ON THIS DAY IN 1969, JOHN LENNON AND YOKO ONO WERE POSTED IN BED, HALFWAY THROUGH THEIR SECOND BED-IN, AT THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HOTEL IN MONTREAL

After the initial success of their first bed-in event in Amsterdam, the couple decided to duplicate the idea in other locations. Originally planned for New York, Lennon’s cannabis conviction swiftly ended that idea and the Bahamas were selected before the heat caused the pair to change their minds and head on to Montreal.

A number of celebrities and journalists were invited to the room to meet the couple and join the message for peace. Guests such as Timothy Leary, Tommy Smothers and Dick Gregory all made it to the room to join in, while infamous cartoonist Al Capp made it to attempt to provoke the pair. A video of their encounter is available here. The confrontation inspired John and Yoko to make a voodoo doll for the obnoxious cartoonist, pictured left. The invited guests, bar Capp, all joined in to record the impromptu single “Give Peace A Chance”, now regarded as on the most renowned anthems for peace amongst any artist. Canadian, American and world presses alike reported on the story, albeit with mixed reactions.

The bed-in went on to inspire numerous artists to reference the event or hold their own bed-ins, also in the name of spreading the peace message. Not only this, but the Lennon’s are also credited with being amongst the first figures to use their popular culture notoriety to try and affect change around the world. There is an available film of the bed-in made in conjunction with Yoko Ono that can be found on her Imagine Peace website and linked above.

ON THIS DAY IN 1969, JIMI HENDRIX WAS ARRESTED AT TORONTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR NARCOTICS POSSESSION

On May 3rd, Hendrix flew into Toronto and was detained by The Royal Mounted Canadian Police after small amounts of hashish and heroin were found in his luggage. Hendrix admitted to using hashish and cannabis but denied any association to the heroin, citing a fear of needles and junkies which stopped him from using the substance. He claimed that a female fan had gifted him a vial of Bromo-Seltzer, a legal medication, without knowledge that it contained heroin.

Hendrix was released hours later on $10,000 bail with arraignment hearing set for May 5th and a court date of December 8th. Other musicians and fans have speculated Hendrix’s arrest as part of a conspiracy to crackdown on rock musicians organised by the government. Supporters of this theory also mention the numerous other drug arrests plaguing popular rock artists like John Lennon and Mick Jagger. Some also considered a set-up possible, due to Hendrix’s denial of involvement with heroin and the suspicious presence of the Mounted Canadian Police, who did not customarily make arrests at the airport.

During his December 8th trial, Jimi Hendrix was apprehensive but confident in his defence team. One of the witnesses called to give a character reference was none other than Ritchie Yorke, who had volunteered for the role. Hendrix was acquitted later that day and presented one of his trademark hats to Ritchie, which remains in his archive today. After receiving his not guilty verdict, Hendrix said to the press that “Canada has given me the best Christmas present I ever had”, while holding up a peace sign.

On this day in 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono began their Bed-in for Peace in Amsterdam

 As the Vietnam War raged on, Lennon and Yoko realised that their wedding on March 20 would attract huge media attention, and that they could use that attention to bring the public’s focus to a worthy cause: peace. The decision was made to stay in bed for a week for their honeymoon, and field questions from the press from 9am to 9pm each day.

The pair set up a room in the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel with signs above them reading “Bed Peace” and “Hair Peace” along with multiple bouquets of flowers. After promoting the event as a love-in and with the recent release of nude photographs by the pair, some press expected to find the couple engaging in conjugal acts but were surprised to find them dressed conservatively in full pajamas buttoned to the top, and ready to discuss and promote peace.

The Amsterdam Bed-in was such a success it spawned a follow-up in Montreal, organised in part by Ritchie Yorke, where the renowned “Give Peace A Chance” anthem was recorded. The pair then went on to plan a larger scale campaign for peace with press conferences, meetings with world leaders and the famous “War Is Over!” poster promotion.

ANOTHER GOOD DAY FOR THE BEATLES TODAY, AS THEY SET ABOUT RECORDING “DIG IT” FOR THEIR TWELFTH AND FINAL STUDIO ALBUM, LET IT BE ON THIS DAY IN 1969

The first take of the song had been recorded two days earlier but this take included a segment that would actually be used on the album, unlike the other versions. Two more versions were recorded later but also unused on the album. John Lennon reportedly dominated the song, utilising lyrics from “Twist And Shout” and Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone”, along with his own improvisations while strumming a six-string bass guitar.

