This Day in Music
You can check out of this blog at any time, but you can never leave! Two of Rock and Roll's most famous hotels are accepting reservations on this day in music.
Releases
1977: Eagles release the title track and second single from their album, “Hotel California.” With lyrics described by the band as reflecting “the high life” in Los Angeles, and a tasteful double guitar solo by Don Felder and Joe Walsh to close out the last two minutes, it has become the signature song for the band, often ranking No. 1 on lists of all time favourite rock/pop songs.
It was a huge hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Canada RPM Top Singles chart. The single is certified 3x Platinum in the U.S., and has sold over five million copies. The album itself is the sixth-highest selling globally of all time, with estimated total shipments of 42 million units, right behind “Their Greatest Hits” in fifth place, also by Eagles, at 44 million estimated sales.
1993: Semi-alternative, semi-prog-rock, all modern rock English band Radiohead release their debut studio album, “Pablo Honey.”
Though the band members had been playing music together since high school in the late 1980’s, Radiohead was officially formed in Abingdon (Oxfordshire), England in 1991. Their first EP, “Drill,” in 1992 met with little success, and their manager convinced them to target U.S. audiences for the debut LP, bringing in American producers Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie.
Though the album received little fanfare in the beginning, with the lead single “Creep” having not made an impact since its release in September of 1992, it slowly began to catch on. By March of 1993, “Creep” was getting good rotation on college radio, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, and its video was in heavy rotation on MTV. By mid-year, it had become a bona fide “slacker anthem,” along with Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and Beck’s “Loser.” In September, Radiohead performed “Creep” on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and the band finally found its footing in America.
Though critical reviews were tepid, the slow acceptance of the lead single sparked interest in the band and sales of “Pablo Honey” did a brisk business. It reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200, was certified Platinum in the U.S., 2x Platinum in Canada, and 2x Platinum in the U.K., and ultimately sold over three million copies worldwide. The band would get bigger upon the release of each of their next three successive albums, with 1997’s “OK Computer” becoming a genuine modern rock classic.
People
2007: Remembering talented English jazz, prog, and rock drummer, Ian Wallace, who sadly died on this day in 2007 of esophageal cancer at only 60 years old.
Wallace first achieved fame as the drummer on the King Crimson studio album, "Islands," followed by the live LP, "Earthbound." He would go on to play with several other acts, including David Lindley's band El Rayo X, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Walsh, Bob Dylan, Keith Emerson, Lindsey Buckingham, and with Don Henley's solo tours in the 1980's and 1990's.
He founded The Crimson Jazz Trio, with whom he made two albums of classical-style jazz versions of King Crimson songs, and following the departure of drummer Michael Giles, he joined 21st Century Schizoid Band, a professional King Crimson cover band formed in 2002 comprising Crimson alumnae Ian MacDonald, Jakko Jakszyk, Mel Collins, and Peter Giles.
The Daily Elvis
1956: "Heartbreak Hotel," the first single from Elvis on his new label, RCA Victor, reaches No. 1. That is, No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks, No. 1 on the Cashbox Pop Singles chart for six weeks, No. 1 on the Country & Western chart for 17 weeks, and No. 1 on the Rhythm & Blues Records chart for three weeks!
The song, written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, and inspired by a newspaper article about a man who committed suicide by jumping from a hotel window, went on to sell over two million copies in the U.S. It was certified 2x Platinum, remains one of Elvis's most enduring and famous numbers, and is one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Performed by Elvis and supporting musicians The Blue Moon Boys, along with Chet Atkins on guitar, and Floyd Cramer on piano, "Heartbreak Hotel," with its eight bar blues progression, is the very heartbeat of Rock and Roll.
Pictured: The Beverly Hills Hotel at 9641 Sunset Blvd., otherwise known as “Hotel California” for the album’s front cover. The inside gatefold of the LP features the Lido Hotel at 6500 Yucca St. in Hollywood. (“Standing on the porch of the Lido Hotel; Floozies in the lobby love the way I sell.”)
