March 21, 1970 - THE FACES moved to the next phase of the Small Faces, as the new lead singer Rod Stewart did his best to forge his own style within the structure of the band. After all, he had difficult shoes to fill, that of the great Steve Marriott. First step was the title of this new album, First Step and its promotion, and here they are in full-tilt promo glory for London's BBC, and the song, Three Button Hand Me Down. An absolute classic. For more Rod, more Stevie Marriott, and more Small Faces/Faces go *MUSICBACKTRACK* archives - use the search engine.
1952 - THE MOONDOG CORONATION BALL was a concert held at the Cleveland Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on March 21, 1952. It is generally accepted as the first major rock and roll concert. It truly was one of the most important events in rock'n'roll history. The concert was organised by Alan Freed, a disc jockey considered to have coined the term Rock and Roll at WJW-Radio, although in truth he stole it from the lingo of African Americans who used the phrase to describe fucking. More tickets were printed than the arena's actual capacity, in part due to counterfeiting. With an estimated 20,000 individuals trying to crowd into an arena that held slightly more than half that - and worries that a riot might break out as people tried to crowd in - the fire authorities shut down the concert after the first song by opening act Paul Hucklebuck Williams ended. OK dear reader, this is the story about the first rock'n'roll show, and how difficult it was to bring the new music intro mainstream society, something that most of today's youth take for granted. Alan Freed was a real hero for rock'n'roll, he also constructively helped with the fight against segregation. He was, without question, a victim of the establishment, ahead of his time by decades, and he died young and penniless, aged just 43.
1987 - THE JOSHUA TREE is the fifth studio album by rock band U2, and it was their breakthrough album, and released in some territories today. Produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, it was a contrast and reaction to the ambient-like experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire. This new album was more hard hitting, more rock'n'roll, mores structured and influenced by Irish roots music and American roots music. The band made their love-hate relationship with the United States very obvious on this album, with socially and politically conscious lyrics embellished with spiritual imagery. Many hits came from this album, including With or Without You, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Where the Streets Have No Name. The album won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1988, and is one the best-selling albums in music record history with approximately 25 million sold.
1970 - HARD TO BELIEVE, is it not, that it's now 42 years since the song, ABC, by the Jackson Five was released. Seems like only yesterday, I was sitting in my loungeroom, watching this song for the first time. This promo performance of the band was on the legendary Ed Sullivan Show, a few months later.
1987 - ZZ TOP played the final show of their 14 month Afterburner tour in Honolulu, tonight. This was almost at the band's peak, their record company investing heavily in buying up TV advertising spots for the band's latest album, Afterburner. Accordingly, dear reader, howzabout the commercial, then a song?
1976 - SINGER/ACTOR/DANCER CLAUDINE LONGET, former wife of crooner Andy Williams, shot her boyfriend, world skiing champion Spider Sabich, after he had tried to throw her and her three children out of his house. Longet was arrested for manslaughter. She has maintained a private profile since 1977, following her conviction for misdemeanour, and her controversial 30-day-at-weekends-only sentence. This is she and Andy.
1984 - IN A QUIET SECTION section of New York's Central Park, diagonally opposite The Dakota Building where John Lennon was shot dead, his memory is alive and well in the shape of a mosaic tribute entitled Strawberry Fields, officially opened today. And for those of you out there who've made the visit, you may well have seen this man sprucing his take on the death of the former Beatles, his legacy, and Strawberry Fields…in Liverpool, and in NYC.
1685 - IT IS 327 YEARS TO THE DAY since composer Johann Sebastian Bach was born, and still the music he composed lives on. The German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to a form that was received by the masses. Though he did not introduce new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust technique, harmonic control, adapted rhythms, some experienced in Italy and France. You will know this piece once you have heard it - you would have heard it before, it is Toccata und Fuge, performed here by Canadian Brass.
1826 - GREAT DAY for classical music, as this was the day that Beethoven's Quartet #13 in B flat major was premiered in Vienna, although it was completed four months earlier, in November. The number traditionally assigned to it is based on the order of its publication; it is actually the fourteenth quartet in order of composition, and was premiered today by the Schuppanzigh Quartet. Its original form consisted of six movements totalling approximately 50 minutes. This is just a few moments of that marathon, accompanied by pristine pictures of the planet, hopefully in line with the passive beauty of the piece.
