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25 Years Ago: Frank Zappa Releases 'You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 1′

Sterling Whitaker — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:56:17 +0000

One of the most confounding musicians ever to grace the rock genre, Frank Zappa had a penchant for taking what essentially amounted to full-blown avant garde compositions and arranging them for rock ensemble playing. His bizarre, conceptual live performances were an astonishing mix of exceptional musicianship, onstage theatrics and pop culture satire. On May 16, 1988 Zappa showcased some of the standout live tracks from various eras of his development by releasing a career-spanning double live album titled 'You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol 1.'

30 Years Ago: Iron Maiden Release 'Piece of Mind'

Eduardo Rivadavia — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:23:10 +0000

As of today (May 16, 2013), it's been thirty years since Iron Maiden’s lovable mascot, Eddie, lost his mind (not to mention his grizzled mane) and heavy metal fans across the globe lost theirs over one of the most beloved heavy metal albums of all time -- 1983’s 'Piece of Mind.'

38 Years Ago: Alice Cooper Stages 'Welcome to My Nightmare' Tour

Sterling Whitaker — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:29:05 +0000

Kiss recently revealed that the staging for their upcoming tour will feature an enormous, fireball-spewing spider. And while the stage set is brand new, the idea is not -- in fact, David Bowie's 1987 Glass Spider tour featured a huge spider set, and more than a decade before that, original shock rocker Alice Cooper used an oversized arachnid as part of his 1975 tour.

26 Years Ago: David Bowie Launches 'Glass Spider' Tour

Sterling Whitaker — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:22:12 +0000

With the recent news that Kiss will soon feature a gigantic, fireball-spewing spider in their stage show, we're reminded of another major rock star who brought a large arachnid on tour: David Bowie.

Bowie has often been a performer ahead of his time, pushing the envelope in his music, his imaging and live performances. His 1987 'Glass Spider' tour was the biggest live spectacle of his career -- an undertaking so massive that despite its success, Bowie would never attempt to repeat it.

45 Years Ago: John Lennon and Paul McCartney Appear on 'The Tonight Show'

Dave Lifton — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:56:45 +0000

After their February 1968 trip to Rishikesh, India failed to provide the spiritual enlightenment they sought, the Beatles turned in the opposite direction, towards business matters. A few months later, the company they decided to form in the wake of manager Brian Epstein's death was ready to launch. In mid-May, John Lennon and Paul McCartney flew to New York to promote Apple Corps.

21 Years Ago: Kiss Gets Their 'Revenge'

Matthew Wilkening — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:00:14 +0000

‘Revenge,’ the most consistent, hard-hitting and critically acclaimed album ever released by the non-makeup version of Kiss, celebrates its 21st anniversary today (May 14). The Bob Ezrin-produced album pulled Kiss out of the second creative slump of their career. Just as they had been influenced too much by outside trends such as pop and disco [...]

25 Years Ago: Led Zeppelin Reunite at Atlantic's 40th Anniversary Concert

Jeff Giles — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:36:17 +0000

By 1988, Led Zeppelin had been disbanded for the better part of a decade, its members having moved on to solo careers in a show of respect for their fallen drummer John Bonham. But as they'd shown in 1985 with their mini-reunion for Live Aid, they were willing to come together for the right cause.

45 Years Ago: Frank Zappa Releases 'Lumpy Gravy'

Ryan Reed — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:40:26 +0000

Frank Zappa is often regarded as one of the most brilliant, idiosyncratic musicians in rock music. But, looking back at his eclectic, monstrous body of work as a composer, guitarist, vocalist, and bandleader, Zappa really wasn't a "rock" musician. That fact is cemented on 'Lumpy Gravy,' Zappa's first official solo album, which was released 45 years ago today (May 13, 1968).

40 Years Ago: Roger Daltrey's 'Daltrey' Album Released

Michael Gallucci — Sat, 11 May 2013 12:55:48 +0000

The Who were approaching the end of the recording sessions for their second concept album, ‘Quadrophenia,’ when Roger Daltrey’s first solo record was released in May 1973. And fans expecting a rock-god epic from the singer were in for a surprise. Unlike Pete Townshend’s and John Entwistle’s solo albums, which sounded enough like Who records if you wanted them to, ‘Daltrey’ was all about distancing the singer from his band.

43 Years Ago: The Beatles' 'Let It Be' Album Released

Michael Gallucci — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:00:50 +0000

‘Let It Be’ was supposed to be the album that would bring the Beatles back together. After an increasingly fractious couple of years that culminated in 1968’s self-titled (‘White’) album, which was basically four solo records for the price of a double LP, the four Beatles holed themselves up in London’s Twickenham Film Studios, and then at Apple Studios, during the first month of 1969 to re-spark their dying flame. No outside visitors, no BS -- just four guys hanging around playing music. Just like the old days. They called it ‘Get Back.’

