Cadillac Records, the new movie on the rise of Chicago's Chess Records and it's associated artists, is set to premier on December 5. The soundtrack album will hit stores on December 2 via Music World/Columbia as either a 1-CD, 2-CD or Vinyl LP set.
The movie stars Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess and includes a wide array of modern artists playing the greats of the Chess stable, including Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Beyonce as Etta James, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, Columbus Short as Little Walter, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters and Eamonn Walker as Howlin' Wolf.
While the majority of the album is made up of new recordings of the classic Chess songs, a few originals are included by artists like Little Walter, Buddy Guy and Elvis Presley.
The track list:
Disc 1
I'm a Man - Jeffrey Wright
At Last - Beyoncé
No Particular Place to Go - Mos Def
I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man - Jeffrey Wright
Once in a Lifetime - Beyoncé
Let's Take a Walk - Raphael Saadiq
6 O'Clock Blues - Solange Knowles
Nadine - Mos Def
The Sound - Mary Mary
Last Night - Little Walter
I'd Rather Go Blind - Beyoncé
My Babe - Coco Short
Bridging the Gap - Nas
Disc 2
Maybellene - Mos Def
Forty Days and Forty Nights - Buddy Guy
Trust in Me - Beyoncé
Juke - SOUL7
Smokestack Lightnin' - Eamonn Walker
Promised Land - Mos Def
All I Could Do Was Cry - Beyoncé
Surfin' U.S.A. - Will Lee Voices
My Babe - Elvis Presley
I Can't Be Satisfied - Jeffrey Wright
Come On - Mos Def
Country Blues - Bill Sims
Evolution of a Man - Al Kapone
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Music News and Notes
The Prodigy are set to release a new record in 2009
The Prodigy are set to release a new record in 2009. Invaders Must Die is the upcoming, fifth studio album by the electronic act The Prodigy. It will be released on March 2, 2009 on the band’s new label, “Take Me to the Hospital” and distributed by Cooking Vinyl. It will be the first studio album released by the band since 2004’s Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned and is the first Prodigy album since 1997’s The Fat of the Land to feature Liam Howlett, Keith Flint and Maxim. The album will be released as a CD, CD/DVD, Double Vinyl, Luxury 7 inch Vinyl box set and Digital Download. No tracklist is available at this time and we will post more details soon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are just about done, done, done.
The Brooklyn indie-rock trio's nearly finished with a year-long writing and recording process to deliver the follow-up to last year's Is Is EP (review) (Interscope). While the band isn't ready to give the set a title, it's pretty adamant that the new album won't sound much like any previous records.
"Will it sound kind of like Show Your Bones (review)? No, been there done that," the band said in a blog post. "What about Is Is? Is that more of the direction it's going in? Absolutely not, it sounds very different from last year's EP. Did we go back to our roots and write something closer to Fever to Tell (review)? No looking back now silly, just full speed ahead."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ultravox's Classic Lineup Reunites
The best known lineup of synth-pop act Ultravox is getting back together for a tour.
The reunion tour, which runs through much of April in the United Kingdom, places singer/guitarist Midge Ure at the front of the band. Ure's responsible for the best-known in the States recordings by Ultravox, particularly 1982's Quartet. He split with Ultravox in 1985, and the act folded shortly thereafter.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MASTODON vinyl box set
A collector's edition MASTODON vinyl box set will be released on November 18 via Relapse Records. This box set will be a one-time pressing strictly limited to 1,000 copies and include nine 180-gram LPs encapsulating the legendary band's entire history of recordings.
The box set will be cased in a heavy duty, foil stamped black box and include the following:
* The vinyl pressing of MASTODON's 2006 Reprise debut, "Blood Mountain", on expanded double LP.
* The band's critically acclaimed 2004 release "Leviathan", expanded to double LP.
* MASTODON's covers of "The Bit" (MELVINS), "Emerald" (THIN LIZZY) and "Orion" (METALLICA).
* A live record documenting the band's performance at the Relapse Contamination Festival in 2003. This LP is, and will remain, exclusive to this box set.
* The band's reissue of early recordings, "Call Of The Mastodon".
* The final vinyl pressing of the original "Lifesblood" recording.
The box set will also include an embroidered logo patch, a vinyl sticker set, as well as a custom MASTODON turntable mat. All of these items will be exclusive to this box set, never to appear outside of it.
