Historic events this week from CCR, Eagles, U2, Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin and R.E.M.
NOVEMBER 2, 1969: CCR’s WILLY AND THE POOR BOYS
Bayou Country in January, Green River in August and Willy and the Poor Boys in November.
The 2x Platinum Willy and the Poor Boys featured the double A-side “Down on the Corner” / “Fortunate Son”, which would sell over 2 million copies on its own.
NOVEMBER 3, 1979: EAGLES’ THE LONG RUN IS #1
Five weeks after Eagles released The Long Run, it began a 9 week run at #1.
It would remain at the top of the charts for the rest of 1979, on its way to 7 million sold, and a Grammy award for “Heartache Tonight”
NOVEMBER 4, 1988: RATTLE AND HUM BY U2
U2‘s hybrid studio/live album, Rattle and Hum, featured covers of Bob Dylan and The Beatles as well as the hits “Desire”, “Angel of Harlem”, “All I Want Is You”, and the BB King collaboration, “When Love Comes to Town.”
NOVEMBER 7, 1969: THE “PAUL IS DEAD” RUMORS
The Paul Is Dead theory, where a lookalike named Billy Shears was thought to have replaced Paul McCartney in The Beatles after Paul’s “death”, is one of the most complex & intriguing “conspiracies” in music. LIFE magazine tracked “the missing Beatle” to a Scottish farm where he spent time away from the spotlight. He allowed LIFE to take a photo of him to dispel the rumors that he was dead.
The magazine’s cover declared Paul is still with us.
NOVEMBER 8, 1971: LED ZEPPELIN’S UNTITLED FOURTH ALBUM
Despite being their biggest album, Led Zeppelin‘s untitled fourth album is only one of two albums that didn’t go to #1 for the band.
Commonly referred to as “Led Zeppelin IV” (and sometimes “Zoso”), the album peaked at #2. The classic album has sold over 37 million copies worldwide and contains the classic rock radio staples “Black Dog”, “Misty Mountain Hop”, “Rock and Roll”, “Going to California” and “Stairway to Heaven.”
NOVEMBER 8, 1988: R.E.M.’s GREEN
Green marked R.E.M.‘s jump to a major label and featured a more diverse sound, incorporating bright pop like “Stand,” and acoustic ballads that introduced Peter Buck‘s mandolin playing. The album was a critical and commercial success, launching the band into mainstream stardom with hit singles like “Orange Crush” and exploring themes related to environmentalism and political change.