10 Years Ago: Pete Townshend Cleared On Child Porn Charges

Dave Swanson — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:10:33 +0000

Following a four-month investigation, Who guitarist Pete Townshend was cleared of charges related to child pornography on May 7, 2003, after examination of his computers equipment proved there had been no downloaded images of child porn.

15 Years Ago: Steve Perry Leaves Journey…Again

Eduardo Rivadavia — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:02:42 +0000

It was on May 7, 1998 that stadium rockers Journey earned a guaranteed episode of VH1′s then ultra-popular ‘Behind the Music’ series when singer Steve Perry broke ranks with the band for a second time. At least the first time, in the 1980s, Perry’s exit had been voluntary: the result of his impressive recent solo success and [...]

40 Years Ago: Paul Simon Launches First Solo Tour

Dave Swanson — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:50:39 +0000

On May 6, 1973 in Boston, Paul Simon kicked off his first tour as a solo artist. He and longtime partner in musical splendor Art Garfunkel parted ways in 1970 following a highly successful run as pop's premier duo. The Simon & Garfunkel musical relationship dated back to 1957 as Tom & Jerry, but it wasn't until the 1965 single of 'The Sounds Of Silence' that the gates swung open. Their final album, 'Bridge Over Troubled Water,' was released in early 1970, and despite its huge success, time had frayed the duo and they split.

45 Years Ago: Buffalo Springfield Perform Final Concert

Dave Swanson — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:49:37 +0000

Buffalo Springfield were always a house of cards caught in a hurricane. Neil Young was -- and still is -- famous for going wherever his muse takes him, others be damned. From the band's earliest days Young had issues to deal with, including the onset of epilepsy, constant drug use, and apprehension about the band management and the music business in general. On May 5, 1968, Buffalo Springfield gave their final performance as a group.

40 Years Ago: Paul Simon's 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon' Released

Jeff Giles — Sun, 05 May 2013 12:29:52 +0000

After spending several years dabbling in global rhythms and songforms -- and kicking off his solo career in the wake of Simon & Garfunkel's dissolution -- Paul Simon returned to his American roots for his second solo album, 1973's 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon,' resulting in one of the biggest hits of his career.

35 Years Ago: Bob Seger's 'Stranger in Town' Album Released

Michael Gallucci — Sun, 05 May 2013 10:33:40 +0000

After eight albums and almost as many years kicking around just outside of mainstream success, Bob Seger finally had a hit record with 1976’s ‘Night Moves,’ a moving, soulful and rocking look back on the people and places that shaped him. After so much hard work and sweat put into his music over the past decade, the Michigan native was starting to see it all pay off. So why turn back now? Why change what works? Why, for that matter, would Seger want to test any new ground on ‘Night Moves’’ follow-up? He wouldn’t.

25 Years Ago: Poison's 'Open Up and Say … Ahh!' Album Released

Mary Ouellette — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:30:52 +0000

The four painted faces of Poison's Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall, C.C. DeVille and Rikki Rockett made their debut in 1986 on ‘Look What the Cat Dragged In,’ but it was the band's 1988 follow-up LP that sealed their fate. Twenty-five years ago today, ‘Open Up and Say … Ahh!’ was released, crowning Poison the kings of rock's glam revival.

25 Years Ago: Living Colour's 'Vivid' Album Released

Jeff Giles — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:45:34 +0000

With its thunderous opening riff, followed by a crushing onslaught of drums and bass behind Corey Glover’s volcanic vocals, Living Colour’s ‘Cult of Personality’ kicked in the airwaves during the summer of 1988 with a fresh, aggressive sound. Even if the band was brand new to listeners, their success arrived after years of hard, patient [...]

35 Years Ago: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Release 'You're Gonna Get It!' Album

Michael Gallucci — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:51:26 +0000

A year and a half after Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ self-titled debut album fooled some music fans into thinking that the Los Angeles-based classic rockers were maybe a New Wave act, the quintet doubled down. ‘You’re Gonna Get It!,’ which was released on May 2, 1978, loaded up on Byrdsian jingle-jangle, classic-rock guitar crunch and a few meathead riff-based songs that made it clear that Petty and his band had little in common with the skinny-tie kids and their synthesizers.

30 Years Ago: Michael Jackson + Eddie Van Halen Hit No. 1 with 'Beat It'

Sterling Whitaker — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:21:10 +0000

Pop and R&B star Michael Jackson was looking to broaden his audience base when he invited Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen to play on a track from the album he was working on as a follow-up to his best-selling 1979 disc 'Off the Wall.'