The song came about as a result of an extensive 15 minute jam session, loosely based on Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” and the excerpt used on the album was recorded at this session. It included features from Billy Preston on organ and George Martin on percussion, as well as an impromptu vocal contribution from Linda McCartney’s six-year-old daughter. Interestingly, this song is also one of few songs to be credited to all of the Beatles.

   Though the session lasted around 15 minutes, the excerpt used on the Let It Be album lasted only 51 seconds, later extended in various other mixes to a total of 8 minutes, although the song is notably absent from Let It Be… Naked, replaced with “Don’t Let Me Down”.

In charge of production on this track was notorious Phil Spector, developer of the Wall of Sound formula to rock and roll production, and later murder convict. This song was recorded during a time considered to be Spector’s attempt at a comeback to the music industry after a brief hiatus from the public eye. Paul McCartney later criticised Spector’s efforts on the album, particularly “The Long and Winding Road”, although Spector was defended by Lennon who stated “He was given the shittiest load of badly-recorded shit with a lousy feeling to it ever, and he made something of it”.  Both he, and George Harrison went on to have Spector co-produce their solo efforts while McCartney went on to spearhead the project Let It Be… Naked, which stripped the album of Spector’s contributions.

Also occurring at this time was the gradual split of the band. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were no longer working together as they had in the past, Lennon now seeming more concerned with spending time and making music with his bride-to-be, Yoko Ono. George Harrison was also frustrated by the situation and quit the band at one point, although returned to finish the album. This led to a somewhat confused release that was a commercial success but suffered from mixed reviews by critics, although the film of the same name released alongside the album fared slightly better.

ON THIS DAY IN 1969, LED ZEPPELIN GOT A GLIMPSE OF THEIR FUTURE SUCCESS WHEN THEY PLAYED AT THE BOSTON TEA PARTY DURING THEIR FIRST AMERICAN TOUR

The 26th of January, 1969 is also a notable day for Led Zeppelin, as they played a hugely successful show at the Boston Tea Party that would give the band a glimpse of their potential success. John Paul Jones was quoted as saying in NME magazine “the key Zeppelin gig, the one that put everything into focus was the one we played on our first American tour at the Boston Tea Party,” and went on to say “I suppose it was then that we realised just what Led Zeppelin was going to become”

Unfortunately, no video exists of this show, but audio of the entire concert has been captured and uploaded. The press release is also available to be viewed here.

TODAY MARKS A MASSIVE DAY IN ROCK HISTORY, AND A HUGE DAY FOR GREAT FRIENDS AND MUSICIANS LED ZEPPELIN.

On this day in 1969, Zeppelin released their self-titled debut after changing their name from “The New Yardbirds” after “The Who” drummer Keith Moon predicted their music was likely to “go over like a lead zeppelin”. Produced by Jimmy Page, the album was initially poorly received by critics and only reached number 10 at the Billboard charts despite it’s reputation now as one of the main influences of the hard rock genre. The publications that initially reviewed the album poorly later changed their tune and Led Zeppelin I now sits in numerous “Greatest Albums of All Time” lists compiled by the same media organisations and has gone eight times platinum in the United States alone.

Three journalists immediately saw the bands enormous potential, two British writers for Oz and Punch magazines, as well as emerging Canadian journalist Ritchie Yorke. Ritchie was awestruck by the advance copy he had been sent and published an article titled “Led Zeppelin Climbs Before It’s First LP” in the Toronto Globe and Mail in which he glowingly reviewed the new group and declared the album “the best debut album by a group since the 1967 release of Are You Experienced? by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.”

According to Zeppelin manager Peter Grant, this review marked the first press prediction of the band’s enormous international success, and it is a common belief that the review assisted greatly in changing the critical reviews of the US press.

A notable coincidence is that the albums release coincides with Ritchie’s birthday, the 12th of January. A pretty decent birthday present by anyones regard. Happy birthday Ritchie!

Click here to read Ritchie’s original article, originally published on the 11th January, 1969.

ON THIS DAY IN 1968, THE BEATLES RELEASED ONE OF THEIR MOST RENOWNED ALBUMS AS A BAND, THE WHITE ALBUM

Also known as The Beatles, the bands ninth studio album features a blank white cover, embellished only with the groups name, in a conscious attempt to contrast with the vivid artwork of their last album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club.

