Today in 1968, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham played together for the first time when they rehearsed at a London studio. You know them as Led Zeppelin:
No comments on Presty the DJ for Aug. 12
Category: Music
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We begin with a non-musical anniversary, though we can certainly add music:
On Aug. 11, 1919, Green Bay Press–Gazette sports editor George Calhoun and Indian Packing Co. employee Earl “Curly” Lambeau, a former Notre Dame football player, organized a pro football team that would be called the Green Bay Packers:
(Clearly the photo was not taken on this day in 1919. Measurable snow has never fallen in Wisconsin in August … so far.)
Today in 1964, the Beatles movie “A Hard Day’s Night” opened in New York:
Two years later, the Beatles opened their last American concert tour on the same day that John Lennon apologized for saying that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus. … Look, I wasn’t saying The Beatles are better than God or Jesus, I said ‘Beatles’ because it’s easy for me to talk about The Beatles. I could have said ‘TV’ or ‘Cinema’, ‘Motorcars’ or anything popular and would have got away with it…”
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Today, this would be the sort of thing to embellish a band’s image, not to mention provide material for an entire segment of VH1’s “Behind the Music.” Not so in 1959, when four members of The Platters were arrested on drug and prostitution charges following a concert in Cincinnati when they were discovered with four women (three of them white) in what was reported as “various stages of undress.” Despite the fact that none of the Platters were convicted of anything, the Platters (who were all black) were removed from several radio stations’ playlists.
Speaking of odd music anniversaries: Today in 1985, Michael Jackson purchased the entire Beatles music library for more than $45 million.
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Today should be a national holiday. That is because this group first entered the music charts today in 1969, getting three or four chart spots lower than its title:
That was the same day the number one single predicted life 556 years in the future:
Today in 1975, the Bee Gees hit number one, even though they were just just just …
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Two anniversaries today demonstrate the fickle nature of the pop charts. This is the number one song today in 1960:
Three years later, the Kingsmen released “Louie Louie.” Some radio stations refused to play it because they claimed it was obscene. Which is ridiculous, because the lyrics were not obscene, merely incomprehensible:
Today in 1969, while the Beatles were wrapping up work on “Abbey Road,” they shot the album cover:
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Some might argue that this program today in 1955 started the rock and roll era:
I have a hard time believing the Beatles needed any help getting to number one, including today in 1965:
That was in Britain. On this side of the Atlantic, today’s number one pop song:
Released today in 1967:
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Today in 1965, the Beatles sought “Help” in purchasing an album:
Two years later, Beatles manager Brian Epstein tried to help quell the worldwide furor over John Lennon’s “bigger than Jesus” comment:
“The quote which John Lennon made to a London columnist has been quoted and misrepresented entirely out of context of the article, which was in fact highly complimentary to Lennon as a person. … Lennon didn’t mean to boast about the Beatles’ fame. He meant to point out that the Beatles’ effect appeared to be a more immediate one upon, certainly, the younger generation. John is deeply concerned and regrets that people with certain religious beliefs should have been offended.”
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Unless you live in a major city, it’s not very often that all of your favorite bands come to see you. Instead, we are faced with the quest to go see them. For some, this sounds like a hassle, for others, an opportunity. And if you dedicate yourself to jumping through the hoops for one show, you might as well jump on the bus for a few more. Right?
Road Life is a breeding environment for new experiences, and therefore, opportunities for a person to grow. Every element feeds into an adventurous merry-go-round of whimsical decisions and life lessons that, in the end, become cornerstones of your very own character. The car ride, the risks, the sights, the scenes; The company, the talks, the relationships, the memories; and The end-all point of the finish-line, the show, the band, the set; The life.
If you ever find yourself on the cusp of adventure, or if you’re feeling held back by life… remember that it always comes back to you. Have a talk with yourself in the mirror, and remember these five things:
5. Dedication to Music is Dedication to Quality of Life.
It is a testament of pure dedication to motivate one’s self to traveling hundreds of miles just to see your favorite band. While decisions like these started back in the ’60s, they’ve continued well into the now – with festivals popping up in every corner of the map, drawing people in from the depths of each state, and with bands like Phish, Dead & Company, and Widespread Panic inspiring their fans to always want more.
