October 25, 1968 - ELECTRIC Ladyland, the double album by Jimi Hendrix, was released today, in two cover formats, after complaints were received about the naked women on the original sleeve. The female models had been each paid GBP£5 for the photo shoot, and another GBP£5 if they posed completely naked. Electric Ladyland is the third and final album of new material by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released 43 years ago today, on Frank Sinatra's label, Reprise Records. It is the only Hendrix studio album professionally produced under his supervision, that topped world charts. Here's a video of one of the album's songs, Crosstown Traffic, preceded by a brief interview with the man, and a brief radio advertisement prior to its release.
1825 - THEY called him the waltz king, and it was today that Austrian composer of dance music and light operettas, Johann ll Strauss, was born. He composed more than 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. In his lifetime, he was known as 'the waltz king', and was largely responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century. The Blue Danube is the common English title for his most famous composition, An der schönen blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), composed in 1867, and originally performed on February 9, 1867. The waltz has been one of the most consistently popular pieces of music in the classical repertoire, and perhaps one of its best usages was in the super sci-fi movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film by Stanley Kubrick. The artistry involved in this pre-digital film effects era is stunning, and along with the beauty of Strauss's Blue Danube, makes for a near-perfect aural/visual marriage. What do you reckon?
1838 - BEST remembered for his opera, Carmen, composer Georges Alexandre-Cesar-Leopold Bizet was born today. Carmen is a French opéra comique based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, and first published in 1845. The original opera premiered at the Opéra-Comique of Paris on 3 March 1875, but its opening run was heavily panned by most critics. After only a few performance it was almost withdrawn, its first run eventually lasting just 48 performances. Near the end of the run, the theatre was giving tickets away. Bizet died of a heart attack, aged 36, on 3 June 1875, never knowing how popular Carmen would become. Just a few months later, October 1875, it was produced in Vienna to critical and popular acclaim, and this began its path to worldwide popularity. Here we are, in 2011, celebrating his final opera, 173 years after his birth. This is a clip from the 1984 movie Carmen, directed by Franscesco Rosi, with Lorin Maazel conducting the Orchestre National de France.
1964 - FOUR years to the day after re-meeting each other on a train in London, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards led The Rolling Stones on their first-ever appearance on America's premiere talent television programme, The Ed Sullivan Show. But they won't let us use that clip, so instead, we have this clip, from an unknown American TV show, in which they appeared. It's the same year, 1964, and clearly captivates the magic of Brian Jones charismatic and musical input into the band. It clearly defines, too, the importance of Richards - check out his youthful enthusiasm at the start. Classic clip. Have you seen this one before?
1973 - WAS he paranoid or did he have a point? It was on this day that John Lennon sued the U.S. government, making the claims that his fight against deportation was prejudiced by U.S. officials, and on the same day a year later, Al Green was taking a shower at his Memphis home when his ex-girlfriend Mary Woodson burst in and poured boiling hot grit over him. She then shot herself dead. Green suffered second degree burns. Prior to the burning he was singing, I'm So Tired Of Being Alone, and we can only guess what the water assault and suicide of his ex was all about!
1975 - ART Garfunkel was at #1 on the UK singles chart with his version of I Only Have Eyes For You, today, the song written in 1934 for the film Dames, and four years later on this day, Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of four sold out nights at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York City, New York. Here's Marley, relaxed, acoustic, talking about the Apollo gig and other delights.
1980 - BARBA Streisand scored her fourth world hit album Guilty, and on the same day started a three week run at #1 on the UK and other world singles chart with a song written by the Bee Gees, Woman In Love...Life is a moment in space, When the dream is gone, It's a lonelier place, I kiss the morning goodbye.
1986 - FOR the first time in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, the top three spots were held by female solo acts. Cyndi Lauper's True Colors was at #1; Tina Turner's Typical Male at 2, and Janet Jackson's When I Think Of You was positioned at #3. For videos and stories of all three women, go to our archive search engine. Moving forward a decade and a bit, 1998, the quirky Beautiful South topped world charts with Quench, today, and from that album we give you Perfect 10, a song consisting of a series of comments and puns about a relationship between a man and woman using clothing sizes and penis length in the lyrics.
1991 - FOR a quarter of a century, Mr. Bill Graham was a central figure in organizing, producing and marketing rock music across the USA and around the world in all formats from live concerts to records, films, videos and television shows. But tonight he was killed in a helicopter crash. Sixty-year-old Mr. Graham was one of three people who died when their helicopter hit a 200-foot utility tower and crashed in a fiery explosion about 10 P.M., said officials of his company, Bill Graham Presents. Graham escaped Nazi Germany to become America's leading promoter of rock musicians and helped develop the mass rock concert format that drew audiences in the millions. This video is an interview with him just a year or so prior to his death, and we go back in time to the Filmore West in 1970/71, with a montage of ripped bootlegs, featuring the Byrds with the Arthur Reynolds song later made popular by the Doobie brothers, Jesus Is Just Alright.
