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Today in rock history: on this date in 1977, one of the best-selling and popular soundtrack albums of all time was released. The 2-LP set that accompanied the blockbuster smash film Saturday Night Fever was released on this date and made the popular singing group The Bee Gees superstars. The British-born brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb grew up in Australia, and scored a pile of hit pop singles throughout the world in the 1960s and the early 1970s. When the brothers tried their hand at the incredibly popular disco format that was ruling airwaves and dance floors in the late 70s, they entered a whole different stratosphere. The film that featured up and coming actor John Travolta featured plenty of disco music and dance scenes and it gained Travolta credibility as a dramatic actor. The soundtrack went on to sell 15 million copies in the United States alone and topped Billboard’s pop albums chart for a whopping 24 straight weeks. Hit singles from the album included Bee Gees smashes “Night Fever,” “Staying Alive,” “How Deep Is Your Love” as well as spawning hit singles for KC and the Sunshine Band and Yvonne Elliman. The record went on to sell over 25 million copies worldwide, won six Grammy awards and made disco music, white three piece suits and the Bee Gees internationally known.
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Today in rock history; Beastie Boys go to Paul's Boutique
Today in rock history: on this date in 1986, the first full length album by New York based rap trio Beastie Boys, License To Ill was released. The former punk rock outfit that later morphed into a hip-hop threesome was an unexpected and unprecedented success. The record became the very first rap album to ever go to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s pop albums chart and became one of the fastest-selling debut albums in the history of Columbia Records, the label that signed the rowdy group and brought them to nationwide recognition. The album contained the hits and Beastie Boys signature songs “Paul Revere,” “Brass Monkey,” “No Sleep till Brooklyn” and the bad-boy anthem “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)” which gained notoriety thanks to a hilarious music video that was a favorite on MTV and was played in heavy rotation. The multi-platinum selling album made Beastie Boys overnight superstars and started its long and illustrious journey which included plenty of best-selling and renowned hip-hop albums.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1970, highly influential and groundbreaking New York city band The Velvet Underground released its fourth studio album, the classic Loaded. The record was the band’s final release that would include founder and songwriter Lou Reed as part of the lineup; Reed left the band shortly before the record was released in search of a solo career. While the band never achieved a whole lot in the way of commercial success or record sales, this fine record was probably the closest it ever came to releasing an album with real potential to make some impact on sales charts. Containing some of the band’s finest and most enduring work, classic singles like “Sweet Jane” and the anthemic “Rock & Roll” (which both have been covered by a slew of other artists) both hail from this fantastic album which many Velvets fans feel is the band's best record. What this terrific album lacked in sales numbers, it definitely made up for in influence, impact and rock and roll stature.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1970, legendary Irish blue-eyed soul singer Van Morrison released his fifth studio album, the soulful His Band and the Street Choir. Following the success of this prior solo releases, 1968’s classic Astral Weeks and the milestone Moondance which was released earlier in 1970, Morrison continued his run of exquisite albums with this classic that contains well-known numbers like “Domino,” “Blue Money” and “Call Me Up In Dreamland.” The album was another success for Van; it cracked the Top 20 on charts in both England and the U.S. and it solidified his place as arguably the best and most expressive rock and roll singer of the time. Originally intended to be recorded as an acapella recording with only a choir accompanying the talented singer, the stylistic format was changed when Morrison expressed dislike for the way the original recordings were progressing. Read our review of Morrison's Clearwater show here.
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This article appears in Nov 9-16, 2017.