Historic events this week from Pretenders, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Ozzy Osbourne, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Frampton and Eric Clapton.
JANUARY 11, 1980: PRETENDERS RELEASE THEIR DUBUT ALBUM
The Pretenders‘ self-titled debut serves as a masterclass in blending punk aggression with the melodic sophistication of New Wave and 1960s pop. Fronted by the commanding presence of Chrissie Hynde, the album remains a landmark of rock history for its razor-sharp songwriting and the definitive swagger of the hit “Brass in Pocket.”
JANUARY 11, 2009: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN WINS HIS SECOND GOLDEN GLOBE
Bruce Springsteen won his second Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for “The Wrestler.”
His previous Golden Globe win was for “Streets of Philadelphia” in 1994. A song that also earned him an Academy Award.
JANUARY 12, 1971: JANIS JOPLIN’S POSTHUMOUS PEARL
Janis Joplin‘s final album, Pearl, was released 3 months after her death. The album spent nine consecutive weeks at #1. Containing “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Mercedes Benz”, Pearl went on to sell over 4 Million copies in the US.
JANUARY 13, 1969: LED ZEPPELIN’S DEBUT ALBUM
Led Zeppelin‘s debut album took a total of 36 hours and less than £2,000 to record.
The debut album contains the classic rock radio staple “Good Times Bad Times”, as well as “Dazed and Confused” and “Communication Breakdown.”
JANUARY 12, 1986: OZZY OSBOURNE’S ‘SUICIDE SOLUTION’ LAWSUIT
A family’s lawsuit alleges the lyrics of Ozzy Osbourne‘s “Suicide Solution” lead to their son’s death by suicide.
It’s solution as in liquid, not a way out. The song’s about the dangers of alcoholism. It’s just a terrible case of misinterpretation. – Ozzy Osbourne
It was determined the fan’s suicide was not a “foreseeable result” of the song, and the case was dismissed.
JANUARY 14, 1977: LOW BY DAVID BOWIE
Trading traditional pop for avant-garde synthesizers, Low reinvented David Bowie’s sound through minimalist electronics and haunting ambient textures. This Berlin-era masterpiece remains a revolutionary pivot point that bridged the gap between art-rock and the future of electronic music.
JANUARY 14, 1978: FLEETWOOD MAC’S RUMOURS IS #1
Fleetwood Mac‘s Rumours spent 31 non-consecutive weeks at #1 in the 49 weeks after its release. The albums that briefly surpassed Rumours during that time were: Hotel California by Eagles, Barry Manilow Live and Simple Dreams by Linda Ronstadt.
JANUARY 15, 1976: FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE! RELEASED IN US
Peter Frampton‘s Frampton Comes Alive! is one of the best-selling live albums of all time in the US. On the strength of “Baby, I Love Your Way”, “Show Me the Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do”, the live album has gone platinum 8 times in the US.
JANUARY 16, 1992: ERIC CLAPTON RECORDS HIS UNPLUGGED SET
Eric Clapton‘s iconic Unplugged performance was recorded before a small audience in England.
Unplugged is currently the best selling live album of all time with 26 million copies sold worldwide.
The album also won six Grammy awards including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.
