ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

October 31st

1952 - Chuck Berry

Johnnie Johnson master of the boogie woogie

Pianist Johnnie Johnson hired 26 year old Chuck Berry as a guitarist in his band. While playing evening gigs in the St. Louis area, Berry kept his day job as a hairdresser for the next three years.

Chuck Berry playing with the Johnnie Johnson band

The Johnnie Johnson Trio

1963 - The Beatles

The Beatles returned to London from Sweden and were greeted by hundreds of screaming fans and a mob of photographers and journalists. American television host Ed Sullivan was at Heathrow as The Beatles arrived, and was struck by the sight of Beatlemania in full swing; he decided to look into getting this group to appear on his US television program.

1964 - Ray Charles

Ray Charles was arrested by Logan Airport customs officials in Boston and charged with possession of heroin. This was his third drug charge, following incidents in 1958 and 1961. Charles avoided prison after kicking the habit in a clinic in Los Angeles, but spent a year on parole in 1966.

an earlier bust in 1961

1967 - Brian Jones

Rolling Stone Brian Jones was released from Wormwood Scrubs prison on £750 bail pending appeal. Jones had been found guilty of possession of cannabis. Seven Stones fans were arrested and charged with obstructing the police after demonstrating outside the prison gates.

'Stash' and Brian

Mick and Marianne and Brian

1969 - David Bowie

David Bowie appeared at a Halloween night at the General Gordon, Gravesend, England. The gig lasted about 15 minutes, after Bowie sang 'Space Oddity' to everyone’s delight and then dragged a stool on stage, along with a huge book. He then sat and read poems and was booed off stage.

1974 - Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin held the UK launch for their new record label Swan Song at Chislehurst Caves, Kent, England on Halloween night. Drinks were served by nuns in suspenders, a naked woman lay in a coffin covered in jelly and naked male wrestlers cavorted in recesses of the caves. Label mates Bad Company, The Pretty Things and Maggie Bell also attended. The launch also tied in with the releases of The Pretty Things new album Silk Torpedo. The label was named after an unreleased Zeppelin instrumental track.

Swansong launch in the caves

Robert and friends at the launch

Jimmy and friend Pamela Des Barres and Johnny B

1986 - Bob Geldof

A new series of TV's Channel 4's The Tube started with Jermaine Stewart, Troublefunk, Bob Geldof and Frankie Goes To Hollywood plus Spandau Ballet who played live in the studio at Newcastle upon Tyne.


1986 - Roger Waters

Roger Waters went to the high court to try and stop David Gilmour and Nick Mason from using the name 'Pink Floyd', for future touring and recording. Later he admitted he was wrong to sue the others and regretted it. Maybe something to do with the sixteen (16!) album boxed set without him!

Waters regrets legal case against his bandmates - Rolling Stone

1989 - Squeeze

The very first MTV unplugged show was recorded in New York, featuring UK band Squeeze, the program was aired on 26th Nov 1989.

1990 - Billy Idol

During a gig in Seattle, Washington, Billy Idol dumped 600 dead fish in Faith No More's dressing room. They responded by walking on stage, naked during Idol's set.

Faith No More and Pranking Billy

1993 - Flea

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea was at the scene of actor's River Phoenix fatal collapse in Los Angeles.

1995 - James Brown

James Brown was arrested in Aiken, South Carolina for assaulting his 47 year old wife, Adrienne, who said that her husband hit her with a mirror. Adrienne died in January, 1996 and the assault charges against James were dropped.

1996 - Slash

Slash announced he was no longer in Guns N' Roses. The guitarist said that Axl Rose and he had only been civil to each other on two occasions over the past couple of years.

Who's come off best today? Well I'll leave you to decide! . . . . . . . . 

1998 - Cher

Chart history was made when the UK Top 5 singles chart was made up entirely of new entries. Alanis Morissette went in at No.5, Culture Club at No.4, U2 at No.3, George Michael at No.2 and Cher with 'Believe' at No.1. It made Cher (who was 52) the first female artist to have a No.1 single over the age of 50. The song was a No.1 in 23 countries.

2000 - David Gray

Winners at this years Q Awards included, David Gray, best single for 'Babylon', Oasis won best live act, Coldplay won best album for Parachutes, best act in the world went to Travis, Badly Drawn Boy won best new act and former Clash member Joe Strummer won the Q Inspiration award.


2000 - Britney Spears

Britney Spears paid £6,000 to hire a private bar in Leipzig, Germany during a night off on her 'Oops!... I did It Again Tour.' Britney who at 18 was banned from drinking in the US was reported to be knocking back vodka laced White Russians and Pina Coladas. Funny, I assumed it was the default position of third gen white trailer trash?

2002 - Bjork

The amazing mother of pop star Bjork ended a hunger strike she had staged to protest against plans for a by a US company to build a aluminum smelter and hydroelectric plant power plant in the Icelandic wilderness. Hildur Runa Hauksdottir began eating again after four week's of fasting.

not difficult to understand where she got it from!

