AUG 1-7: Historic events this week from George Harrison, Def Leppard, Prince and ZZ Top
Sponsored by
AUGUST 1, 1971: GEORGE HARRISON\’S CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH
The concert featured Harrison, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Badfinger, Leon Russell and more coming together to raise money for the starving and homeless people of Bengal.
\”An enormous amount of money was collected and this could never have been achieved without the help of dear George.\” – Ravi Shankar (2005)
The concert album won a Grammy for Album of the Year; beating out Don McLean\’s American Pie and Harry Nilsson\’s Nilsson Schmilsson.
• • •
AUGUST 3, 1987: DEF LEPPARD RELEASE HYSTERIA
All 7 singles from Def Leppard\’s fourth album went Top 10:
\”Hysteria\” (#9), \”Women\” (#7), \”Animal\” (#5), \”Rocket\” (#5), \”Armageddon It\” (#3), \”Pour Some Sugar on Me\” (#2), \”Love Bites\” (#1)
Hysteria has sold over 12 million copies in the US alone.
• • •
AUGUST 4, 1984: PURPLE RAIN IS #1
A little over a month after its release, Purple Rain made its way to #1 on the Billboard 200.
Featuring the #1 hits \”When Doves Cry\” and \”Let\’s Go Crazy\”, the classic album would spend an astounding 22 straight weeks at #1.
The landmark album earned Prince & the Revolution two Grammys, and an Oscar for Best Original Song Score for Prince.
• • •
AUGUST 7, 1996: ZZ TOP\’S ELIMINATOR CERTIFIED DIAMOND
ZZ Top\’s biggest album, Eliminator, is a stunner.
Expanded use of synthesizers brought a New Wave sound that appealed to a wider audience.
Eliminator has gone 10x Platinum in the US thanks to the hits \”Gimme All Your Lovin\’\”, \”Got Me Under Pressure\”, \”Legs\” and \”Sharp Dressed Man\”.