SOURCE: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net
------------------------------------------------------------------------
M83 Albums on Vinyl
Mute Records will release all five M83 albums on vinyl for the first time on Novemeber 25th. Each release will include a bonus CD and all are double LPs (save for Digital Shades Vol. 1 - which was previously a digital only release and just came out on CD October 28th).
M83's music, primarily Anthony Gonzalez (original member Nicolas Fromageau left after the tour for Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts) is at once cinematic in scope as well as emotionally stirring.
M83 has confirmed a headlining US tour throughout November. The tour kicks off in Atlanta, GA, on November 11th and wraps up in Los Angeles, CA, on November 29th. Following those dates, M83 will head across the pond to the UK to open for Kings of Leon (?!). These dates are all in support of M83's fifth record, Saturdays = Youth, which has been heaped with praise on this site: "(M83) makes something majestic, grand and sweeping, but never anything less than heartfelt and personal."
Morgan Kibby, M83's keyboardist on this tour, is contributing a tour blog from the European jaunt to Kevin Bronson's new website, BuzzBands.
The five M83 albums to be released on vinyl on November 25th are:
-Saturdays=Youth – originally released 2008
-Digital Shades Vol. 1 – originally released 2007 on digital format only
-Before the Dawn Heals Us - originally released 2005
-Dead Cities, Red Seas, and Lost Ghosts – originally released 2004
-M83 – originally released 2002
SOURCE: http://rockandrollghost.blogspot.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
McCauley's War Elephant reminiscent of Hank Williams Sr.
New album is actually a re-release.
By Tom Carbone
It all began one cold winter in 2004 - John McCauley, aka Deer Tick, locked himself into his bedroom in Providence, R.I., with a full bottle of brandy and Hank Williams Sr.'s Gold Collection. In this bedroom, an epiphany occurred for McCauley, and a few short months later he found himself touring around the country.
A lifestyle like this is quite hectic, especially for someone as young as McCauley. At the ripe young age of 18, he began to tour in support of the songs he was howling in his bedroom. With two full years of touring under his belt, the then 20-year-old released War Elephant in late 2007, but is now re-issuing the record on Partisan Records. The new release features a limited edition double vinyl and CD coupled with its new album artwork.
McCauley's uniquely pinched croon is spine-tingling - his voice cannot be overlooked. On the opening track "Ashamed," McCauley claims, "I am the boy your mother wanted you to meet."
"Ashamed" is a folksy acoustic piece that really sets a precedent for the rest of the record. His gritty-yet-fluid voice seems to be fully developed on this song, despite his young age. The lyrics, however, are a tad juvenile. This could be intentional, but it could also just be a result of his youth. There is no reason to complain about the lyrics, though, as they put across messages and ideas in ways that fully trained poets and musicians sometimes cannot do.
The Hank Williams in McCauley starts to shine with the second track, "Art Isn't Real (City of Sin)." A seemingly depressed McCauley states, "I gotta get drunk now/I gotta forget about some things." As he yells, a string section begins, and the song continues. The song is beautiful, despite its lyrical content. Ol' Hank has taught him well, but hopefully McCauley doesn't end up like him.
McCauley's pattern of drunken rambles and experiences changes with "Spend The Night," a poppy, upbeat tune about love that again can be directly compared to Hank Williams when he was performing more pop-influenced tunes. "Spend the night in my arms/I'll keep you tight, I'll keep you warm," McCauley promises. Even if you don't have McCauley in person to do this, the record will suffice; He's that talented.
Despite playing all of the instruments on War Elephant himself, he has now recruited two other full-time members to the band he tours and records with. This doesn't change the live show at all, but it remains to be seen what this will do to studio recordings.
Granted, if you've never listened to John McCauley before, don't expect to be in love with him after the first spin. These songs and his voice will grow on you much like Joanna Newsom's did. Or even Conor Oberst's. His voice isn't bad, but it's certainly unconventional.
SOURCE: http://www.themaneater.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Killers, Ludacris, Kanye albums move up a day
NEW YORK (Billboard) – New albums by the Killers, Ludacris and Kanye West will be released a day earlier than planned, on Monday November 24, to capitalize on the Thanksgiving shopping weekend, their Island Def Jam label said.
Each project has already spawned a hit. The Killers' "Human," drawn from the album "Day & Age," is No. 6 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart.
