhol entourage member Brigid Polk recorded the shows, while New York poet and songwriter Jim Carroll held the recording microphone. Listeners can hear Carroll speaking and ordering drinks on the album, while other crowd noise sometimes drowns out the band’s performance. Issued to fulfill a contract with the Atlantic Records label, who saw little commercial appeal in the band, Live at Max’s Kansas City earned positive reviews upon its release and followed the band’s outstanding Loaded album, released in 1970. By the time the band released this live album, lead singer and songwriter Lou Reed had left the band in search of a solo career.

Today in rock history: On this date in 2000, only a week after its release, Eminem’s third album, The Marshall Mathers LP, had sold nearly two million copies, making it the fastest-selling album by a solo artist in music history at that time. The highly anticipated album eventually went on to sell a total of 11 million copies in America and went to No. 1 on Billboard’s pop albums chart. Featuring the singles “Stan,” “The Way I Am” and “The Real Slim Shady,” the Dr. Dre-produced album also took home a Grammy in the category of Best Rap Album of the Year in 2001.

NOT TODAY IN ROCK HISTORY
George Harrison's solo masterpiece, Jimi Hendrix is born and more

Today in rock history: On this date in 1973, former Beatle George Harrison released his fourth studio album, Living in the Material World. As the follow up to his three-LP classic All Things Must Pass, the album was positively reviewed and was regarded as a solid successor. An incredibly fast-selling record, Living in the Material World achieved gold sales status, exceeding 500,000 copies sold, only two days after its release. Considered an overlooked classic from Harrison’s canon, the album’s themes and lyrical subject matter delve into spiritual territory like many of George’s compositions did at the time. Featuring the still-relevant and heartfelt ballad “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth),” the album was another No. 1 hit for Harrison in the United States as well as in several countries around the world. The song “Sue Me, Sue You Blues” that’s included on the album is a bittersweet look at the acrimonious relations and lawsuits Harrison’s former band mates had launched at each other at the time.

Today in rock history: On this date in 1964, England’s Newest Hit Makers, Rolling Stones released their debut album in the United States. A variation of the original British release, which came out April, 1964, the American counterpart consisted of a slightly different track listing and slightly altered front cover artwork. Containing the band’s debut single in America, a rousing cover of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away,” the record made quite a splash with young fans in the U.S. who eagerly embraced the new wave of British Invasion bands like The Beatles, The Kinks and The Animals. The album climbed as high as No. 11 on sales charts in America and contained several covers that showed the band’s depth and interest in the genres of soul and blues. The record saw the band covering songs by artists like Chuck Berry, Rufus Thomas and legendary bluesmen Willie Dixon and Jimmy Reed. This positively reviewed and received record set the stage for the band that would soon become one of the most recognizable and popular rock bands in the world.