ON THIS DAY IN 1980, JOHN LENNON AND YOKO ONO SET ABOUT RECORDING THEIR FINAL LP TOGETHER, DOUBLE FANTASY

Their first release following a five year hiatus in which the couple focussed on raising their son, Sean, the album was also the first to feature both Lennon and Ono since 1972’s Some Time in New York. The pair were both feeling inspired, Lennon from a sailing trip on treacherous waters and Ono by her husbands comments on contemporary work bearing similarities to her earlier work. The album then came together as a collection of songs where husband and wife would conduct a musical conversation, with the tracks sequenced as such, Lennon then Ono then Lennon.

Dozens of songs were produced for the album, many of which were used for the Milk and Honey album released in 1984. Yoko Ono approached veteran producer Jack Douglas, who claimed he would have a hard time making the demos any better, as they already had so much intimacy. A number of new session musicians were hired at Lennon’s request and the record was put together quickly.

The album initially performed well, reaching number one in the US charts. Some critics reportedly disliked the album, but it was named Album of the Year at the 1982 Grammy Awards. Sadly, John Lennon never got to receive this award after his tragic murder late in 1980, just three weeks after this album’s release.

ON THIS DAY IN 1978, THE COMEDY FILM “RINGO” APPEARED ON AMERICAN TELEVISION FOR THE FIRST TIME

The films story, loosely based on “The Prince and the Pauper” features Ringo Star as both a fictionalised version of himself and as an also fictional half-brother, “Ognir Rrats”. Ringo grows tired of fame and switches places with his half-brother, causing a slew of problems.

The film features an all star cast, including Carrie Fisher, Art Carney and Angie Dickinson, as well as narration and performances by George Harrison. Ringo also performed a number of songs from his concurrent album, Bad Boy, as well as some older material. While the initial response to the film was subdued, finishing only 53rd of 65 network prime-time programs for the week, reviews were positive and it now has over 4 stars on IMDB.

ON THIS DAY IN IN 1977, THE WORLD MOURNED THE LOSS OF THE ORIGINAL KING OF ROCK & ROLL, ELVIS PRESLEY

The King was found unconscious in his home by his road manager, who rang for an ambulance after failing to wake him. The ambulance officers struggled to resuscitate Elvis as he was rushed to Memphis Baptist hospital but was pronounced dead by his personal physician soon after his arrival. Presley had reportedly been struggling with weight and addiction issues throughout the last years of his life, and a heart attack caused by a mix of prescription drugs had finally caused his death. Thus ended the 23 year career of the American rock hero who recorded over 400 songs and sold over 260 million records, making one of the highest selling solo acts of all time.

Elvis was famed for his adoption and appropriation of black musical styles like R&B and Blues, thus making them accessible to a wider audience. This made him a controversial performer, as well as his swinging dance moves which were considered overly sexual. However, Elvis managed to connect with the youthful generations of the time and achieve huge successes, eventually becoming more family friendly as he in turn became more commercially oriented. The rest is history, as his personal brand exploded into albums, films, concerts, promotions and various business deals. His estate is currently worth somewhere around $400 million, despite his net worth only being around $10 million at the time of his death.

Elvis Presley is remembered today as an instantly recognisable icon of not only American Rock & Roll, but for the genre in its entirety. He remains a household name and his legacy and reputation has continued to pass between generations. He is commonly memorialised and there a permanent tributes to him in his hometown of Memphis, as well as in various locations around the world, including Australia.

On this day in 1977, The Clash released their self-titled debut

Much of the album was conceived on the 18th floor of a council high rise in London, in a flat owned by Mick Jones’s grandmother. The entire album was recorded over three weekend sessions in CBS Studio 3 throughout February 1977. By the third session, the album had been mixed and completed, ready to be delivered to CBS at the start of March.

The album was clearly influenced by a wide range of music such as reggae and early rock and roll. Lyrically it featured themes of race, prejudice, class economic, big business, the police and the Americanisation of the UK.

The album quickly drew critical acclaim and peaked at number 12 on the UK charts. Numerous critics named it as their favourite release of the year and that it was the best punk album they had heard yet. It is now widely regarded as one of the best punk albums of all time, as well as making a number of lists for not only best punk albums, but also ranked at number 77 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

On this day in 1977, Fleetwood Mac released one of the bestselling albums of all time with Rumours

The album began with the bands intention to make a pop album to expand on the commercial success of their previous album. Prior to the recording of the album, keyboard player and vocalist Christine McVie and bass guitarist John McVie divorced after 8 years of marriage and stopped speaking to one another about any matters other than music. Guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stevie Nicks were also engaged in an on/off relationship that led them to fight often. These issues, coupled with the bands excessive drug use reportedly made recording tense.

Rumours is often considered Fleetwood Mac’s best album and it immediately found commercial and critic success upon its release. It stayed at the top of the Billboard 200 for 31 consecutive weeks and re-entered the charts once in 2011 and again recently in 2020 after a viral video on the platform TikTok showed a man skateboarding while listening to the song Dreams from the album. Currently it has sold over 40 million copies.

