Today in rock history: on this date in 1982, an up and coming New York City-based artist released her very first single. Dancer and singer Madonna put together a demo for a song and played it for a DJ friend of hers. Impressed with the track, the friend brought the young singer’s demo to cutting edge label Sire Records (home of Talking Heads and Ramones) which was equally taken with the singer and her danceable track. Sire signed Madonna to a two-single contract with the label. Packaged in a sleeve without her face or likeness on it, “Everybody,” the very first single that future star Madonna would release, came out 35 years ago today. The blend of funky beats with a disco influence made waves at dance clubs, but had little impact on sales charts. The label considered not renewing the short-lived contract they’d extended to the budding star but, instead wisely reconsidered and extended her tenure with Sire Records. By 1983, Madonna would release the self-titled, debut full-length album that would make her a star but this single marked the start of the wild and thrill-laden career of one of the most successful musical artists of all time.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1972, David Bowie recorded his classic single “The Jean Genie” during recording sessions held in New York City. The song would be released as the lead single from his 1973 smash album Aladdin Sane and would chart incredibly well in England where it peaked at no. 2 and became Bowie’s best-selling album in his native country up until that point. Loosely based on friend and contemporary Iggy Pop, the song became one of Bowie’s best loved and most recognizable hits. One of the song’s lyrics, “He's so simple minded/He can't drive his module,” served as the inspiration for Scottish new wave band Simple Minds to select their band name.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1969, at long last, one of George Harrison’s compositions was released as the A-side of a Beatles single. “Something” was released as the featured side of one of the band’s very last singles and proved to be one of their very biggest hits. The song was a no. 1 hit all over the world and was one of the most popular and best-selling singles of 1969. Although it’s often referred to as being a double A-sided single (on the flipside was the classic “Come Together”), Beatles purists consider this to be Harrison’s long overdue recognition as a bona fide hit maker, a great writer and a fantastic singer. Crooner Frank Sinatra dubbed this the greatest love song ever written not long after its release and recorded his own version of it and covered the song at live singing engagements often. Paul McCartney recently paid tribute to the song and Harrison at a July 2018 concert in Tampa. Read our review here.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1974, British art rock/progressive band King Crimson released its seventh studio album, the critically acclaimed and fan favorite, Red. The band’s lineup at the time consisted of guitar wizard Robert Fripp, bassist John Wetton (who’d later be a part of Roxy Music and Asia) and former Yes drummer Bill Bruford. Although the record didn’t chart particularly well in the U.K. or in America, its influence and impact on music of many different styles can’t be understated. In 2001, British music magazine Q dubbed this album as one of the “heaviest albums of all time.” Late Nirvana frontman and songwriter Kurt Cobain often cited this record as having a deep impact on him as well. The album’s centerpiece, the eight-minute improvisational piece of music entitled “Providence” was recorded live and on the fly at a small theater in Providence, Rhode Island and is the only live recording contained within this fine record. The song truly shows the depth and the virtuosity of the band. Although it would mark the end of this particular lineup of the band as well as the last record the band would release until a reimagined and revamped model of the band would emerge again in the early 1980s, this is a classic album that defies genres and is a strong contender for the title of the greatest King Crimson album of all.
This article appears in Oct 5-12, 2017.