OCT 27-NOV 2: Historic events this week from Neil Young, KISS, Lou Reed & Metallica, CCR and more

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OCTOBER 28, 1977: NEIL YOUNG’S 3LP DECADE COMPILATION

Neil Young’s comprehensive 3LP compilation gathered classic songs from the first decade his career.

The Platinum-selling Decade gathers 35 tracks from Young’s career, including his time with Buffalo Springfield and CSN&Y.

OCTOBER 28, 1978: KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK

The “KISSterical! KISStounding! KISStoric!” TV movie, KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, remains a cult classic, mostly among KISS fans.

The plot centers around KISS using superpowers to save an amusement park from being destroyed by an evil inventor.

DVD copies of the movie are listed at $30+ on eBay. One brand new VHS is listed at $400, and a rare Laserdisc version is listed at $300.

OCTOBER 29, 1971: DUANE ALLMAN DIES

Allman was thrown from his speeding Harley-Davidson after coming upon a stopped flatbed truck.

His bike landed on top of him and pinned him to the ground as he skidded 90 feet.

He died several hours later at the hospital.

OCTOBER 30, 1998: BLACK SABBATH ON LETTERMAN

Black Sabbath reunited for a one-off performance of “Paranoid” on The Late Show With David Letterman.

It was the original lineup’s first national TV appearance in 22 years

OCTOBER 31, 2011: LOU REED & METALLICA’S LULU

Lou Reed & Metallica’s double album, Lulu, was Reed’s highest charting album (#33) since Sally Can’t Dance (#10) in 1974.

It proved to be Lou Reed’s final studio album. He died at 71; almost 2 years to the day after Lulu was released.

At Reed’s posthumous 2015 Rock Hall induction ceremony, his widow Laurie Anderson, revealed that David Bowie referred to Lulu as “Lou’s greatest work,” “his masterpiece,” and compared it to Reed’s 1973 album, Berlin. “It will take everyone a while to catch up.”

NOVEMBER 2, 1969: CCR’s WILLY and the POOR BOYS

CCR released three albums in 1969:

Bayou Country in January, Green River in August and Willy and the Poor Boys in November.

The 2x Platinum album featured the double A-side “Down on the Corner” / “Fortunate Son”, which would sell over 2 million copies on its own.