On this day in 1979, The Who film Quadrophenia premiered at the Toronto Film Festival

After the success of their first rock opera film Tommy in 1975, those involved to continue their work in the film industry with another movie. While Tommy had been considered a ‘fantasy’ film, their next film was actually a revival of an older concept, the 1973 rock opera album Quadrophenia, a story set in a real time and place, namely the mod scene of the 1960s UK that The Who had been so heavily associated with.

Mod, short for modernist, began in London in the late 1950s and spread rapidly, influencing a number of fashion and musical trends. Fashion-wise they were known for tailor made suits and parkas, as well as their often customised Vespa scooters. The Who themselves weren’t mods, but their music resonated with the subculture and as such they were often linked. Other musical trends of the subculture included the Small Faces and the Yardbirds, as well as jazz, ska and Motown music.

The plot of Quadrophenia sees Jimmy, a young mod escaping from his regular life by partying, taking drugs, riding his scooter and brawling with ‘Rockers’. After a huge brawl in Brighton, Jimmy is arrested and his life goes rapidly downhill  as he loses his love interest, is kicked out of home and learns that his idol actually works a regular job like him. The film would be the first role for many of the cast, though many would go on to successful roles in television. The most famous face in the movie would be Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting, who would play Jimmy’s idol, the mod Ace Face.

After its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, the release of Quadrophenia was a huge success. It grossed £36,472 (just under £250,000 today) in its first week from just four cinemas in London, coming in second behind the James Bond film Moonraker. Critics also liked the movie, praising its gritty realism and themes of rebellious youth. It currently has a 100% score on film review website RottenTomatoes.com as well as appearing on The New York Times’ Best 1000 Movies Ever list.

On this day in 1968, the members of Led Zeppelin play their first show together

In 1966, guitarist Jimmy Page joined popular blues-inspired rock band the Yardbirds, performing alongside them for several years. After a tour in April 1968, several members of the band left the band, but due to contractually obligated shows over the next few months, Page was permitted to continue using the name in order to appear at those shows. 

With the support of manager Peter Grant, Page began his search for new band members. His first choice of vocalist, Terry Reid, declined the offer and instead suggested Robert Plant, who in turn recommended his former band mate John Bonham as drummer. Shortly after, John Paul Jones enquired about the vacant bassist position, and as Page had known him from their days as session musicians, he was welcomed in as the final member.

The group began auditioning together in London in August, and shortly after headed for Scandinavia, where the Yardbirds shows were due to be held. Their first performance together would take place at Gladsaxe Teen Club at the Egegård School in Copenhagen, Denmark under the name the New Yardbirds. The show was attended by roughly 1200 people, many of them teenage attendees of the school. Reviews of the show were extremely positive, with one local publication stating “Their performance and their music were absolutely flawless, and the music continued to ring nicely in the ears for some time after the curtains were drawn after their show.”

Later in September, the band set about recording their first album, based on their popular live set.  The recording was completed and mixed in just nine days, with Page paying for the sessions. After the album was finished, the band would receive a cease and desist from former Yardbirds bassist Chris Dreja, who claimed that the New Yardbirds name had only been authorised for the remaining Scandinavian shows, forcing a last minute name change. 

The popular story for the bands new name says that The Who drummer Keith Moon had said that Page’s previous idea for the band which featured him and Jeff Beck would “go down like a lead balloon”. The ‘a’ in lead being dropped was supposedly an idea from Peter Grant to avoid mispronunciation, and the word balloon being changed to Zeppelin was Page’s idea as it brought a nice combination of heavy and light, according to music journalist Keith Shadwick. 

On the 12th January the band would release their first album, Led Zeppelin I, to mixed critical reviews but was extremely popularity commercially, shooting up the charts around the world  and gaining them a huge new fanbase. The album is now considered a favourite by many, and their first show in Denmark certainly helped give the band the confidence to continue working together, kick-starting their massive career.

On this day in 1974, John Lennon testifies against the Nixon administration

Lennon was first deported in 1969 due to a UK marijauna conviction from 1968. The Board of Immigration voted four to nil, claiming “we are not unsympathetic to the plight of the respondent and others in a similar situation under the immigration laws.”

In 1971, he and Yoko Ono decided to move to New York City, and he applied for citizenship in that year. President Richard Nixon had other ideas though, and ordered him to leave the country in 1972, a decision Lennon fought back against. His appeals earned him several temporary visas allowing him to remain in the country while his case was settled in court. Shortly after, the Watergate scandal broke, and by early 1974, Nixon resigned from office, though this did not end Lennons immigration struggles.

