Historic events this week from Foo Fighters, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and more
NOVEMBER 10, 2014: FOO FIGHTERS’ SONIC HIGHWAYS
Foo Fighters‘ eighth album, Sonic Highways, featured high-profile guests like Joe Walsh, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and Gary Clark Jr. and was recorded across eight American cities; a process documented by the corresponding HBO miniseries where Dave Grohl interviewed local musicians to inspire the songs.
NOVEMBER 11, 1970: BOB DYLAN’S FIRST BOOK, TARANTULA
Depending on whom you ask, Bob Dylan‘s Tarantula is either a nonsensical novel, or a collection of experimental prose.
In 2003, SPIN magazine did a list of Top Five Unintelligible Sentences from Books Written by Rock Stars. Dylan topped the list with Tarantula’s line…”Now’s not the time to get silly, so wear your big boots and jump on the garbage clowns.”
NOVEMBER 12, 1976: ALL THIS AND WORLD II SOUNDTRACK
The “musical documentary” All This And World War II featured footage of World War II, with Beatles covers as its soundtrack.
The resulting soundtrack album, later re-released as The Songs Of John Lennon & Paul McCartney Performed By The World’s Greatest Rock Artists, featured Beatles covers from Elton John, The Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Jeff Lynne, Peter Gabriel, Tina Turner, Bryan Ferry and many more.
NOVEMBER 15, 1969: THE PAUL IS DEAD THEORY
Two years after their release, The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour returned to the Billboard charts.
With the great Paul Is Dead Theory gathering momentum, people were buying the albums to scour the covers and lyrics for clues to “prove” the theory.
NOVEMBER 15, 1986: ILL COMMUNICATION BY BEASTIE BOYS
The Beastie Boys‘ groundbreaking album, Ill Communication, which debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200, featured hugely popular singles like the hard-rocking “Sabotage” and the jazzy “Sure Shot.” The album was critically acclaimed and cemented the group’s experimental blend of hip-hop, funk, and punk.
