Today in rock history, on this date in 1942. Brian Douglas Wilson was born in Inglewood, California. The chief songwriter, creator, composer, arranger and co-founder of legendary band The Beach Boys revolutionized rock and roll as an art form with his meticulous production techniques, his vision and his foresight. Happy 75th to the genius behind the legendary Pet Sounds album and so many other great Beach Boys records. Read our review of his 2016 set in St. Pete here.
Born on this date in 1960 in Warwickshire, England — Nigel John Taylor. Better known by his middle name, bassist Taylor, along with bandmate/keyboardist Nick Rhodes formed Duran Duran as teenagers and went on the lead the band to incredible heights as it dominated radio airwaves and sales charts starting in the 1980s. Taylor also had stints with Power Station, Neurotic Outsiders as well as with his own solo band, Terroristen. Happy 57th to John Taylor, who is still active and touring with Duran Duran.
Today in rock history, on this date in 1969, the three-day Newport '69 festival kicked off in Northridge, California. The three day event attracted more than 200,000 fans and featured some of the hottest acts of the day. Jimi Hendrix headlined the very first night of the event and was reportedly paid $125,000 for his appearance, the highest salary at that time ever paid to a performer for a single appearance. Other performers included Ike and Tina Turner, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rascals, Taj Mahal, Marvin Gaye, Eric Burdon and Jethro Tull. Ticket prices ranged from $6 for admission to a single day to $15 for a ticket to attend all three days of the festival.
\\<\/iframe\>Today in rock history: on this date in 1974, Bob Dylan released his very first live album, the double LP set Before The Flood, a concert album featuring The Band as his backing band. Culled from performances of a tour the two artists embarked on throughout '74, the record features a mix of Dylan tunes as well as plenty of Band songs. Some of the arrangements featured some of Bob's songs, which vary from their more traditional versions but benefit from the solid backing and energy The Band provides throughout. The album peaked at no. 3 on Billboard album charts and was, for the most part, received favorably from critics at the time who praised the energy The Band brought to the tour and to the performances captured on the record.
\\<\/iframe\>Today in rock history, on this date in 1966. Another Beatles album comprised of recent British hits, singles and album tracks was released in America. As British album track listings differed from those on the band's American releases, it wasn't uncommon for these types of collections to be released in the States. Yesterday and Today was intended to capitalize on the success the band had achieved with its hit single "Yesterday," and it included many more relevant tracks of the time. However, it was the cover artwork for this release that garnered the most attention. Tired of conventional photo shoots, the band agreed to partake in more of an artsy, conceptual photo shoot that found them dressed in white smocks and holding broken baby doll parts and raw meat. The public outcry was one of rage and disgust and the band's label, Capitol Records, immediately withdrew 750,000 copies of the album with the original artwork after the controversy. The cover, known as the "butcher block" cover has remained a sought after collectable and still fetches steep prices in the collector's market. The cover was replaced with a tamer, more conventional photo of the band for all future releases.
