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Today in rock history: on this date in 1979, British new wave group XTC released its third studio album, the classic Drums And Wires. After two moderately successful album in its homeland, this record was the one that helped introduce the band to a much wider audience and started a string of successful albums that were highly regarded critically and helped the band carve out a niche as one of the smartest and most captivating outfits of its era. The album’s best known song, “Making Plans For Nigel” is undoubtedly one of the definitive songs of the band’s catalog and might be familiar to fans of the quirky power trio Primus as the band covered it on their 1992 EP, Miscellaneous Debris. The album performed well in the U.K. and was recognized by underground U.S. music magazines and college radio stations for its well-crafted pop songs and lead singer and vocalist Andy Partridge’s witty lyrics.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1987, songwriter, musician and master storyteller Tom Waits released his superb Frank’s Wild Years album. The title hails from a selection from his landmark 1983 album Swordfishtrombones. Wild Years is divided into two distinct acts as it was written as a play and is subtitled “Un Operachi Romantico in Two Acts”. The play had its premiere in June of 1986 in Chicago, Illinois and was performed by the Steppenwolf Theater Company. The album features the stunning guitar work of Marc Ribot, a longtime Waits collaborator and features accordion work from Los Lobos singer, David Hidalgo. Waits, the multiple instrumentalist with that distinctive, raspy voice is credited with playing pump organ, guitar, vocal stylings, mellotron, drums, conga and tambourine among various others on this fantastic album.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1991, Nirvana filmed the music video that would make it international rock stars. The clip for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was filmed at GMT Studios in Culver City, California and featured actual Nirvana fans as extras and actors throughout it The video was filmed for less than $50,000 and received countless hours of airtime on MTV; the network also awarded the band with several of their music video award statuettes for this successful and beloved music video. The clip also made it into the "Guinness World Book of Records" for being the most played video on MTV’s international counterpart, MTV Europe.
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Change is good: An interview with Cindy Wilson of the B-52's
Born on this date in 1958 in Los Angeles, California: Belinda Carlisle, the charming and effervescent lead singer of all-girl punk rock/new wave band, The Go-Go’s. After a brief stint as a member of legendary west coast punk band The Germs, Belinda joined the Go-Go’s in 1978 when the band was a part of Los Angeles’s thriving, explosive punk rock scene. Years later, the band morphed its sound into more of a pop/new wave blend and the shift proved successful; its debut album, Beauty and the Beat topped the charts in 1981 and became the very first album by an all-female group performing and playing all original material to go to the no. 1 spot on Billboard’s album chart. Carlisle also embarked on a successful solo career during the band’s temporary breakup that brought her hits like “Mad About You” and “Heaven Is A Place On Earth.” In recent years, Carlisle reformed with members of the band to embark on a highly successful farewell tour that saw them playing hits from their long career and drew sold out crowds worldwide.
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This article appears in Aug 17-24, 2017.