The force of nature that is Björk

2005 - John Lennon

The white suit worn by John Lennon on the cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road album sold for $118,000 (£66,385) at an auction in Las Vegas. And an Austin Princess hearse driven by the late star in the documentary Imagine sold for $150,000 (£84,388). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the items went to Amnesty International.

2008 - Amy Winehouse

A couple who admitted supplying drugs including cocaine and ecstasy to singer Amy Winehouse were warned they faced a jail term as they appeared in Snaresbrook Crown Court, England. The charges related to video footage which appeared to show Winehouse smoking a crack pipe. The singer was arrested and questioned over the images but she was not charged.

2013 - Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye's family were taking legal action against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for copyright infringement over their hit song Blurred Lines. Three of Gaye's children filed legal papers accusing them of copying elements of the song 'Got To Give It Up'. The Gaye family cited excerpts of magazine interviews given by Thicke to support their claim he had admitted to drawing on 'Got to Give it Up' when producing Blurred Lines.

BIRTHDAYS

1982 - Monica Irimia

Monica and Gabriela Irimia, Cheeky Girls, Romanian duo, (2002 UK No.2 single 'Cheeky Song', Touch My Bum).

Subtle and charming lyrical poetry . . . . . .

1980 - Isabella Summers

English musician Isabella Summers with Florence and the Machine. Summers has also produced remixes for artists including Beyoncé, Juliette Lewis, Nas, Jessica Simpson, Chloe and Halle, Flux Pavilion, Maxine Ashley, Rita Ora, Judith Hill, and The Game.

1963 - Johnny Marr

Johnny Marr, guitarist with English rock band The Smiths who had the 1984 UK No.10 single 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now', plus 15 other UK Top 40 singles. With Electronic he had the 1991 UK No.8 single 'Get The Message' and with Modest Mouse, the 2007 US No.1 album ‘We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank’. Marr has also worked with The The, The Pretenders, The Cribbs, and Johnny Marr and the Healers.

1937 - Tom Paxton

Tom Paxton, folk singer, (1970 UK No.23 album, 'No.6). I grew up with the work of Tom Paxton thanks to my brother who collected album by him when I was first ;earning what folk music was and how it worked . . . . . lots of his work is still indelibly seared into my blood and almost know some by rote!






Thanks Steve . . . . . . . . night, miss you

with thanks to On This Day in Music

HAPPY SAMHAIN!

Happy Halloween!

XTC

DEAR GOD

 “Skylarking”, the eighth album by XTC is released this month. Produced by Todd Rundgren, it is recorded at Utopia Sound Studios in Woodstock, NY and at Cavum Soni (Sound Hole) in San Francisco, CA in Early - Mid 1986. Having recorded their previous album “The Big Express” with David Lord (Peter Gabriel), and the side project EP “25 O'Clock” under the name the Dukes of Stratosphear, XTC come to the US in 1986 to record their next album. 
The band work with musician Todd Rundgren, best known his own diverse and eclectic work also a solo artist and with the band’s Nazz and Utopia, as well as producing Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates and Grand Funk. Coming to the studio armed only with a clutch of guitars, XTC soon finds out that Rundgren has different musical ideas in mind. Interested in utilizing current technology including synthesizers, sampling keyboards and a drum machine, do not always suit the band’s fancy. 
The recording sessions are tense, with Andy Partridge and Rundgren often not seeing eye to eye creatively during the recording process. They argue frequently throughout the sessions, over arrangements, instrumentation and even the speed the recordings are tracked at. Eventually, the pre-programmed drums used during the tracking sessions are replaced with live drums played by Prairie Prince (of The Tubes). Rundgren eventually quits the project after mixing the entire album three separate times, but none are to XTC’s satisfaction. One set of mixes are chosen, and the deficiencies are corrected during the mastering process. 

The initial pressing of the LP is released without the song “Dear God”, which is first issued as the non-LP B-side of the UK only single “Grass”. It finds favor with US radio stations who begin playing it. This forces the band’s US label Geffen Records to quickly reissue the album with the song added on (cutting “Mermaid Smiled” from the reissued edition). “Dear God” peaks at #37 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, subsequently becoming one of their best known and most popular songs. In 2010, the album is remastered and reissued on vinyl with the full track listing, on Andy Partridge’s own Ape House Records label, having regained the rights to XTC’s masters from Virgin and Geffen Records. It also restores the original cover artwork, which had been replaced on the US release. It is also reissued on CD in 2014, correcting the previous CD release which had the stereo channels reversed by mistake. The album is also remastered and reissued on vinyl in September of 2018. “Skylarking” peaks at number ninety on the UK album chart and number seventy on the Billboard Top 200.

I of course bought both when they came out in the UK

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