He received another deportation order on July 18 of 1974, again citing his 1968 marijuana conviction as the reason, and again appealed against the notice. On August 31, the ex-Beatle testified against the Nixon administration, claiming he had been deliberately targeted due to his involvement in anti-war activities, in particular against the Vietnam War and for his 1969 peace campaign. He also claimed that he had been surveilled by the government, being followed by agents of the CIA and FBI, and having his phone wiretapped.

These claims against the government were later proven to be true with the release of the the FBI’s files in 2000, after a near 20 year battle to have them released under a Freedom of Information request by historian Jon Wiener. The files showed Lennon had indeed been under surveillance in 1971 and 1972 for his “revolutionary” and anti-war views that supposedly threatened to undermine the Nixon administration. Wiener was outraged by his findings, later claiming “The FBI is supposed to catch criminals, not stop people from criticising the President. This is an example of FBI harassment, the purpose of which was to silence Lennon as a voice of the peace movement.”

Back in 1974 though, Lennons testimonial had little effect on his immigration case and he continued to fight for his citizenship for several years. In 1975 he was granted temporary non-priority deportation status due to Ono’s pregnancy and finally in 1976, the decision to deport him was overturned, granting him a green card and full US citizenship.

On this day in 1967, The Who drummer Keith Moon reportedly drives his car into a hotel pool in one of the most notorious examples of rock and roll bad behaviour

The Who formed in 1964 and soon grew in popularity around London owing to their energetic live shows. They  quickly capitalised with a handful of hit singles before releasing their debut album My Generation in late 1965. A year of legal issues and in-band conflict followed, before they recorded and released A Quick One to alleviate financial pressure.

The popularity of these albums led to the band being booked to play at the famous 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, a performance which received mixed reviews but earned them greater recognition in the United States, as well as a spot on a tour supporting Herman’s Hermits. The bands shared a similar affinity for practical jokes, partying and drugs, and the Hermits showed Keith Moon that fireworks were legal to purchase in some states. It was during this tour that the band earned its reputation for destroying hotel rooms, with Moon being the main perpetrator, often with his favourite firework, the cherry bomb. 

After a show in Flint, Michigan on Moon’s birthday, the 23rd of August both bands retired to the Holiday Inn hotel, where a wild party ensued. Moon recalls that late in the evening he hopped into a car parked near the hotel pool, a Lincoln Continental, and took off the handbrake, causing the car to roll forward into the pool. He waited until the car filled up with water before throwing open the door and swimming to the surface.

However, the majority of the band and partygoers don’t recall the incident ever taking place. DJ Peter Cavanaugh claims to have seen the car in the pool, but Herman’s Hermits drummer Barry Whitlam claims that no car ever entered the pool, nor did Moon and that there was no way it could have happened without him seeing it. 

Whether the car was driven into the pool or not, the party caused a massive amount of damage to the hotel, earning the bands a bill for $24,000 to clean up the broken tables, bottles and chairs thrown into the pool, the ruined carpets, the ripped wallpaper and a ceiling covered with cake. The event has since come to be known as one of the most infamous examples of bad behaviour and over the top partying from a rock band, and it certainly didn’t help the reputation of the the often looked down upon new genre of rock and roll.

On this day in 1974, Eric Clapton’s second solo album hits number one in the US

After finding huge success with his bands The Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos, Clapton decided to embark on a solo career, with his self-titled debut releasing in 1970 and finding reasonable success. After the release of this album however, Clapton took a three year hiatus from music due to personal issues with his relationships and an addiction to heroin.

In 1974, Clapton moved in with future wife Pattie Boyd and ceased his drug use, leading him to focus more on music again. He began working on a farm and listening to a low of new music and old blues records he’d brought with him, and was eventually given a tape of demos by the bassist of Derek and the Dominos, Carl Radle, alongside keyboardist Dick Sims and drummer Jamie Oldaker. Clapton loved the sound of the demos and joined the group, later adding guitarist George Terry and backup vocalists Yvonne Elliman and Marcy Levy.

Clapton would take this band to Criteria Studios in Miami, along with producer Tom Dowd, and moved into a house nearby at 461 Ocean Boulevard, giving the album its name. During April and May, the band would work on the project, and by July it was ready for release. Ahead of the album, the group would release two singles, Willie and the Hand Jive and I Shot the Sheriff. The latter would shoot up the charts, with Clapton’s take on the Marley classic reaching the top ten in nine countries and giving him his first and only number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 

461 Ocean Boulevard would follow this trend, hitting the top ten in eight countries and number one in three of them. Shortly after the record would go Gold in the US. The release was also a critical success, with praise being given for its laid back and mellow tunes and in 2012 it was listed at number 411 Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

On this day in 1976, Elton John played the first of seven sold out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York

John and his band began recording a new album called Blue Moves in March, which included the hit song “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, with the sessions being held in Toronto. This and previous album Rock of the Westies formed the basis of the tour which would be undertaken shortly after, with the band hitting the road on 29 April in the UK, traveling around England and Scotland.

