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Today in rock history: on this date in 1987, British rock band The Cult released its third album, Electric. The band, which rose to cult status as a leading gothic rock band, enjoyed substantial success with its 1985 breakthrough album Love. As a follow up, the band hired leading hard rock and hop-hop producer Rick Rubin to beef up its sound and make The Cult appealing to hard rock audiences. Electric was an enormous success and, according to plan, exposed the band to a whole new audience. The band’s harder sound on Love recalled the firepower of AC/DC and, while it attracted new fans, it also alienated some longtime fans who weren’t pleased with the band’s new direction. Regardless, the album still climbed as high as No. 4 on sales charts in the band’s home country of England. Singles from the album included “Love Removal Machine,” “Lil’ Devil” and “Wild Flower.”
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1981, The Birthday Party, a raucous, noisy post-punk band that featured the inimitable Nick Cave on lead vocals, released its incendiary debut studio album, Prayers on Fire. Released first in the band’s home country of Australia, the album was later issued by leading British indie label, 4 AD Records. The band was originally called The Boys Next Door but changed its name to The Birthday Party just before the release of this unforgettable first album. Reviewed positively by many underground rock journalists, the album fared well on British indie album charts and drew plenty of attention to this groundbreaking band and its dynamic singer and chief songwriter, Nick Cave. The band would release four albums before Cave would form his follow-up band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, in 1983 which went on to become one of the most popular and beloved band’s in post-punk and alternative rock circles.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1937, country music legend Merle Haggard was born in Oildale, California. Born into a modest family which lived in a boxcar that was converted into a living space, Haggard spent plenty of his younger years in trouble with the law and served several stints of prison time. While serving time in San Quentin prison in California, a performance by another country legend, Johnny Cash, inspired Haggard to pursue a career in music which is exactly what he did when he was released in 1960. Haggard enjoyed several hit singles throughout his career with some of the most memorable being “Mama Tried,” “Workin’ Man Blues,” “Okie from Muskogee” and “The Fightin' Side of Me” among so many more. Praised for his outlaw country style, Haggard was one of the most successful artists in the genre throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Sadly, this date also marked the end of Haggard’s life as he passed away in 2016 on his 79th birthday due to complications from pneumonia.
TODAY IN ROCK HISTORY
Big Star's Alex Chilton is born, Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson drowns and more
Today in rock history: on this date in 1983, James Watt, the Secretary of the Interior under the standing president at the time, Ronald Reagan, decided to cancel the scheduled appearance by legendary band The Beach Boys for the Fourth of July festivities that were supposed to take place on the Washington Mall. The band had played this event before but Watt decided to pull the plug on them out of fear that the California band would attract the “wrong element.” “We’re not going to encourage drug abuse and alcoholism as was done in the past.” the controversial figure said when cancelling the previously scheduled appearance. Instead, opting for what he called a more “wholesome” show, Las Vegas crooner Wayne Newton was booked. The White House was flooded with calls complaining about the cancellation and even First Lady of the United States, Nancy Reagan, criticized the action claiming she herself was a huge Beach Boys fan. The band was later re-invited to the event but had to decline; due to the resurgence in popularity it received as a result of this controversy. It was instead offered a gig in Atlantic City which the Beach Boys gladly accepted. The band did, however, appear at the event in 1984 and attracted a crowd of 750,000 fans to the festivities. James Watt later admitted to not knowing who The Beach Boys were or recognizing any of its songs. He was also forced to resign in October 1983, after he described one of his opposing committees as ”a black, a woman, two Jews, and a cripple.”