Ludacris' "One More Drink" co-starring T-Pain is No. 34 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs; it comes from "Theater of the Mind."
West's "Love Lockdown," from "808s & Heartbreak," has already peaked at No. 3 on the flagship Hot 100 single chart.
Reuters/Billboard
The Prodigy are set to release a new record in 2009. Invaders Must Die is the upcoming, fifth studio album by the electronic act The Prodigy. It will be released on March 2, 2009 on the band’s new label, “Take Me to the Hospital” and distributed by Cooking Vinyl. It will be the first studio album released by the band since 2004’s Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned and is the first Prodigy album since 1997’s The Fat of the Land to feature Liam Howlett, Keith Flint and Maxim. The album will be released as a CD, CD/DVD, Double Vinyl, Luxury 7 inch Vinyl box set and Digital Download. No tracklist is available at this time and we will post more details soon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are just about done, done, done.
The Brooklyn indie-rock trio's nearly finished with a year-long writing and recording process to deliver the follow-up to last year's Is Is EP (review) (Interscope). While the band isn't ready to give the set a title, it's pretty adamant that the new album won't sound much like any previous records.
"Will it sound kind of like Show Your Bones (review)? No, been there done that," the band said in a blog post. "What about Is Is? Is that more of the direction it's going in? Absolutely not, it sounds very different from last year's EP. Did we go back to our roots and write something closer to Fever to Tell (review)? No looking back now silly, just full speed ahead."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ultravox's Classic Lineup Reunites
The best known lineup of synth-pop act Ultravox is getting back together for a tour.
The reunion tour, which runs through much of April in the United Kingdom, places singer/guitarist Midge Ure at the front of the band. Ure's responsible for the best-known in the States recordings by Ultravox, particularly 1982's Quartet. He split with Ultravox in 1985, and the act folded shortly thereafter.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MASTODON vinyl box set
A collector's edition MASTODON vinyl box set will be released on November 18 via Relapse Records. This box set will be a one-time pressing strictly limited to 1,000 copies and include nine 180-gram LPs encapsulating the legendary band's entire history of recordings.
The box set will be cased in a heavy duty, foil stamped black box and include the following:
* The vinyl pressing of MASTODON's 2006 Reprise debut, "Blood Mountain", on expanded double LP.
* The band's critically acclaimed 2004 release "Leviathan", expanded to double LP.
* MASTODON's covers of "The Bit" (MELVINS), "Emerald" (THIN LIZZY) and "Orion" (METALLICA).
* A live record documenting the band's performance at the Relapse Contamination Festival in 2003. This LP is, and will remain, exclusive to this box set.
* The band's reissue of early recordings, "Call Of The Mastodon".
* The final vinyl pressing of the original "Lifesblood" recording.
The box set will also include an embroidered logo patch, a vinyl sticker set, as well as a custom MASTODON turntable mat. All of these items will be exclusive to this box set, never to appear outside of it.
SOURCE: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net
------------------------------------------------------------------------
M83 Albums on Vinyl
Mute Records will release all five M83 albums on vinyl for the first time on Novemeber 25th. Each release will include a bonus CD and all are double LPs (save for Digital Shades Vol. 1 - which was previously a digital only release and just came out on CD October 28th).
M83's music, primarily Anthony Gonzalez (original member Nicolas Fromageau left after the tour for Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts) is at once cinematic in scope as well as emotionally stirring.
M83 has confirmed a headlining US tour throughout November. The tour kicks off in Atlanta, GA, on November 11th and wraps up in Los Angeles, CA, on November 29th. Following those dates, M83 will head across the pond to the UK to open for Kings of Leon (?!). These dates are all in support of M83's fifth record, Saturdays = Youth, which has been heaped with praise on this site: "(M83) makes something majestic, grand and sweeping, but never anything less than heartfelt and personal."
Morgan Kibby, M83's keyboardist on this tour, is contributing a tour blog from the European jaunt to Kevin Bronson's new website, BuzzBands.
The five M83 albums to be released on vinyl on November 25th are:
-Saturdays=Youth – originally released 2008
-Digital Shades Vol. 1 – originally released 2007 on digital format only
-Before the Dawn Heals Us - originally released 2005
-Dead Cities, Red Seas, and Lost Ghosts – originally released 2004
-M83 – originally released 2002
SOURCE: http://rockandrollghost.blogspot.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
McCauley's War Elephant reminiscent of Hank Williams Sr.
