This Day in Music
Deep Purple once again plays with fire, Duran Duran proves they're not just an 80's band, and Elvis rocks the jailhouse, on this day in music.
Releases
1993: Duran Duran survives the Eighties and releases their seventh studio album, simply titled "Duran Duran," which was also the name of their debut studio album in 1981.
The cover art is a collage of the band's parents' wedding photos, prompting early pre-release promotional copies to be labeled “The Wedding Album,” and fans' subsequent adoption of that reference to differentiate it from the debut.
Though critics gave the record mixed reviews, 4-Stars by AllMusic and only 2.5 Stars from Rolling Stone, it was a hit commercially. The album spun-out six singles, with "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone" each reaching the Top-10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The fifth single was a cover of The Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" from their debut album in 1967. Though popular among fans, it did not chart and did not capture the charm of the original. Duran Duran has made nine more albums since, with "Danse Macabre" released in 2023.
1974: The world is introduced to the “Mark III” version of Deep Purple as the band releases their eighth studio album, "Burn." With Ian Gillan out, newcomer David Coverdale is now fronting the band as lead singer, and Glenn Hughes, ex- of Trapeze and future of Black Sabbath, takes over from Roger Glover on bass.
Undaunted by the 1972 incident famously documented in their song, "Smoke on the Water," wherein a Swiss casino burned to the ground during a Mothers of Invention concert just ahead of Deep Purple's scheduled performance, the band returned to Montreux, Switzerland and used The Rolling Stones Mobile studio to record the album.
The world had mixed feelings with the results. Critically, the album ranges from C+ by Christgau on the low end, to 4.5 Stars by AllMusic on the high end. Mostly on the strength of the phenomenal title track, "Burn," and the lead single, "Might Just Take Your Life," which became a hit in the UK, the album did good business commercially. It reached No. 3 on the UK Albums list, and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, while being certified Gold across Europe and North America.
1980: "Too Much Pressure," the debut studio album by English two-tone ska band, The Selector, is released. The album did not perform well commercially, but was a hit with critics and created a cult following for the band.
The singles from the LP, "Three Minute Hero" and "Missing Words," each made the Top-25 on the UK Singles chart, but the most memorable song from the album is the title track, "Too Much Pressure," which still gets radio play on modern rock stations and SiriusXM 1st Wave.
Though unable to retain the commercial audience of “Too Much Pressure,” the band continued to make music, and has released 17 albums over the decades, most recently in 2023 with “Human Algebra.”
Events
1961: Jackie Wilson is shot at his New York apartment by his girlfriend Juanita Jones, who was angry about his philandering. He managed to get to a hospital and survive, but he lost a kidney, and with the bullet lodged too close to his spine to remove, it remained with him for the rest of his life.
1964: “Meet the Beatles!” becomes the first US No. 1 album for the band. It remained in that position for eleven weeks.
The Daily Elvis
1958: "Jailhouse Rock," a five-song EP by Elvis Presley that includes the famous title track, reaches No. 18 on the UK Albums chart.
Pictured: Duran Duran in 1982.