Soon after, the decision was made to extend the tour to the United States, with the new name of the “Louder Than Concorde (But Not Quite As Pretty)” tour. This name was supposedly chosen as it exemplified the onslaught John and his group were giving the States during their Bicentennial celebration. Custom flyers were made for the US leg which included a cardboard pop-out model of an Elton John Concorde Jet, an impressive level of marketing for a tour with such short notice.

Evidently the promotion worked, as the tour would conclude with seven sold out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City, from the 10th of August through to the 17th, with just the 14th as a break. During these shows, the band would share the stage with the New York Community Choir and feature appearances from Kiki Dee, Divine and Alice Cooper. John would also cover songs from Kiki Dee, The Who, Lesley Duncan and The Beatles. These shows alone would net John $1.25 million, beating out the record previously held by The Rolling Stones from their 1969 tour.

After the Madison Square Garden shows, John announced to the band that he planned to take a break from touring which would eventually lead to the group disbanding, though several members would join him again for future tours in the coming years.

On this day in 1963, The Beatles played their final show at the Cavern Club

The Cavern Club in Liverpool was where The Beatles really became the band we all know today, and it helped launch them into superstardom. The band first appeared at the venue in 1957 under the name The Quarrymen and on the 21st February 1961 appeared for the first time under their new name of The Beatles, featuring the line-up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best. This first show brought in a total 5 pounds ($14) for the band.

The original lineup was seen by Brian Epstein at the club in November 1961, who was blown away by the performance and soon offered to be the band’s manager, a position he would retain until his death in 1967.  Though it was agreed upon by all members of the band, Epstein would be the one to fire  Pete Best from the group, informing him that he was being replaced with Ringo Starr in August 1962. This decision initially enraged Beatles fans, but they soon came around to Starr, realising he was also an exceptional drummer who suited the band well.

The Beatles would go on to play an incredible 292 performances at the club between 1961 and 1963, and would get the opportunity to meet and perform alongside great artists like Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Hollies, Billy J. Kramer and the Coasters and Little Richard.  In early 1963, The Beatles would have a string of hits including Love Me Do, Please Please Me, From Me to You and She Loves You which rapidly grew the size of their audience, and they soon realised they were going to have to move on from the smaller Cavern Club. 

Just a month after the recording of She Loves You, The Beatles made their final appearance at the Cavern Club. Doorman Paddy Delaney recalls crowds acting wild  before the band even arrived, and as they made their way into the building a group of girls had ripped off the sleeve of Lennon’s mohair jacket, which Delaney grabbed to stop it being taken as a souvenir. As the band performed, the power went out, leading to Lennon and McCartney playing an acoustic version of When I’m Sixty-Four, which wouldn’t be released until 1967, before a displeased Lennon left the  stage. For this show, the band were paid 300 pounds ($840), a considerable amount of money for the time. According to the club’s compère Bob Wooler, once the show was finished Epstein promised they would return to the venue, though they never did.

The Cavern Club would continue operating until 1965 when it closed due to bankruptcy. It then changed hands several times, before being demolished and used as a carpark. In 1984, a replica of the club would be built on “seventy-five per cent of the original site,” reportedly using 15,000 bricks saved from the original building. Later, in 1997 a statue of John Lennon was unveiled outside the club, and in 1999, Paul McCartney appeared to promote his new album “Run Devil Run” marking the last time any of The Beatles would appear at the venue.

On this day in 1940, Billboard Magazine released its first top sales chart

In previous years, Billboard had released lists comparing music by various other metrics, including jukebox and radio plays, sheet music sales and performance in vaudeville venues. The July 27th issue  of the magazine, then called The Billboard, included a new list, titled the “National List of Best Selling Retail Records” that compared the top ten most popular songs of the week.

The Billboard list was the first to poll retail stores around the country, and was initially created as a “trade service feature” with the aim of providing retailers with popular options to stock in their stores. The inaugural list featured Tommy Dorsey at the number one spot with I’ll Never Smile Again which featured vocals from Frank Sinatra and would stay at the top spot for twelve weeks in total. Dorsey was listed again at number eight, while his older brother Jimmy appeared at number two. Glenn Miller was listed three times, at number three, five and seven, and Charlie Barnet, Kay Kyser, Mitchell Ayres and Bing Crosby rounded out the first chart.

