JAN 19-25: Historic events this week from Pink Floyd, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Ozzy Osbourne, Neil Young, Van Halen and more
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JANUARY 19, 1980: THE WALL‘S 15-WEEK RUN AT #1
Pink Floyd followed up two 5-song LPs in a row with a 26-song rock opera.
The Wall went to #1 in the US and remained there for 15 consecutive weeks.
The massively successful album has sold over 30,000,000 copies worldwide.
JANUARY 20, 1970: JOHN & YOKO SHAVE THEIR HEADS FOR CHARITY
John Lennon & Yoko Ono shaved their heads while on holiday in Denmark. They traded the hair for a pair of Muhammed Ali’s boxing shorts. Ali’s shorts were then sold to raise money for John & Yoko’s peace campaign.
JANUARY 20, 1975: BOB DYLAN’S BLOOD ON THE TRACKS
Bob Dylan’s masterpiece, Blood on the Tracks, details immense pain and personal turmoil. Recorded towards the end of his second marriage, it is widely believed to be an autobiographical album. Bob Dylan refutes this, stating he doesn’t write “confessional songs.”
JANUARY 20, 1982: OZZY BITES A BAT’S HEAD OFF
During an Ozzy Osbourne concert in Des Moines, a fan threw a bat onto the stage. Reports differ as to whether it was dead or unconscious. What is known, is Ozzy bit its head off, believing it was made of rubber.
Immediately, something felt wrong. My mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid. I could feel it staining my teeth and running down my chin. Then the head in my mouth twitched. – Ozzy
JANUARY 22, 1972: NEIL YOUNG’S DEBUT SOLO ALBUM
Between Buffalo Springfield’s final album and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s classic Déjà Vu, Neil Young released his self-titled debut as a solo artist. Despite being plagued with production issues, it resembled Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited and Young’s work with Buffalo Springfield.
JANUARY 24, 1995: BALANCE BY VAN HALEN
Van Halen’s Balance was their fourth with singer Sammy Hagar.
The final Van Halen studio album to feature Hagar on vocals, was also their fourth straight US #1 album.
The 3x Platinum album featured three Top 10 singles, and earned the band their fourth Grammy nomination for “The Seventh Seal.”
JANUARY 25, 1991: PAUL McCARTNEY UNPLUGGED
Paul McCartney appeared on the 21st episode of MTV Unplugged, but he was the first to release his performance as an album. Among a few cover songs, Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) contains six Beatles songs and “I Lost My Little Girl”; the first song Paul ever wrote, when he was 14 years old.
JANUARY 25, 1994: ALICE IN CHAINS’ JAR OF FLIES
After two albums of alternative metal, Alice In Chains switched gears with the largely acoustic Jar of Flies EP.
Featuring their first #1 single, “No Excuses”, the EP has sold over 3 million copies worldwide and is their second biggest release behind 1992’s Dirt.
Jar of Flies is the first EP in music history to debut at #1.