1995 - TO remember that brilliant gender bending comedy musical Victor/Victoria - which opened today by the way - let's look at this fab excerpt from the movie, starring the brilliant Robert Preston and the near-perfect Julie Andrews.
1995 - WAS Cliff Richard really awarded a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II on this date? How about this award-sneer from 1958 - Cliff and The Shadows rockin' out to Move It. Oh, the sneer.
1825 - THEY called him the waltz king, and it was today that Austrian composer of dance music and light operettas, Johann ll Strauss, was born. He composed more than 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. In his lifetime, he was known as 'the waltz king', and was largely responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century. The Blue Danube is the common English title for his most famous composition, An der schönen blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), composed in 1867, and originally performed on February 9, 1867. The waltz has been one of the most consistently popular pieces of music in the classical repertoire, and perhaps one of its best usages was in the super sci-fi movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film by Stanley Kubrick. The artistry involved in this pre-digital film effects era is stunning, and along with the beauty of Strauss's Blue Danube, makes for a near-perfect aural/visual marriage. What do you reckon?
1838 - BEST remembered for his opera, Carmen, composer Georges Alexandre-Cesar-Leopold Bizet was born today. Carmen is a French opéra comique based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, and first published in 1845. The original opera premiered at the Opéra-Comique of Paris on 3 March 1875, but its opening run was heavily panned by most critics. After only a few performance it was almost withdrawn, its first run eventually lasting just 48 performances. Near the end of the run, the theatre was giving tickets away. Bizet died of a heart attack, aged 36, on 3 June 1875, never knowing how popular Carmen would become. Just a few months later, October 1875, it was produced in Vienna to critical and popular acclaim, and this began its path to worldwide popularity. Here we are, in 2011, celebrating his final opera, 173 years after his birth. This is a clip from the 1984 movie Carmen, directed by Franscesco Rosi, with Lorin Maazel conducting the Orchestre National de France.
1964 - FOUR years to the day after re-meeting each other on a train in London, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards led The Rolling Stones on their first-ever appearance on America's premiere talent television programme, The Ed Sullivan Show. But they won't let us use that clip, so instead, we have this clip, from an unknown American TV show, in which they appeared. It's the same year, 1964, and clearly captivates the magic of Brian Jones charismatic and musical input into the band. It clearly defines, too, the importance of Richards - check out his youthful enthusiasm at the start. Classic clip. Have you seen this one before?
1973 - WAS he paranoid or did he have a point? It was on this day that John Lennon sued the U.S. government, making the claims that his fight against deportation was prejudiced by U.S. officials, and on the same day a year later, Al Green was taking a shower at his Memphis home when his ex-girlfriend Mary Woodson burst in and poured boiling hot grit over him. She then shot herself dead. Green suffered second degree burns. Prior to the burning he was singing, I'm So Tired Of Being Alone, and we can only guess what the water assault and suicide of his ex was all about!
1975 - ART Garfunkel was at #1 on the UK singles chart with his version of I Only Have Eyes For You, today, the song written in 1934 for the film Dames, and four years later on this day, Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of four sold out nights at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York City, New York. Here's Marley, relaxed, acoustic, talking about the Apollo gig and other delights.
1980 - BARBA Streisand scored her fourth world hit album Guilty, and on the same day started a three week run at #1 on the UK and other world singles chart with a song written by the Bee Gees, Woman In Love...Life is a moment in space, When the dream is gone, It's a lonelier place, I kiss the morning goodbye.
1986 - FOR the first time in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, the top three spots were held by female solo acts. Cyndi Lauper's True Colors was at #1; Tina Turner's Typical Male at 2, and Janet Jackson's When I Think Of You was positioned at #3. For videos and stories of all three women, go to our archive search engine. Moving forward a decade and a bit, 1998, the quirky Beautiful South topped world charts with Quench, today, and from that album we give you Perfect 10, a song consisting of a series of comments and puns about a relationship between a man and woman using clothing sizes and penis length in the lyrics.
1991 - FOR a quarter of a century, Mr. Bill Graham was a central figure in organizing, producing and marketing rock music across the USA and around the world in all formats from live concerts to records, films, videos and television shows. But tonight he was killed in a helicopter crash. Sixty-year-old Mr. Graham was one of three people who died when their helicopter hit a 200-foot utility tower and crashed in a fiery explosion about 10 P.M., said officials of his company, Bill Graham Presents. Graham escaped Nazi Germany to become America's leading promoter of rock musicians and helped develop the mass rock concert format that drew audiences in the millions. This video is an interview with him just a year or so prior to his death, and we go back in time to the Filmore West in 1970/71, with a montage of ripped bootlegs, featuring the Byrds with the Arthur Reynolds song later made popular by the Doobie brothers, Jesus Is Just Alright.
1995 - TO remember that brilliant gender bending comedy musical Victor/Victoria - which opened today by the way - let's look at this fab excerpt from the movie, starring the brilliant Robert Preston and the near-perfect Julie Andrews.
1995 - WAS Cliff Richard really awarded a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II on this date? How about this award-sneer from 1958 - Cliff and The Shadows rockin' out to Move It. Oh, the sneer.
