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Today in rock history: on this date in 1972, British rock band Yes released its fifth studio album, the epic Close To The Edge”. Following the success the band found with its previous release, the platinum-selling breakthrough album, Fragile, the group came back this, one of Yes’ most-beloved and acclaimed albums. The record consists of only three tracks, including the multi-part, 18-minute title track that spans the entire first side of the album. Often referred to as the greatest progressive rock album of all time, Close To The Edge continued with the momentum and the chart performance its predecessor achieved. The record peaked at no. 3 on U.S. album sales charts, no. 4 in the U.K. and has sold millions of copies all around the globe.
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Interview: Jumping In The Deep End With Yes Drummer Alan White
Today in rock history: on this date in 1974, guitarist Ron Wood released his very first solo album, the cleverly titled I’ve Got My Own Album to Do. Not yet a member of the Rolling Stones (which wouldn’t happen until 1975) and at the tail-end of the existence of his then-current band, The Faces, Wood’s first solo venture features a slew of guest artists and performers. Future band mates Mick Jagger and Keith Richards penned some tracks for the record as well as playing and singing on it. Other guests on the album include Rod Stewart, George Harrison, Mick Taylor and Ian McLagan. The record sold well in the U.K., was positively received by rock critics in both England and in the U.S., and was the first of many strong solo Ron Wood albums that would follow.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1974, the all-female rock/r&b singing group LaBelle released what would be its most successful and acclaimed album, Nightbirds. After three moderately successful albums, the band’s record label hired legendary New Orleans songwriter and musician Allen Toussaint to oversee the production duties for what would wind up being LaBelle’s best-selling album. Including the worldwide smash “Lady Marmalade” which topped the U.S. R&& and pop singles charts, the album itself also cracked the top 10 on the Billboard’s album sales charts and received heavy airplay on pop radio. Dressed like space-age glam rock divas, the band and its unique vocalists Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash and plus namesake Patti LaBelle all shared singing duties and wound up being invited as an opening act by both The Rolling Stones and The Who in the early 1970s thanks to their crossover appeal and success.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1986, California new wave band Berlin went to no. 1 on the pop singles chart with its ballad, “Take My Breath Away”. The song was written by renowned record producer and electronic music pioneer Giorgio Moroder who’d previously worked with artists as diverse as Donna Summer and Sparks and brought a whole new element to their sound.
Berlin had worked with Moroder before on a 1984 dance club hit “No More Words,” but the pair’s greatest success came with this love song that served as the love theme of the 1986 blockbuster film, Top Gun. The song won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe award in 1986 as the best original song from a motion picture, and it brought the electronic/new wave band the highest charting single of its career.
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This article appears in Sep 7-14, 2017.
