Today in rock history: on this date in 1972, former Impressions member and songwriter Curtis Mayfield released his third studio album. The release came in the form of a soundtrack to a film by the name of Superfly. Telling the socially relevant tale of drugs, crime and poverty, Mayfield’s now legendary album became an instant classic and showed the gifted singer’s many talents including his unmistakable falsetto voice, his guitar playing and his amazing lyrical skills. The album was a massive success; it climbed to no. 1 on Billboard’s pop and r&b charts and almost did the same on the publication’s jazz chart as well. The popularity of the record outshone the film known to be the forerunner in the “Blaxploitation” genre and produced two hit singles: “Freddie’s Dead” and the title track.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1989, New York City hip-hop trio Beastie Boys released the follow up to its highly successful debut album, License To Ill. Is sophomore album, Paul’s Boutique, was a slow seller at first. The band’s label, Capitol Records, was initially disappointed with the album’s weak initial response and promotion for the album came to a halt. However, the record steadily grew in popularity and in no time started garnering a deep following of its own. Comprised of a slew of samples, the record has since been considered a work of art and is often listed near the top of many all-time greatest hip-hop albums lists. The album features Beasties classics like “Hey Ladies” and “Shake Your Rump” and the deluxe, multi-paneled, fold out cover depicting a New York City street corner in which the album was originally housed is one of the most elaborately designed sleeves of all time.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1980, Australian hard rock band AC/DC released its biggest and most successful album of all time, Back In Black. After several popular albums featuring their original lead singer, Bon Scott, the band employed ex-Georgie lead singer Brian Johnson to fill in after Scott’s untimely death. The solid black cover on the album was intended as a tribute to the recently deceased singer and instantly became a hard rock classic. With worldwide sales estimated in excess of 50 million copies, the album is second only to Michael Jackson’s blockbuster Thriller album in global sales figures. Featuring hit singles and hard rock radio staples like “Hells Bells,” “You Shook Me All Night Long” and the title track, this monster record has continued to sell briskly and appeal to rockers of all ages.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1969, prog rock masters Yes released its self-titled debut album. Not quite entering the mesmerizing, spiraling, soaring progressive heights they’d soon reach, the first album in their lengthy catalog relied more on psychedelia and pop and even featured a cover of a lesser-known Beatles song (“Every Little Thing” from the Fab Four’s 1964 album, Beatles For Sale). Two singles were released from the album: “Sweetness” and “Looking Around” but neither made much impact on radio or on sales charts here or in the band’s native England and neither did the album. Two covers were designed for the album with the UK sleeve featuring a cartoon-like bubble with the band’s name placed inside it while the U.S. cover featured a posed band photo.
