On this day in 1977, Talking Heads released their debut LP “Talking Heads: 77” (September 16)
It was the start of it all for Talking Heads, heralding a unique and creative career experimenting with rhythms, mesmeric bass lines, and often bizarre themes and lyrics.
"Psycho Killer" was the only song from the album to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #92.
It also reached #32 on the Triple J Hottest 100 in 1989, and peaked at #11 on the Dutch singles chart in 1977.
The song is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll”.
In 2012 the album was ranked #291 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"…
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This month in 1970, the Moody Blues LP “A Question of Balance” debuted on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart at #85 (September 12)
Justin Hayward recalled, "From the beginning of our recording sessions we were all convinced that we had to record an album of songs that could easily translate into effective live performances.
In a way, we almost reverted to performing live in the studio, without venturing too much into the world of overdubs.
It was quite refreshing, actually, doing the A Question of Balance album...getting back to that place where we could just get a bunch of songs together with a bit less instrumentation going on, that we could just sit around in a room and play."
Mike Pinder added, "All in all, it was one of the peaking albums for me. I listen to it now, and I can see why people are still discovering it. We never wanted to be a sock-it-to-me band. We all wanted to just express ourselves. The whole idea of individual growth and being able to transfer that into our music. Much of A Question of Balance did exactly that."
The album title takes its name from the first and last tracks on the album, "Question" and "Balance".
This is one of the classic album covers of the era, created by Phil Travers.
On the charts, “A Question of Balance” went all the way to #1 in the UK, #2 in Australia, #3 in the US and Canada, #5 in Norway, #7 in Denmark and Italy, #8 in the Netherlands, and #9 in Finland.
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On this day in 1978, the Abba single “Summer Night city” debuted on the UK Singles Chart at #21 (September 16)
The group's second non-album single, recorded during the sessions of the group's upcoming “Voulez-Vous” album, was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus as a tribute to their hometown of Stockholm.
Allegedly, mixing the single took at least a week, far more than it took to mix any other track in ABBA's recording history.
Agnetha Fältskog has been quoted as saying she did not like the song to start with, as she felt "it wasn't ABBA" but later on grew to like it.
Interestingly, the single's B-side was a medley of the American traditional songs "Pick a Bale of Cotton", "On Top of Old Smokey", and "Midnight Special", which was the only song released by ABBA that was not written by any of the members themselves.
“Summer Night City” went all the way to #1 in Sweden, Ireland, and Finland, #2 in Iceland, #3 in Belgium and Norway, #4 in Rhodesia, #5 in the UK and Switzerland, #6 in Germany, #9 in Denmark, #10 in the Netherlands and Mexico, #13 in Australia, #15 in France, #24 in Japan, #34 in Canada, and #37 in New Zealand.
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This month in 1981, the Billy Joel single “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at #70 (September 12)
The opening track from his 1976 “Turnstiles” LP, it was originally released in the US as the B-side to "I've Loved These Days" before being released as A-side in various countries like the UK, Germany and Australia in November 1976, with "Stop in Nevada" as the B-side.
Australia was the only country it charted, peaking at #45.
The song achieved greater recognition however, in 1981 when a live version from “Songs in the Attic” (believed to be the first ever digitally recorded live album) peaked at #17 in the US.
Joel wrote the song after relocating to New York City in 1975, after previously moving to Los Angeles in 1972.
In a 2008 radio interview, Joel said that he no longer performs the song because singing it in its high original key "shreds" his vocal cords…
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On this day in 1972, the Rod Stewart album “Never a Dull Moment” went to #1 on the UK Albums Chart (September 16)
Like many of Stewart's albums from the era, his fourth solo LP “Never a Dull Moment” features significant musical contributions from Stewart’s fellow Faces, including Ronnie Lane, Ronnie Wood, Ian McLagan, and Kenney Jones.
Other guest musicians included Ray Jackson of the band Lindisfarne on mandolin, Spike Heatley on upright bass, Gordon Huntley on steel guitar, Dick Powell on violin and Pete Sears on piano and bass.
The track "You Wear It Well", co-written by Stewart and classical guitarist Martin Quittenton, was a smash hit (another UK #1; in US #13), as well as "Twisting the Night Away", a song originally recorded (and written) by Sam Cooke.