New album is actually a re-release.
By Tom Carbone
It all began one cold winter in 2004 - John McCauley, aka Deer Tick, locked himself into his bedroom in Providence, R.I., with a full bottle of brandy and Hank Williams Sr.'s Gold Collection. In this bedroom, an epiphany occurred for McCauley, and a few short months later he found himself touring around the country.
A lifestyle like this is quite hectic, especially for someone as young as McCauley. At the ripe young age of 18, he began to tour in support of the songs he was howling in his bedroom. With two full years of touring under his belt, the then 20-year-old released War Elephant in late 2007, but is now re-issuing the record on Partisan Records. The new release features a limited edition double vinyl and CD coupled with its new album artwork.
McCauley's uniquely pinched croon is spine-tingling - his voice cannot be overlooked. On the opening track "Ashamed," McCauley claims, "I am the boy your mother wanted you to meet."
"Ashamed" is a folksy acoustic piece that really sets a precedent for the rest of the record. His gritty-yet-fluid voice seems to be fully developed on this song, despite his young age. The lyrics, however, are a tad juvenile. This could be intentional, but it could also just be a result of his youth. There is no reason to complain about the lyrics, though, as they put across messages and ideas in ways that fully trained poets and musicians sometimes cannot do.
The Hank Williams in McCauley starts to shine with the second track, "Art Isn't Real (City of Sin)." A seemingly depressed McCauley states, "I gotta get drunk now/I gotta forget about some things." As he yells, a string section begins, and the song continues. The song is beautiful, despite its lyrical content. Ol' Hank has taught him well, but hopefully McCauley doesn't end up like him.
McCauley's pattern of drunken rambles and experiences changes with "Spend The Night," a poppy, upbeat tune about love that again can be directly compared to Hank Williams when he was performing more pop-influenced tunes. "Spend the night in my arms/I'll keep you tight, I'll keep you warm," McCauley promises. Even if you don't have McCauley in person to do this, the record will suffice; He's that talented.
Despite playing all of the instruments on War Elephant himself, he has now recruited two other full-time members to the band he tours and records with. This doesn't change the live show at all, but it remains to be seen what this will do to studio recordings.
Granted, if you've never listened to John McCauley before, don't expect to be in love with him after the first spin. These songs and his voice will grow on you much like Joanna Newsom's did. Or even Conor Oberst's. His voice isn't bad, but it's certainly unconventional.
SOURCE: http://www.themaneater.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Killers, Ludacris, Kanye albums move up a day
NEW YORK (Billboard) – New albums by the Killers, Ludacris and Kanye West will be released a day earlier than planned, on Monday November 24, to capitalize on the Thanksgiving shopping weekend, their Island Def Jam label said.
Each project has already spawned a hit. The Killers' "Human," drawn from the album "Day & Age," is No. 6 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart.
Ludacris' "One More Drink" co-starring T-Pain is No. 34 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs; it comes from "Theater of the Mind."
West's "Love Lockdown," from "808s & Heartbreak," has already peaked at No. 3 on the flagship Hot 100 single chart.
Reuters/Billboard
Album Cover Art
Let's look at #42 on the Gigwise.com top 50 most sexy and dirtiest album covers (as put together by their staff):
42. Morrissey: 'Your Arsenal' Wow, using a microphone as a phalic symbol, how original and creative. Your Arsenal is a 1992 album by British singer Morrissey. The album was regarded by many fans and critics as his strongest and heaviest effort yet upon its release.
Morrissey had been rehearsing with a new band prior to the release of Your Arsenal, which was the first official album of this new line up, whose core has remained stable to date: ever since this record was released, his music has been chiefly composed by either Alain Whyte or Boz Boorer, two musicians originally coming from the rockabilly scene.
Commencing with the blistering "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side", the album represents a clear change in direction for Morrissey from pop to modern rock. It also features some elements of rockabilly.
Some tracks from the album were lyrically controversial, although much of the controversy was stirred up by the New Musical Express, who had turned against Morrissey by this time. "Glamorous Glue", though a personally conflicted and ambivalent song, was accused of anti-Americanism, while the similarly ambiguous "We'll Let You Know" was accused of defending football hooliganism. "The National Front Disco", meanwhile, was accused by some of glorifying the British National Front, a far-right group, and the ambiguity of lyrics such as "England for the English" was criticised.