But a certain amount of effort goes into making such decisions, and the average citizen knows better than to embark on a journey without having all their boxes checked off first. In the moments leading up to the point in which you walk out the door, there’s a lot that needs to be done. Must finish work, must make wife/husband/mom/dad/children happy, must feed cat, must cover all bases necessary to step foot away from the life you’ve built to live. Dedication to this is dedication to all, especially when the juice is worth the squeeze.
4. If you are Happy, Life is Happy.
It’s about giving yourself pleasure and living without regrets. If there is a band that you like, you should go see them. If seeing them multiple times makes you happy, should figure out a way to see them multiple times. There are people that live their lives this way; and if you ask them, they are probably happier than the average Wall Street Joe.
3. You Can’t Get the Feels Unless You Feel Them First.
Not everyone has the same experience when listening to music. Getting the chills during your favorite part of a song is a phenomenon only some people experience; those same people also have higher percentages of a personality trait called “Openness to Experience,” according to this study, which also found that people who possess “Openness to Experience” have “unusually active imaginations, appreciate beauty and nature, seek out new experiences, often reflect deeply on their feelings, and love variety in life.” It’s no wonder those people tend to flock together like the birds of a feather.
2. Community builds Character, just like Characters build Communities.
… So long as you keep up with your responsibilities as a human being in a civil society, the road will always make room for you in its home.
1. You Will Find Yourself in a Place where your Favorite Band Provides you with Life Lessons, Lessons that Can’t Be Taught.
Every experience presents an opportunity to learn something new. You might get a flat tire, your tent might get rained on, your credit card declined; but whatever it is, you learn how to deal with it or how to do something differently. To travel in light of your favorite band presents opportunities of growth. You meet new people, you find new places, you learn what to do and what not to do in situations you otherwise wouldn’t have found yourself in … had you not taken the initial risk.
What it all comes down to is this: We exist on this planet to produce life, whether in ourselves or in others. If music is your passion, you should go out and chase it. Happiness has a tendency to affect others, so if you call yourself the domino, you can have the effect on the trail.
I am dubious about some of this (particularly the whole happiness thing), but it is unquestionable that live music must be supported to get more live music.
More to the point: Chicago is in Appleton Aug. 13 and Madison Aug. 16. I haven’t checked the time, but I’m sure the concert isn’t at …
… but …
The Aug. 13 concert is at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, and not …
I’ve seen Chicago three times, and seeing the group would …
But if I can’t go, then I’d be …
Think the Chicago-song-title puns are done. Oh, no, it’s …
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First, a non-rock anniversary: Today is the 95th anniversary of the first broadcasted baseball game, on KDKA in Pittsburgh: Harold Arlen described Pittsburgh’s 8–0 win over Philadelphia.
Speaking of Philadelphia … today in 1957, ABC-TV picked up WFIL-TV’s “American Bandstand” …
… though ABC interrupted it in the middle for “The Mickey Mouse Club.”
Today in 1966, the Beatles recorded “Yellow Submarine” …
… and “Eleanor Rigby” …
… while also releasing their “Revolver” album.
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Today in 1957, the Everly Brothers performed on CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Shew …
… performing a song about a couple who falls asleep on a date, making others assume that they spent the night together when they didn’t. The song was banned in some markets.
Today in 1958, Billboard magazine combined its five charts measuring record sales, jukebox plays and radio airplay to the Hot 100. And the first Hot 100 number one was …
Today in 1967, a 16-year-old girl stowed away on the Monkees’ flight from Minneapolis to St. Louis. The girl’s father accused the Monkees of transporting a minor across state lines, presumably for immoral purposes.
Today in 1970, Beach Boy Dennis Wilson married his second wife.
Possibly connected: Jim Morrison of the Doors was arrested for public drunkenness after being found passed out on the front steps of a house.
Steve Prestegard.com: The Presteblog 