Today in rock history: on this date in 1978, new wave pop trio The Police released its debut album, the stunning Outlandos d'Amour. Although the record was greeted with mixed reviews, it was an instant hit on both sides of the Atlantic largely based on the strength of the hit single, “Roxanne.” Made up of two accomplished British musicians: bassist Sting whose background was in jazz and guitarist Andy Summers who was a one-time member of a latter lineup of The Animals, the trio was rounded out by the amazing American-born drummer Stewart Copeland, the son of a CIA officer who grew up in various locations around the world. The band’s catchy, well-written pop songs fit the burgeoning, exploding new wave scene perfectly and this, the first of several superb albums The Police would release, was a huge success. Other singles released from this platinum-selling album include “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “So Lonely.”

Today in rock history: on this date in 1969, California rock and roll band Creedence Clearwater Revival released its fourth studio album, Willy and the Poor Boys. Amazingly, this was the third hit album the prolific group released in 1969 (along with Bayou Country and Green River). Each of the band’s records spawned their fair share of classic hit singles, and this one was no exception: hailing from this album were “Down On The Corner” and “Fortunate Son,” two of the band’s most recognizable and enduring hits. Another best-selling album for the band, this one peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s pop albums chart.

Today in rock history: on this date in 1982, late Florida native Tom Petty released his fifth studio album with his fine backing band, The Heartbreakers. Long After Dark came at a time when music video channel MTV was its in infancy and Petty benefited from the exposure the budding channel shed on him. The mini-movie music video for the album’s lead single “You Got Lucky” was a staple on the MTV and introduced the greatness of Tom Petty to a whole new audience who may not have had another chance to get familiarized with him. The album that welcomed late bassist Howie Epstein to the fold also featured the signature harmony vocal style Epstein would add to Petty’s leads as brilliantly heard in the album’s other single, the absolute pop gem, “Change Of Heart.” The album sold well; another gold album for Tom Petty and it peaked at No. 9 on Billboard’s pop albums chart.

Today in rock history: today marks a significant date for solo releases from two ex-Beatles. In 1973, drummer Ringo Starr released his third album as a solo artist, the simply titled Ringo. A huge success for Starr, the album features an all-star cast of famous musicians like members of The Band and all three of Ringo’s former bandmates. The album featured three top-selling hits including “Oh My My,” “Photograph” and a cover of the 1960 Johnny Burnette hit, “You’re Sixteen.” On the same date in 1987, George Harrison released his eleventh studio album, Cloud Nine. The record was produced by ELO mastermind Jeff Lynne and proved to be Harrison’s most successful album in quite some time. Worldwide hits from the album include the catchy “Got My Mind Set On You” and the homage to The Beatles, “When We Was Fab." This unexpected platinum selling success sold well around the world and cracked the top ten on album sales charts in both the U.K. and the U.S.