While the album represents a consistent collection of songs, there was no standout hit single. The first song released from the album, "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful", peaked at number 17 in the United Kingdom. It also hit number two on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. While this was an improvement from the singles from Kill Uncle, it didn't match the success of his earlier singles.
Despite this, a great number of singles were released from the album. The UK saw the release of "You're The One For Me, Fatty" (#19) and "Certain People I Know" (#35). In the United States, "Glamorous Glue" and "Tomorrow" reached #13 and #1 on the Modern Rock chart, respectively.
Morrissey performed a version of "Glamorous Glue" on Saturday Night Live after the album's release.
David Bowie covered the track "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" on his album Black Tie White Noise.
Reel Big Fish covered the track "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" on their 2005 album "We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy".
The album earned a Grammy nomination for best alternative rock album.
The song "Glamorous Glue" was used in the skate video Baker 3 for Kevin "Spanky" Long's part.
42. Morrissey: 'Your Arsenal' Wow, using a microphone as a phalic symbol, how original and creative. Your Arsenal is a 1992 album by British singer Morrissey. The album was regarded by many fans and critics as his strongest and heaviest effort yet upon its release.
Morrissey had been rehearsing with a new band prior to the release of Your Arsenal, which was the first official album of this new line up, whose core has remained stable to date: ever since this record was released, his music has been chiefly composed by either Alain Whyte or Boz Boorer, two musicians originally coming from the rockabilly scene.
Commencing with the blistering "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side", the album represents a clear change in direction for Morrissey from pop to modern rock. It also features some elements of rockabilly.
Some tracks from the album were lyrically controversial, although much of the controversy was stirred up by the New Musical Express, who had turned against Morrissey by this time. "Glamorous Glue", though a personally conflicted and ambivalent song, was accused of anti-Americanism, while the similarly ambiguous "We'll Let You Know" was accused of defending football hooliganism. "The National Front Disco", meanwhile, was accused by some of glorifying the British National Front, a far-right group, and the ambiguity of lyrics such as "England for the English" was criticised.
While the album represents a consistent collection of songs, there was no standout hit single. The first song released from the album, "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful", peaked at number 17 in the United Kingdom. It also hit number two on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. While this was an improvement from the singles from Kill Uncle, it didn't match the success of his earlier singles.
Despite this, a great number of singles were released from the album. The UK saw the release of "You're The One For Me, Fatty" (#19) and "Certain People I Know" (#35). In the United States, "Glamorous Glue" and "Tomorrow" reached #13 and #1 on the Modern Rock chart, respectively.
Morrissey performed a version of "Glamorous Glue" on Saturday Night Live after the album's release.
David Bowie covered the track "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" on his album Black Tie White Noise.
Reel Big Fish covered the track "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" on their 2005 album "We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy".
The album earned a Grammy nomination for best alternative rock album.
The song "Glamorous Glue" was used in the skate video Baker 3 for Kevin "Spanky" Long's part.
This Date In Music History-November 11
Birthdays:
Birthday wishes to Vanilla Fudge guitarist Vince Martell.
Yardbirds guitarist Chris Dreja was born in Surbiton, England in 1945.
Jesse Colin Young of the Youngbloods ("Get Together") turns 64.
Jim Peterik of the Ides of March ("Vehicle") and Survivor ("Eye Of The Tiger") is 58.
Happy birthday to Paul Cowsill of the Cowsills ("Hair").
Power pop purveyor Marshall Crenshaw was born in Detroit in 1953.
History:
In 1963, in Birmingham, England, the Beatles dressed up as policemen in order to escape a crowd of fans.
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters recorded the original version of "The Twist" in 1958. It was issued as the B side of the Gospel style ballad "Teardrops On Your Letter" and although it reached #16 on the R&B chart, Ballard's version of "The Twist" wouldn't appear on the Billboard Pop chart until just after Chubby Checker's version took off two years later.
In 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono released their "Two Virgins" album with a nude picture of themselves on the cover.
In 1972, Allman Brother Berry Oakley was killed after his motorcycle plowed into a bus in Macon, Ga. The fatal accident occurred only three blocks from where Allman Brothers guitarist Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident just over a year ago.
No. 1 on the soul chart today in 1978 was Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman." No. 1 on the pop chart was Donna Summer's epic take on "MacArthur Park,” which stayed at #1 for three weeks.
