Today in rock history: On this date in 1979, Neil Young released his live album, Rust Never Sleeps. Backed by his hard-rocking band Crazy Horse, the album was recorded throughout a 1978 tour with overdubs being added later. The half-acoustic/half-electric album received rave reviews and was instantly hailed as one of Neil’s best records from his long career. The record sold well and climbed as high as No. 8 on Billboard’s pop albums chart. Much of the crowd noise was made barely audible throughout the record and two of the tracks included — “Pocahontas” and “Sail Away” — were actually studio recordings mixed in among the live songs. The album opens and closes with two versions of the same song: “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue),” the album’s first song is enjoys a reprise with “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black),” the final song on the second side of the album. The success of the album prompted the release of Live Rust later in 1979, another live album that mixed songs from Rust Never Sleeps with many of Neil’s recognizable songs from his career.

TODAY IN ROCK HISTORY
Elvis Costello is Almost Blue

Today in rock history: On this date in 1982, singer/songwriter Elvis Costello released his seventh album, the artistic triumph Imperial Bedroom. A departure from earlier records, Elvis changed his sound and his style a bit and only hinted at the diversity and the experimentation in his music that was to come. Following his all-country album, 1981’s Almost Blue, fans were confused with the directions Elvis was taking in his music. Lush arrangements, orchestration and torch ballads appear on this magnificent album, and the ideas work brilliantly. Highly regarded by rock critics, the album appeared on several year-end best-of lists at the close of 1982. A Top 10 hit in England, the album made it as high as the Top 30 on U.S. sales charts. Produced by Geoff Emerick, the sound engineer who worked with The Beatles on many of their most celebrated albums, the sound and the feel of the record reached new heights of sophistication Costello hadn’t yet achieved throughout his still-young career.

Today in rock history: On this date in 1958, one of Elvis Presley’s most beloved and highly regarded films, King Creole, was released. The gritty, black-and-white film found Presley portraying a character named Danny Fisher and was based on a 1952 Harold Robbins novel. Receiving a deferment from his enlistment in the U.S. Army in order to make the movie, King Creole was filmed in New Orleans and scenes were constantly interrupted by the excitement of fans who reacted to seeing Presley up close and personal. Presley later stated that, of all his films, this particular one was his favorite. Critical reception for the film, and for Elvis’s acting performance in particular, was extremely favorable. The album’s soundtrack rose to No. 2 on U.S. charts and was a No. 1 success in England. Featuring the million selling, No. 1 hit single, “Hard Headed Woman,” the soundtrack album also featured Presley classics “Trouble” and the title track.

Today in rock history: On this date in 1984, a U.S.-only compilation album, People Are People, was released in hopes of igniting the American popularity of the synthesizer-driven British band Depeche Mode. Although success had found its way to the band throughout Europe, the U.S. was slow to follow in holding the infectious, clever band in high regard. Featuring a collection of singles and album tracks, the record was titled after the international hit single that was the centerpiece of this collection. A slow seller at the onset, the “People Are People” single became a huge hit in America the following summer and, in 1985, this record became a hot seller and served as the introduction to the band for many U.S. listeners. The album featured some of the band’s earlier British hit singles like “Love, In Itself,” “Everything Counts” and “Leave in Silence” among others. By 1987, the band would achieve worldwide success with its breakthrough album Music For the Masses and would become one of the best-selling and most popular bands in the world.