portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008

Sunday, March 19, 2017

On this day  . . . . . . . 


 . . . . . and continuing an occasional series of singles I bought when they came out is the Double 'A' side 'Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields' single from The Beatles although somewhat irritatingly the 'On this Day in Music History' site only features the one side here being American in origin I would guess they featured the one over the other . . . . . . . . or maybe they just couldn't take the 'weirdness' of Strawberry Fields Forever? For me and lots of folks in the UK I still recall the video of both but the disquieting affect of the Strawberry video has haunted me every since 

On this day in music history: March 18, 1967 - “Penny Lane” by The Beatles hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 1 week. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, it is the thirteenth US number one single for the “Fab Four”. The single is one of the first two songs (along with “Strawberry Fields Forever”) to emerge from the sessions that yields the bands landmark “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. It is titled after a district near the Liverpool City Centre where Lennon had once lived as an art student. The idea for the song comes to McCartney in a dream. Recording sessions for the song will begin on December 29, 1966, with the final overdubs being recorded on January 17, 1967. Trumpet player David Mason is hired to play the songs’ signature piccolo trumpet solo after McCartney hears him playing the instrument during a television performance of Bach’s 2nd Brandenburg Concerto. For both the US and UK releases of the single (issued on February 13, 1967 in the US and February 17, 1967 in the UK), it comes packaged with a picture sleeve that features a new portrait of the band on the front, with childhood photos of each member on the back. Entering the Hot 100 at #85 on February 25, 1967, leaping to the top of the chart three weeks later. Surprisingly, the single peaks at #2 on the UK singles chart when it is held off the top by Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Release Me”. “Penny Lane” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
So here is t'other side (restored )




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On this day in music history: March 18, 1972 - “Heart Of Gold” by Neil Young hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 1 week. Written by Neil Young, it is the biggest hit for the Canadian born singer, songwriter and musician. Young is inspired to write the song during a period when he is in and out of the hospital being treated for a back injury. Forced to wear a back brace during much of the albums recording, Young is physically unable to play electric guitar, playing acoustic on many tracks instead. “Heart Of Gold” is recorded at Quadrafonic Sound Studios in Nashville, TN in early 1971, while Young is in town taping an appearance on Johnny Cash’s weekly music variety series. “Gold” also features background vocals from Young’s friends James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt. Issued as the first single from his fourth solo album “Harvest” in January of 1972, it quickly becomes a radio smash. Entering the Hot 100 at #62 on February 5, 1972, it climbs to the top of the chart six weeks later. The success of “Heart Of Gold” also drives the “Harvest” album to number one on the Billboard Top 200 on March 11, 1972, spending two weeks at the top. The mono 45 mix of “Gold” along with its original B-side “Sugar Mountain” are reissued as a limited edition 7" on Record Store Day in April of 2010. “Heart Of Gold” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

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and on the previous date the 17th March came a voice from an androgynous figure seemingly out of the blue but this voice struck and transcended any such simple matters as gender . . . . . . . . .the world sat up and took notice of one k.d.lang



On this day in music history: March 17, 1992 - “Ingénue”, the second solo album by K.D. Lang is released. Produced by Greg Penny, Ben Mink and K.D. Lang, it is recorded at Vancouver Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Early - Late 1991. The second solo release by the Canadian born singer finds her moving away from the country sound of her previous work toward pop and torch songs. Nine of the albums ten songs are written by Lang and songwriting partner Ben Mink. The albums concept centers around “cabaret” styled songs, inspired after Mink shows Lang an old photograph of his parents drinking and carousing, with a violin and accordion player also in the picture. Using these more traditional instruments in a contemporary musical setting, creates a unique and interesting hybrid that is unlike anything else at the time. Veteran jazz musician Gary Burton also is featured on the album, playing vibraphone and marimba. The track “Constant Craving” is nearly tossed out by Lang and Mink when they’re unhappy with song, feeling that it is “too commercial”, and are dissatisfied with the first version. Leaving only the click track and one piece of percussion from the original track, they re-record the rhythm track in another key, adding new drums and other instruments. Once completed and released, the album is well received by the public, broadening k.d. lang’s audience and winning her new fans along the way. It spins off three singles including “Constant Craving” (#38 Pop, #2 AC) and “Miss Chatelaine”, it becomes the singer’s successful album. It receives five Grammy nominations including Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year” (for “Constant Craving”) and Album Of The Year. Lang wins a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for “Craving” in 1993. “Ingénue” peaks at number eighteen on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified 2x Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

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