Today in rock history, on this date in 1972. David Bowie released not only one of the most important and influential records of his career, but one of the boldest and most vital rock and roll records of all time. Forty-five years ago today, Bowie gave birth to the fictional character and glam rock icon, Ziggy Stardust when he released arguably the greatest and most exciting concept album of all time, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. The album that heralded the glam rock era , produced so many great songs and simultaneously conjured so many vivid images was also a turning point for Bowie.
Following up his stellar Hunky Dory in 1971 was no easy feat; that record was the first to gain Bowie headlines and unanimous positive press in music publications, but it was only paving the way for what was to come. "Suffragette City", "Lady Stardust", "Moonage Daydream" and the title track are certainly some of the absolute Bowie compositions of all time and they're all contained here, on this masterwork that has thrilled and inspired listeners and budding musicians alike for almost half a century and still hasn't lost any of it's luster or shine. A classic album if ever there was one…and another brilliant piece of the beautiful, artistic, unpredictable yet always captivating body of work David Bowie left us with.
Today in rock history, on this date in 1978. Boston new wave rock band The Cars released their self-titled debut album. One of the few albums of the genre and of the time to appeal to a huge cross-section of listeners, the album and all of the singles released from it were immediate hits and received heavy airplay throughout all of '78 on just about every imaginable radio playlist being offered at the time. The new wave kids, the punks, the metal heads, the rockers and some of the disco crowd dug the immediacy of lead singer and chief songwriter Ric Ocasek's slick, ultra-catchy pop tunes and guitarist Elliot Easton's razor-sharp riffs and licks. "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl" and "Good Times Roll", all perfect pop singles, all hail from this, one of the greatest and most enduring debut albums of the era. A cleverly-produced, dynamic sounding, timeless record that still sounds every bit as sharp and tight as it did on its original release date, 39 years ago today.
Today in rock history, on this date in 1981. Ttwo incredibly important and essential post-punk classic albums were released. Talk Talk Talk, the pivotal album for British band Psychedelic Furs followed up where their debut album, released the year prior, left off and took the band to uncharted territory that they alone dared to brave. Catchy pop songs drenched in loud, fuzzy guitars, saxophones and lead singer Richard Butler's distinctive English rasp created a sound that no other band at the time had come near to achieving. It's colorful, pop art cover graphics alone were plenty of reason to pick up this incredible album; but what lies within the grooves is the real treat here. This is the Furs at their absolute best.
Alongside the sophomore album by The Furs, the very same release date found one of (if not thee) the most ambitious releases of the Siouxsie and the Banshees's catalog. Juju, the band's fourth release, delves into world music, folk, jagged punk rock, psychedelia and moody, dark pieces and masters each and every genre it experiments with superbly. The baroque, relentless folk madness that is "Spellbound", the album's most adventurous single, is worth the price of admission alone but this twisted, gorgeous album just gets better as it plays on. A bold, brash album from this all too important and irrefutably brilliant and pace-setting ensemble.
Remembering session musician, solo artist, songwriter and producer Billy Preston today on the anniversary of his passing in 2006. Preston started out as a gospel singer early on in his life and was soon known as a child prodigy. A master pianist and keyboardist, the multi-talented musician was an in-demand session musician by his 20's and was immediately recruited by The Beatles to record with them in their later years, even going to the extent of referring to him as the "fifth Beatle". Signed to the band's own Apple Records label, Preston released a couple of amazing solo albums that one of his very biggest fans, George Harrison, was heavily involved with. Later radio hits included "Will It Go Round In Circles", "Nothing From Nothing" and "Outa-Space". A truly versatile and gifted musician whose talents knew no boundaries and who added so much soul and feeling to all the records he played on.
Born on this date in 1939 in Jacksonville, Florida: Gary Levone Anderson, better know to music fans as Gary U.S. Bonds. Bonds scored his greatest successes in the early 1960's with raucous soul-inspired rockers like "School Is In", "New Orleans" and his biggest hit of all, "Quarter To Three," a revved-up number that fan and follower Bruce Springsteen adopted as one of his barn-burning encores for his incendiary live concerts dating back to the mid-1970's. Mostly unheard of and largely forgotten about in later years, it was Springsteen who revitalized Bonds's career by scoring him a new recording contract and writing a batch of new songs with band mate Little Steven Van Zandt for a comeback album that would return Bonds to the top of the charts in 1981, Dedication that featured the Top 10 smash single "This Little Girl."
This article appears in Jun 1-8, 2017.