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Today in rock history: on this date in 1989, New York based singer/songwriter Lou Reed released his triumphant, 15th solo album, the gritty and streetwise New York. Favorably reviewed by rock critics, many felt that the album was a return to form for Reed and his strongest and most consistent solo album in many years. Intended to serve as Reed’s own vision of New York, the album is rich in political commentary and socially relevant topics and was intended to be enjoyed as one continuous journey through the city. One of the album’s singles, “Dirty Blvd.,” topped the newly created modern rock chart in Billboard Magazine for four straight weeks, and the album received lots of airplay throughout college radio stations around the country. With the favorable attention the album received, Lou Reed enjoyed a career resurgence which led to his touring around the world more extensively including a brief reunion with his legendary and influential band, The Velvet Underground which Reed left in 1970.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1977, blues legend Muddy Waters released Hard Again, one of the strongest blues/rock albums of his career. In his mid-60s at the time, the veteran singer and songwriter had released a long and impressive run of records with famed Chicago blues label, Chess Records. This, his first record for a new label, Blue Sky Records, was the brainchild of another blues rock player, Johnny Winter. Utilizing the skills of blues contemporaries Pinetop Perkins and James Cotton, Winter and Muddy created a critically hailed album that features some re-recordings of some of Waters’s classics along with new tunes like the red hot "The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock and Roll, Pt. 2” which helped introduce this elder statesman of the blues to a brand new, younger audience. The album is often referred to as one of the best blues albums of all time.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1977, influential New York City punk rock forefathers, The Ramones released a second album, Leave Home. Following in the footsteps of its self-titled 1976 debut album, the band’s second outing featured some more revved up tempos but for the most part served as a natural next step after The Ramones' critically lauded first release. While expectations for the album's commercial appeal were high, the record charted poorly and singles released from it — “I Remember You” and “Swallow My Pride” — failed to elicit the type of response the band and its label, Sire Records, was hoping for. The record was steeped in some controversy: one of its songs, “Carbona Not Glue, ” an ode to sniffing chemicals, had to be pulled from the album due to impending legal action from the Carbona company which was known for producing a stain removing substance. The record is also notable for featuring, for the very first time, the recognizable shield logo that’s associated with the band on its back cover. The album also includes the Ramones classics “Gimmie Gimmie Shock Treatment” and “Pinhead” and is a fine representation of this integral and groundbreaking band.
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Today in rock history: several rockers celebrate birthdays today. World famous solo artist and former member of The Jeff Beck Band and The Faces, Rod Stewart was born on this date in 1945 in London, England. Singer, keyboardist and co-founder of jazz rock band Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, celebrates his 70th birthday today; he was born in 1948 in Passaic, New Jersey. Pat Benatar, best known for her amazing string of hit records throughout the 1980s, was born on this date in 1953 in Brooklyn, New York. The Grammy winning singer continues to tour and dazzle audiences with her still strong and octave-rich, soaring vocals.
This article appears in Jan 4-11, 2018.