1939 -START OF WORLD WAR TWO, and this is how the United States of America introduced the song God Bless America, in a movie, of course; a classic piece of propaganda, with the song recorded by Kate Smith. If you look closely, you will see former American president Ronald Reagan when he was an professional actor.
1952 - THE MOONDOG CORONATION BALL was a concert held at the Cleveland Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on March 21, 1952. It is generally accepted as the first major rock and roll concert. It truly was one of the most important events in rock'n'roll history. The concert was organised by Alan Freed, a disc jockey considered to have coined the term Rock and Roll at WJW-Radio, although in truth he stole it from the lingo of African Americans who used the phrase to describe fucking. More tickets were printed than the arena's actual capacity, in part due to counterfeiting. With an estimated 20,000 individuals trying to crowd into an arena that held slightly more than half that - and worries that a riot might break out as people tried to crowd in - the fire authorities shut down the concert after the first song by opening act Paul Hucklebuck Williams ended. OK dear reader, this is the story about the first rock'n'roll show, and how difficult it was to bring the new music intro mainstream society, something that most of today's youth take for granted. Alan Freed was a real hero for rock'n'roll, he also constructively helped with the fight against segregation. He was, without question, a victim of the establishment, ahead of his time by decades, and he died young and penniless, aged just 43.
1987 - THE JOSHUA TREE is the fifth studio album by rock band U2, and it was their breakthrough album, and released in some territories today. Produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, it was a contrast and reaction to the ambient-like experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire. This new album was more hard hitting, more rock'n'roll, mores structured and influenced by Irish roots music and American roots music. The band made their love-hate relationship with the United States very obvious on this album, with socially and politically conscious lyrics embellished with spiritual imagery. Many hits came from this album, including With or Without You, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Where the Streets Have No Name. The album won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1988, and is one the best-selling albums in music record history with approximately 25 million sold.
1970 - HARD TO BELIEVE, is it not, that it's now 42 years since the song, ABC, by the Jackson Five was released. Seems like only yesterday, I was sitting in my loungeroom, watching this song for the first time. This promo performance of the band was on the legendary Ed Sullivan Show, a few months later.
1987 - ZZ TOP played the final show of their 14 month Afterburner tour in Honolulu, tonight. This was almost at the band's peak, their record company investing heavily in buying up TV advertising spots for the band's latest album, Afterburner. Accordingly, dear reader, howzabout the commercial, then a song?
1976 - SINGER/ACTOR/DANCER CLAUDINE LONGET, former wife of crooner Andy Williams, shot her boyfriend, world skiing champion Spider Sabich, after he had tried to throw her and her three children out of his house. Longet was arrested for manslaughter. She has maintained a private profile since 1977, following her conviction for misdemeanour, and her controversial 30-day-at-weekends-only sentence. This is she and Andy.
1984 - IN A QUIET SECTION section of New York's Central Park, diagonally opposite The Dakota Building where John Lennon was shot dead, his memory is alive and well in the shape of a mosaic tribute entitled Strawberry Fields, officially opened today. And for those of you out there who've made the visit, you may well have seen this man sprucing his take on the death of the former Beatles, his legacy, and Strawberry Fields…in Liverpool, and in NYC.
1685 - IT IS 327 YEARS TO THE DAY since composer Johann Sebastian Bach was born, and still the music he composed lives on. The German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to a form that was received by the masses. Though he did not introduce new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust technique, harmonic control, adapted rhythms, some experienced in Italy and France. You will know this piece once you have heard it - you would have heard it before, it is Toccata und Fuge, performed here by Canadian Brass.
1826 - GREAT DAY for classical music, as this was the day that Beethoven's Quartet #13 in B flat major was premiered in Vienna, although it was completed four months earlier, in November. The number traditionally assigned to it is based on the order of its publication; it is actually the fourteenth quartet in order of composition, and was premiered today by the Schuppanzigh Quartet. Its original form consisted of six movements totalling approximately 50 minutes. This is just a few moments of that marathon, accompanied by pristine pictures of the planet, hopefully in line with the passive beauty of the piece.
1939 -START OF WORLD WAR TWO, and this is how the United States of America introduced the song God Bless America, in a movie, of course; a classic piece of propaganda, with the song recorded by Kate Smith. If you look closely, you will see former American president Ronald Reagan when he was an professional actor.