Critics also enjoyed the album, with a nearly unanimous positive reaction from the music press. In a retrospective review, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine said of the album “Each tune, each phrase regains its raw immediate emotional power  – which is why Rumours touched a nerve upon its 1977 release, and has since transcended its era to be one of the greatest, most compelling pop albums of all time”.

ON THIS DAY IN 1975, QUEEN’S BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY ARRIVED AT #1 ON THE UK CHARTS

The song was designed to be a more accessible version of the popular progressive rock genre that was thriving at the time. It used a complex composition and lyrics that referenced murder and nihilism, in contrast to the usual love-based narratives, though Freddy Mercury, the song’s writer said that it was about relationships. Bohemian Rhapsody is said to have been the most expensively produced piece of music to be released at the time, although the full cost is unknown.

Various executives informed the group that the song was too long and therefore would not be a hit. The band however, ignored this advice and gave a copy to Capital Radio DJ Kenny Everett who teased the track for a week before playing the full song. By the next day, record stores were inundated with requests for the song, which had yet to be officially released.

Upon it’s official release, Bohemian Rhapsody sped to number one in the UK charts, where it remained for nine weeks, becoming the UK number one Christmas single. The track also fared well overseas, gaining number one in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the Netherlands, although it didn’t fare as well in the US, peaking at number nine. The song is a favourite in the UK however, topping a 2012 survey to find the UK’s favourite number one, held by the ITV.

ON THIS DAY IN 1975, DAVID BOWIE REACHED THE TOP OF THE BILLBOARD CHARTS WITH HIS SONG “FAME”

The single became Bowie’s first song to reach number one on the Canadian Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was less successful in Europe, peaking at number 17.

The song was co-written by John Lennon, after the pair met in New York and held a one day jam session at Electric Lady Studios. Lennon can be heard singing in falsetto towards the end of the song. Bowie later described “Fame” as “nasty, angry” and “written with a degree of malice” towards the Mainman management group with whom he was working with.

Bowie later admitted in 1990 that “Fame” was his least favourite song on the album and disagreed with many lyrics on the song. Nonetheless, it was his biggest hit at the time and was one of four Bowie songs added to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

ON THIS DAY IN 1975, LED ZEPPELIN MADE MUSIC HISTORY ONCE AGAIN, THIS TIME WITH ALL SIX OF THEIR ALBUMS

The U.S. album chart showed all six albums simultaneously, an act that continues to go unmatched. Following the release of Physical Graffiti, the album shot to number one in two weeks, another record-setting performance. It also reached number one in numerous countries around the world, including the UK and Australia.

The album’s chart performance is even more extraordinary when it is considered that it was sold as a two record set for $11.98, and released under the bands own album label, Swan Song. This label also had another three albums in the charts at the time, giving them nine total albums, yet another record.

The band had also just concluded an extensive North American tour, host to some extremely memorable performances of the new songs from Physical Graffiti.

ON THIS DAY IN 1975, AN UNAUTHORISED JOHN LENNON LP MADE ITS WAY INTO CIRCULATION IN THE US

Titled John Lennon Sings the Great Rock & Roll Hits: Roots, the album was made using an incomplete master tape of Lennon’s Rock ’n’ Roll album tracks, which was not to be released until the 17th of February.

The album does contain two songs that never made it to the the final release of Lennon’s official album, Angel Baby and Be My Baby. These songs were only officially released on various compilations posthumously in 1986 and 1998.

The album was forced of the market by a successful lawsuit from Lennon, although not before he ordered a copy from the TV. He was reportedly unimpressed by the three week wait on the record, likely caused by the rarity of the album, with only 2,500 copies of the LP and 500 copies of the 8-track tape produced. The vinyl record selling website discogs.com lists only two copies of the LP, starting at a remarkable A$445.

ON THIS DAY IN 1974, JOHN LENNON ACHIEVED HIS FIRST AND ONLY US #1 HIT IN HIS LIFETIME WITH “WHATEVER GETS YOU THROUGH THE NIGHT”

Released in September as the first single from the album Walls and Bridges, Lennon was the last Beatle to achieve a #1 hit in the US. The song featured Elton John on harmony vocals and piano. A bet was reportedly made by Elton that the song would reach number one, an achievement doubted by Lennon. When the song eventually did reach number one, Lennon had to fulfil his side of the bet and appear at a Thanksgiving show with Elton John, which would be his final major concert.

The lyrics were said to be inspired by late-night television, Lennon reportedly loved channel-surfing for phrases and ideas. Apparently he was watching Reverend Ike, a famous black evangelist who said, “it doesn’t matter, it’s whatever gets you through the night”. Lennon was delighted and immediately wrote the phrase down so it wouldn’t be forgotten, forming the basis of “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night”.

The music was apparently inspired by other hits of the time, including the number one single “Rock Your Baby” by George McCrae. The album version doesn’t bear much resemblance but later released versions demonstrate the inspiration. A live version recorded alongside the Elton John band can also found on a number of compilation albums