The first song on Side 2, "Angel" was written by Jimi Hendrix as a tribute to his mother. Hendrix and Ronnie Wood had shared a flat in the late 1960s, and were both at a Soho club on the night he died.
On the charts, “Never a Dull Moment” went to #1 in the UK and Canada, #2 in the US and the Netherlands, #3 in Australia, #4 in Sweden, #8 in Norway, #22 in Italy, #37 in Germany, and #56 in Japan.
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On this day in 1979, the Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons single “Hit and Run” peaked on the Australian charts at #12 (September 17)
In doing so, the lead single from the band's fourth studio album “Screaming Targets” became the band's first Top 20 single.
It was also the band's first single to be released in the USA via Columbia Records.
Joe Camilleri said he "never thought 'Hit and Run' would do anything but maybe the lick was infectious enough – though as a song it was a bit stupid – but it got us a deal all over the world.
It was a wacky thing and all of a sudden we were away in a different arena".
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Musician and educator Mandawuy Yunupingu was born on this day in 1956 (September 17)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that this post shows an image of a deceased person.
Mandawuy Yunupingu was born in Yirrkala, Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory, a member of the Gumatj people, one of sixteen groups of the Yolngu people.
As singer, songwriter, and guitarist for “Yothu Yindi” his music was groundbreaking in this country for taking indigenous music and issues of the day into the mainstream via songs like “Treaty” and “Djapana (Sunset Dreaming)” from the LP “Tribal Voice” which was also released this month in 1991.
He was also a teacher, and in 1989 he became assistant principal of the Yirrkala Community School – his former school – and was principal for the following two years. He helped establish the Yolngu Action Group and introduced the Both Ways system, which recognised traditional Aboriginal teaching alongside Western methods.
On 26 January 1993, Yunupingu was named Australian of the Year for 1992 by the National Australia Day Council.
In April 1998 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Queensland University of Technology, "in recognition of his significant contribution to the education of Aboriginal children, and to greater understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians".
Yunupingu was inducted into the NT Hall of Fame at the NT Indigenous Music Awards 2004, and Yothu Yindi were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in December 2012.
Mandawuy Yunupingu passed away on June 2, 2013.
In the 2014 Australia Day Honours, Yunupingu was posthumously invested as a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), for eminent service to the performing arts as a musician and songwriter, to the advancement of education and social justice for Indigenous people, and as an advocate for cultural exchange and understanding.
A great Australian....
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On this day in 1978, the Boston LP “Don’t Look Back” went to #1 on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart (September 16), after debuting last week on the UK Albums Chart at #41 (September 9)
Their second album's two-year gap from the release of their self-titled debut LP in 1976, actually marks the shortest between two of the band's studio albums to date, with Boston’s next album “Third Stage” not being released for another eight years, by which time the band and record label had parted ways and fought a courtroom battle that Boston ultimately won.
Guitarist, producer and primary songwriter Tom Scholz claimed that Epic executives pushed him and the band into releasing “Don’t Look Back” before they felt it was ready.
"Don't Look Back", "A Man I'll Never Be" and "Feelin' Satisfied" were all released as singles from the album, reaching #4, #31 and #46 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100.
Whilst not a single, Billboard rated "Party" to be one of the best songs on the album, and it’s one of four songs from “Don’t Look Back” that were included on Boston's Greatest Hits album, along with the three singles.
The album was a worldwide hit, going all the way to #1 in the US and Canada, #6 in Japan, #8 in Australia and Sweden, #9 in the UK and Norway, #10 in the Netherlands and Germany, #13 in France, #14 in Finland, #17 in New Zealand, and #18 in Italy.
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The legendary guitarist B. B. King was born Riley B. King in Berclair, Mississippi on this day in 1925 (September 16)
King went on to become one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of the Blues".
King is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King, none of whom are blood related).
He performed tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing on average at more than 200 concerts per year into his 70s. In 1956 alone, he appeared at 342 shows.
King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2014.
In 1988, he reached a new generation of fans with the single "When Love Comes to Town," a collaborative effort between King and U2 on their “Rattle and Hum” album.
He died in his sleep on May 14, 2015, at the age of 89, from vascular dementia caused by a series of small strokes as a consequence of his type 2 diabetes…
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