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Today in rock history: on this date in 1981, Brandon Flowers, the dynamic lead singer of American new wave-inspired rock band, The Killers, was born in Henderson, Nevada. Answering a Las Vegas newspaper advertisement in search of band members, Flowers joined the core of what would become The Killers by 2001. By 2004, the band had been signed to a major label recording contract and would release its blockbuster debut album, Hot Fuss. The Killers have since released four more albums and Brandon himself has also released two solo albums in between his band's projects. Hailed as one of the forerunners in creating 1980s-inspired music, The Killers have cited acts like Duran Duran, Depeche Mode and U2 as its musical influences. Incredibly popular overseas, all five albums by The Killers as well as both of Brandon's two solo albums have reached the No. 1 spot on British sales charts, and the band's worldwide record sales numbers have surpassed 20 million units sold.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1993, British band The Verve released its stellar debut album, A Storm in Heaven. Separating itself from its current day contemporaries, the band, then known simply as Verve, was more interested in creating dreamy, psychedelic music than it was in leaning more towards a pop-oriented sound. The result was this first album, much of which was created spontaneously and on the spot during recording sessions. The majority of the songs on A Storm In Heaven — a title that derives from the title of a book that chronicles the rampant use of LSD in 1960s America — came about as a result of the extended jams the band conceived while recording the record. The album was met with mixed reviews upon its release in the band's native England. While some critics admired The Verve's penchant for delving into spacey psychedelia, others found the record to be self-indulgent and bloated. Nonetheless, A Storm In Heaven charted well in the U.K. and produced two hit singles: "Blue" and the transcendent, gorgeous "Slide Away" which is by far, one of The Verve's very best songs. Greater success would come for this underrated band by 1997 when its third album, the superb Urban Hymns made The Verve international superstars on the strength of the intoxicating, hypnotic single "Bitter Sweet Symphony."
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1951, multi-talented singer, songwriter and guitarist Nils Lofgren was born in Chicago, Illinois. Starting off as an accordion player as a young child, Lofgren would later become more interested in rock and roll music and would become an accomplished guitarist by his teens. While living in the Washington D.C. area, Lofgren would form the rock trio Grin which would soon land a major label record deal and would release some pretty impressive (albeit totally overlooked) albums. Nils struck up a friendship with Canadian rocker Neil Young who invited him and the band to come out to California where Young was living at the time. Lofgren ended up joining Neil's backing band, Crazy Horse by age 19 and appeared on the landmark 1970 album, After the Gold Rush. Lofgren continued to record and tour with Grin but continued to work with Neil sporadically throughout the years. Nils was asked to join Bruce Springsteen's highly respected E Street Band in 1984 just as Bruce's Born in the USA tour was about to commence and longtime guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt decided to take a hiatus from Springsteen's group. Nils has remained active as a solo artist while continuing as an active member of Bruce's band. In 2014, Lofgren found himself a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee as part of The E Street Band.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1985, California hard rock band Mötley Crüe released its third album, the enormously successful Theatre of Pain. Coming at a particularly bleak time in the band's tenure since it followed an arrest and charge of vehicular manslaughter for its lead singer, Vince Neil. While riding with Razzle — the drummer from top Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks — Neil was involved in a serious car accident that took the life of the young drummer. Theatre of Pain was more of a pop-friendly, glam-influenced record in comparison to the band's earlier, heavier records. Singles from the album included a cover version of Brownsville Station's 1970s bad boy anthem, "Smokin' in the Boys Room" as well as one of the all-time best and most memorable hard rock power ballads, "Home Sweet Home." The album climbed to No. 6 on Billboard's pop albums chart and has, to date, sold in excess of 4 million copies in America alone making it one of the band's best-selling and most recognizable albums.