Billboard would expand the concept in 1956 with the Billboard 200 showcasing the top selling albums for the week, and again in 1958 when they combined the idea with a radio airplay component, creating the Billboard Hot 100. The contributing factors have gotten more complex over time, with the list today being measured by radio airplay audience impressions, sales data both in retail and digital stores, and even streaming activity provided by various online platforms.

The Billbard charts have become a huge part of the music industry, and created a way for people to easily discover new and exciting music that is popular around the world. It has inspired numerous other lists, both by Billboard and other publications, for various genres, nationalities and even more opinion based lists like Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

On this day in 1965, Bob Dylan released Like a Rolling Stone

Dylan had been hard at work since the release of his first album in 1962, writing another four full length LP’s before his famous switch to electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival in July of 1965. Like a Rolling Stone marked one of the first recorded tracks in which Dylan made use of his new electric sound.

The lyrics for the song came from an extended verse Dylan wrote in June of that year, upon his return from a particularly gruelling tour of England. The words were extended into four verses and a chorus, and many consider these lyrics to have a somewhat cynical and confrontational tone, reflecting Dylan’s exhaustion at the end of the tour. Just weeks later the song was recorded at his home in Woodstock as part of the sessions for his upcoming sixth studio album, Highway 61 Revisited. 

Radio stations were initially reluctant to play Like a Rolling Stone due to its extended runtime of over six minutes, but the song was such a hit that there was little choice but to allow it on the air. It quickly reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts, and became a world-wide hit from there. Critics praised Dylan’s emotive voice and the raucous rock sound, as well as the creative lyricism, in particular the directness of the chorus’ main refrain “How does it feel?”

Like a Rolling Stone has gone on to become Dylan’s most well-known song, and is considered revolutionary in the way it combines such varied instruments like the electric guitar, tambourine and harmonica. Many famous musicians such as members of the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Zappa and Elvis Costello recall being both amazed and inspired by the track. It’s longer runtime also opened the doors for other artists to stop limiting their songs to the more common and accepted three minutes that radio stations and record companies would push for.

Many consider the song to be Dylan’s best work, and it is consistently polled highly in lists for the greatest songs ever written. Rolling Stone magazine has twice placed the track at number one on their list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2004 and 2010, and it only fell to number four in 2021. Its cultural significance is so great that a 2014 auction of the handwritten lyrics fetched a record $2 million.

On this day in 1985, the star-studded benefit concert Live Aid was held  simultaneously in the UK and the US

Since 1982, famine in Ethiopia had become a widely known issue, and in 1984, images of thousands starving to death were broadcast by the BBC in the UK. Among the viewers of this program was the lead singer of Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, Bob Geldof. Geldof was deeply moved by what he saw, and could not understand how in this “time of plenty, some had food and some do not.”  His first attempts to raise money were by recording songs “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and “Band-Aid” which were extremely successful, raising 8 million pounds for the relief.

After this, Geldof’s next plan was to hold a huge concert to raise further funds, an idea he received from Boy George of Culture Club fame, who had helped with recording Do They Know It’s Christmas?” The concert soon evolved into a dual-venue televised event featuring a massive line-up of hugely popular artists and presented by film and television stars. The two selected venues were Wembley Stadium in London, which featured acts like Sting, U2, Dire Straits, Queen, David Bowie, The Who, Elton John and Paul McCartney, and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, with performances from the likes of Joan Baez, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Neil Young, Madonna, The Beach Boys, Judas Priest, Bob Dylan and Hall and Oates. Concerts inspired by the movement were also held simultaneously around the world, in countries such as Australia, Japan, Canada and the Soviet Union.

Also performing in Philadelphia was Led Zeppelin, performing for the first time since the death of legendary drummer John Bonham in 1980. Phil Collins and Tony Thompson filled in on drums for the band in a performance that drew some criticism, though concert-goers were just glad to see the band perform again.

The most popular and well-known performance however, belonged to Queen, with  a twenty-one minute show that had the crowd join in on a legendary back and forth refrain. This was followed by an a capella section, during which Mercury held a sustained note of “Aaaaay-o” in what would become known as “The Note Heard Round the World.” In 2005, an industry poll would vote the show the greatest live performance in the history of rock.

While some debated the efficacy of the concerts, they managed to immidiately raise between forty and fifty million pounds and it is now estimated a total of one-hundred and fifty million pounds have been raised as a direct result of the concerts. In addition, the publicity created by the concerts encouraged Western nations to contribute more grain to end the immediate famine concerns in Africa. The idea of benefit concerts has since become a popular fund-raising tool for charities around the world.