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Today in rock history: on this date in 1984, the very first full-length album by influential British band The Smiths arrived. The self-titled album was highly-anticipated in England following the success of the band’s first two singles, “Hand in Glove” and “This Charming Man.” Signed to indie label Rough Trade Records, the debut album from the band from Manchester, England made an impressive debut at No. 2 on British album charts. Almost instantly, The Smiths attracted a devoted sect of fans who felt a kinship with lead singer Morrissey’s melancholia, intellectualism and androgyny as much as they did with lead guitarist Johnny Marr’s smart, creative, expressive guitar work and the unique songwriting team these two founders of the band forged together. Featured on the album’s cover was a still shot of Joe Dallesandro, the actor and model who starred in several late 60s/early 70s underground films made by pop artist and director, Andy Warhol. The Smiths produced another hit single, “What Difference Does It Make?” which climbed as high as No. 12 on British singles charts. Often referred to as one of the best and most enduring debut albums of all time, the first release by this highly revered and pivotal band remains one of the most important and crucial albums to be released by any British band and opened the doors for the rise of this vital group.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1976, A Trick of the Tail, the seventh album by British progressive rock band Genesis was released. Following the departure of original lead singer, the innovative and trailblazing performer Peter Gabriel, the band auditioned hundreds of lead singers to replace him. Unhappy with those who tried out, the decision was made to make the band’s drummer, Phil Collins, the new lead singer of the band. A Trick of the Tail was the very first album to feature Collins on lead vocals and, despite what many naysayers predicted the band’s fate would be, the record was another resounding success for the group. The album peaked at No. 3 on British sales charts, cracked the top 30 in America and achieved gold sales status in both regions. The album contained the classic epics “Ripples” and “Dance on a Volcano,” which quickly became fan favorites and showed off Phil Collins’ vocal talents and versatility. Collins would remain lead singer for the band for the next twenty years and would lead Genesis to many successful concert tours and gold and platinum album awards while taking the band in more of a pop/rock direction.
NIRVANA ON TV
Today in rock history; Nirvana's SNL debut
Today in rock history: on this date in 1967, Kurt Cobain was born in Aberdeen, Washington. Born into a musically-inclined family, Cobain was inspired by the music of The Ramones at an early age and soon decided to pursue a career in music. Forming the underground punk-influenced band Nirvana, Cobain made waves by being recognized as one of the most influential and admired singers and songwriters of the northwestern music scene. The band’s debut album, 1989’s Bleach was released on burgeoning Seattle record label Sub Pop Records and drew accolades from critics for its directness and rawness. By 1991, with the release of its sophomore album Nevermind, Nirvana would almost instantly become the most popular band in the world thanks to Kurt’s no nonsense musical approach and his ability to create and write melodic, aggressive, quintessential songs that soon helped establish him as the voice of a disaffected generation. Sadly, Cobain passed away at the young age of 27 in April of 1994 as the result of suicide. He left behind a limited but highly influential body of music in his wake.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 2003, one of the most devastating tragedies to ever occur at a rock show took place at a small club in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Hard rock band Great White appeared at the Station Nightclub in front of an audience of nearly 500 concertgoers. Within a short amount of time after the band began to play, an array of onstage pyrotechnics were set off which caused a massive fire inside the club. Chaos broke out as the fire raged and spread via flammable insulation on the club’s ceiling. Fans clamored for a safe way out of the burning building. Sadly, the incident claimed 100 lives including that of band guitarist, Ty Longley who died while attempting to provide fans with a way out of the club while busting out windows with his guitar. The band’s tour manager as well as the club’s owners received criminal sentences for their negligence in this incident and indoor pyrotechnics have been shunned ever since by clubs and performers due to this horrific incident that occurred 15 years ago today.
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This article appears in Feb 15-22, 2018.