Released on this date in 1981 — Heaven Up Here, the second studio album from Liverpool post-punk quartet, Echo and the Bunnymen. The album catapulted on the attention the band’s debut Crocodiles received the year before and actually reached the Top 10 in British albums sales charts. It’s considered to be one of the band’s very best releases by most of their dedicated fans and it contained the singles “Over The Wall” and “A Promise”. A post-punk classic for sure.
Today in rock history, on this date in 1987. David Bowie kicked off his ambitious “Glass Spider” tour at the Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam, Holland. The massive stage was created to resemble an enormous spider. The sets were elaborate, and the tour included dancers who were featured throughout many of the set’s numbers. The long tour found Bowie visiting many different countries around the globe with this huge production. The tour was panned and criticized by many for its over the top presentation. Handling lead guitar duties for the duration of the tour was Bowie’s old schoolmate, Peter Frampton.
Today in rock history, on this date in 1978. Led Zeppelin began working on what would become its last new studio album together, In Through The Out Door. The record was recorded at Polar Recording Studios in Stockholm, Sweden which was owned by members of ABBA. The record was released the following year and not long after its release, drummer John Bonham would pass away.
Today in rock history, on this date in 1964. The Beatles scored their fourth American no. 1 hit single in a row, “Love Me Do”. The version of the song that was released in America featured session drummer Andy White and Ringo Starr playing tambourine; the version released in the UK featured Ringo taking his proper place at the drum kit. The two versions of the single vary by that one small nuance…but both versions hit the top spot in each respective country.
This article appears in May 25 – Jun 1, 2017.