Kate Smith first sang Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" on network radio in 1938.
In 1965, the Velvet Underground made its performance debut at a high school dance in Summit, NJ.
Billboard Magazine published the results of its annual disc jockey poll in 1955. The most played R&B single was Johnny Ace's "Pledging My Love", the most promising artist was Chuck Berry, the favorite R&B artist was Fats Domino and Elvis Presley was voted the most promising Country & Western artist.
Billboard also introduced "The Top 100" format in 1955, which would combine record sales with radio and jukebox play to arrive at the standings. The Four Aces "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" had the distinction of being the first number one record using the new calculation method.
Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue" was released in the US in 1957, where it rose to #3 and stayed on the chart for sixteen weeks.
In 1964, 24-year-old Tom Jones recorded "It's Not Unusual" for Britain's Decca Records. The song, originally offered to-but turned down by Sandie Shaw, would become Jones' breakthrough hit, reaching #1 in the UK and #10 in the US.
Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" became his 13th and final #1 hit on the Billboard R&B chart in 1982. The song reached #3 on the Pop chart and #4 in the UK early the next year.
The late LaVern Baker was born in 1929. Her biggest hit was "I Cried a Tear" (#6 in 1958).
More trouble for Jim: In 1969, the Doors' Jim Morrison was arrested for allegedly attacking a stewardess during a flight from Los Angeles to Phoenix. He was charged with public drunkenness and interfering with the flight of an aircraft. The stewardess later withdrew her evidence and the charges were dropped.
Birthday wishes to Vanilla Fudge guitarist Vince Martell.
Yardbirds guitarist Chris Dreja was born in Surbiton, England in 1945.
Jesse Colin Young of the Youngbloods ("Get Together") turns 64.
Jim Peterik of the Ides of March ("Vehicle") and Survivor ("Eye Of The Tiger") is 58.
Happy birthday to Paul Cowsill of the Cowsills ("Hair").
Power pop purveyor Marshall Crenshaw was born in Detroit in 1953.
History:
In 1963, in Birmingham, England, the Beatles dressed up as policemen in order to escape a crowd of fans.
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters recorded the original version of "The Twist" in 1958. It was issued as the B side of the Gospel style ballad "Teardrops On Your Letter" and although it reached #16 on the R&B chart, Ballard's version of "The Twist" wouldn't appear on the Billboard Pop chart until just after Chubby Checker's version took off two years later.
In 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono released their "Two Virgins" album with a nude picture of themselves on the cover. In 1972, Allman Brother Berry Oakley was killed after his motorcycle plowed into a bus in Macon, Ga. The fatal accident occurred only three blocks from where Allman Brothers guitarist Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident just over a year ago.
No. 1 on the soul chart today in 1978 was Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman." No. 1 on the pop chart was Donna Summer's epic take on "MacArthur Park,” which stayed at #1 for three weeks.
Kate Smith first sang Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" on network radio in 1938.
In 1965, the Velvet Underground made its performance debut at a high school dance in Summit, NJ.
Billboard Magazine published the results of its annual disc jockey poll in 1955. The most played R&B single was Johnny Ace's "Pledging My Love", the most promising artist was Chuck Berry, the favorite R&B artist was Fats Domino and Elvis Presley was voted the most promising Country & Western artist.
Billboard also introduced "The Top 100" format in 1955, which would combine record sales with radio and jukebox play to arrive at the standings. The Four Aces "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" had the distinction of being the first number one record using the new calculation method.
Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue" was released in the US in 1957, where it rose to #3 and stayed on the chart for sixteen weeks.
In 1964, 24-year-old Tom Jones recorded "It's Not Unusual" for Britain's Decca Records. The song, originally offered to-but turned down by Sandie Shaw, would become Jones' breakthrough hit, reaching #1 in the UK and #10 in the US.
Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" became his 13th and final #1 hit on the Billboard R&B chart in 1982. The song reached #3 on the Pop chart and #4 in the UK early the next year.
The late LaVern Baker was born in 1929. Her biggest hit was "I Cried a Tear" (#6 in 1958).
More trouble for Jim: In 1969, the Doors' Jim Morrison was arrested for allegedly attacking a stewardess during a flight from Los Angeles to Phoenix. He was charged with public drunkenness and interfering with the flight of an aircraft. The stewardess later withdrew her evidence and the charges were dropped.