The writing and recording of this double album were considered unusual for the band. The majority of the songs were written During a transcendental Meditation course in Rishikesh, India. This included long periods of meditation, which both Lennon and McCartney relishing in a newly clear-headed approach to songwriting. That said, the band were frequently at odds with one another. The recording took place on a new 8-track system, and was edited so the songs segued together, rather than the usual 3 second gap between tracks.

On release, The White Album had a mixed reaction, with some critics panning it, and others calling it a major success. To this day it is still a remarkably mixed bag of opinions for the band. Some hold it as their favourite Beatles album, while many others complain about it’s length, it’s eccentricity and self-indulgence. Regardless, The Beatles is the groups most certified album, at 19 times platinum.

ON THIS DAY IN 1968, CREAM PERFORMED A MASSIVE SHOW AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK, AS PART OF THEIR FAREWELL TOUR

The group, made up of musical powerhouses Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker had enjoyed a hugely successful run, with their third album, Wheels of Fire, becoming the world’s first platinum-selling double album. They become widely regarded as one of the first successful supergroups.

Unfortunately, in 1968, the band suffered some problems leading to it’s eventual dissolution in November. Bruce and Baker created tension in the band with their ongoing rivalry and disagreements, while Clapton felt that communication between the members was unsatisfactory. New developments in sound equipment also caused troubles, with improved speakers and louder volume causing hearing difficulties for Baker. Clapton also claimed the new technologies led to their last shows being competitive and consisting of members showing off.

Cream was persuaded to record one final studio album, Goodbye, which was released in early 1969, after the group had officially disbanded. The band had actually decided to split in May of 1968, and an announcement was made about their final US tour and two concerts in London. The farewell tour was enormously successful and at the Madison Square Garden show, the band was presented with a platinum disc for the million sales of Wheels of Fire. After this tour, the group proceeded to pursue solo endeavours and other bands with varying success, as well as performing a couple of reunion concerts and greatest hits albums.

ON THIS DAY IN 1968, JIMI HENDRIX RELEASED HIS VERSION OF “ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER”

Originally penned by Bob Dylan, the song is renowned for it’s bizarre lyrics and whirling guitars. Dylan wrote the song while recuperating from a motorcycle accident and settling into family life and recorded it in 1967 at the same studio he had recorded “Blonde on Blonde” at, with the same producer. An early tape of these recordings was given to Hendrix in late 1967 and on January 21st, suitably impressed, he set about recording his own version in London.

Apparently, Hendrix’s recording of the song was less than straightforward, as his engineer recounts the guitarists large number of takes that day, and his shouted orders to the rest of the band. This led to bass player Noel Redding walking out on the session and having to be replaced, before Hendrix took over to complete the final bass section. Rolling Stones legend Brian Jones was also present at the session, taking control of the various percussion instruments, including new technology like the ‘vibraslap’. After the initial mixing, Hendrix became further dissatisfied with the result and went on to re-record and overdub sections of the song throughout the following three months.

The song was finally completed and released on September 21st, a month prior to the album version on Electric Ladyland, and quickly became Hendrix’s most successful US single, charting at number 20 and being named as one of the best cover versions of all time. Bob Dylan himself described his reaction to Hendrix’s version as overwhelming, due to the immense talent and dedicated development of the song. Dylan went on to say that “I liked Jimi Hendrix’s record of this and ever since he died I’ve been doing it that way… Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it’s a tribute to him in some kind of way”.

ON THIS DAY IN 1968, THE GROUP THAT WOULD COME TO BE KNOWN AS LED ZEPPELIN WOULD PERFORM THEIR DEBUT LIVE SHOW IN DENMARK

Billed as “The New Yardbirds” and promoted as a natural succession from the original Yardbirds. This promotion was kept quiet and many attendees believed they were going to a Yardbirds show, before arriving before Jimmy Page and three unrecognisable musicians. In reality, The Yardbirds had fallen apart due to internal difficulties and Page continued the shows in order to fill their contractual obligations.

No set list remains from the show but it is reported that many early Zeppelin classics were played, such as Dazed and Confused and You Shook Me, as well as a number of Yardbird classics. The shows ended up reviewing incredibly well by both critics and audience members, and the group decided to continue touring, albeit with their new name of Led Zeppelin.

The landmark show both boosted the groups confidence to launch something new, and introduced the world to the ferocious music that was soon to come, as well as to the incredible musicians who would be creating these sounds.