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Today in rock history: on this date in 1981, The Rolling Stones released their 18th studio album, Tattoo You. The record was comprised mostly of leftover and unused tracks dating back to the mid-1970’s that had never made it onto any proper Stones album. Despite being a collection of previously discarded tracks, the record flows surprisingly well and contains some of the band’s strongest material. Containing the smash hit “Start Me Up” (which climbed as high as no. 2 on U.S. singles charts), the record peaked at the no. 1 spot on Billboard’s pop albums chart and kept the band’s steady string of no. 1 albums dating back to 1971 on a roll. Other singles from this dynamic album include “Hang Fire” and “Waiting On A Friend.” The record sold over four million copies in America alone and inspired one of the band’s largest and most successful stadium tours that took them all around the world.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1982, Athens, Georgia rock band R.E.M. released its very first record, the five-song EP, Chronic Town. After the release of its “Radio Free Europe” 7-inch single on small independent Atlanta-based label Hib-Tone Records, the band started creating quite a buzz around the southeast U.S. and was instantly signed to larger indie label, I.R.S. Records who released this record. The EP was met with praise from critics nationwide and it quickly became a mainstay on college radio stations. The record was the precursor to the band’s proper full-length release, 1983’s Murmur” album which continued to further the band’s stature and gained more positive momentum and attention from music press.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1996, British indie pop/dance duo Everything But The Girl broke an all-time record when its single, “Missing” appeared on Billboard magazine’s pop singles chart for the 55th straight week. The breakout dance hit eclipsed the previous record held by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ 1975 hit “December, 1963 (Oh What A Night)” and introduced the longtime duo to a whole new audience thanks to heavy airplay on mainstream radio stations and dance club play thanks to the many remixes that were created for it.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1979, Prince released “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” the single that would wind up being the first of many major hit singles he’d score in the U.S. The song was the lead single from his self-titled sophomore album. Although the future legend had released a single from his 1978 debut album previously (the minor hit “Soft and Wet”), this was the first bonafide hit single that made an impact on sales charts. The record rose to no. 11 on U.S. pop charts and shot straight up to no. 1 on the R&B singles chart and put Prince on the map. The fun, funky tune landed the Purple One the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark’s highly rated weekly music program “American Bandstand” and gained him an onslaught of positive attention in a variety of music publications. The making of a future pop star was in the works.
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This article appears in Aug 24-31, 2017.