This Day in Music
Michael Fitzgibbon
A fantastic freshman album, a good freshman album, and if the first album is the freshman release, what's the eighth album… post-doctorate? Plus my music buying habits and Elvis puts on a spectacular show, on this day in music.
The Stone Roses
1989: English rock band The Stone Roses release their debut studio album, “The Stone Roses,” to universal critical acclaim. Though not an immediate commercial success, the band’s consistent live performances drew attention to the record, ultimately sending it to No. 19 on the U.K. charts and introducing the world to the Manchester Scene, from which Oasis would emerge only two years later.
Described variously as jangle rock, neo-psychedelia, or alt-rock, the best description for the collection of eleven quality tunes is simply Rock and Roll. Rated with perfect scores by just about every music writer, the album went on to sell 1.5 million copies.
Some of the highlight tracks include “She Bangs the Drum,” “Made of Stone,” “I Am the Resurrection,” and “Waterfall.”
“The Stone Roses” is one of the first albums I bought on CD instead of LP.
Melissa Etheridge
1988: “Melissa Etheridge,” the eponymous debut album from American singer-songwriter and guitarist Melissa Etheridge is released to widespread critical praise. Featuring the Top-40 hit, “Like the Way I Do,” the album also performed well commercially, going to No. 22 on the Billboard 200, and to No. 9 in Canada.
With ten straight-ahead Rock and Roll songs, often described as roots rock, a subgenre term I actually like, the LP spun out two other hits, “Similar Features,” and “Bring Me Some Water.” It went on to sell nearly three million copies and earn Platinum certification in several markets.
Melissa Etheridge had arrived. But where is she now? Well, she never went away! Etheridge has been releasing albums every two or three years since 1988, with her 17th studio album, “Rise,” released on March 27th of this year.
“Melissa Etheridge” was one of the last albums I bought on LP before committing entirely to CD’s for the next 30 years, then returning to vinyl.
Disintegration
1989: The Cure releases their eighth studio LP, “Disintegration.” Considered by many, including me, to be the band's best, this double-album collection of goth-rock numbers stunned critics and audiences alike, except of course for Robert Christgau of The Village Voice, who graded it a C+.
For almost every other music writer, it was a 5-Star or 10/10 album. A return to the more introspective emo-style songwriting of the band's early days following several successful pop records, Robert Smith had considered it an effort to make a more enduring work of art. He succeeded.
With extended song times that allow longer instrumental passages, tracks like “Pictures of You,” “Lovesong,” “Fascination Street,” and the title track, “Disintegration,” have made the LP a legacy, cross-generational classic that still earns fans to this day.
In addition to near-universal critical acclaim, the record was a commercial success, becoming the highest-selling work of The Cure's career at nearly four million copies shipped. It went to No. 3 in the U.K., No. 12 in the U.S., and broke into the Top-5 all across Europe. It was certified Gold in France, Germany, Italy, U.K., and Switzerland. In Spain and New Zealand, it went Platinum, and in the U.S., it hit double-Platinum.
I bought “Disintegration” on CD in 1989, and then again on vinyl in 2019. Along the way, I bought the iTunes MP3 as well. The Cure should thank me for buying their record three times!
The Stones on Sullivan
1965: Despite promising that he would never have them back, Ed Sullivan once again invites The Rolling Stones to perform on his Sunday night variety show. Though Sullivan said he received thousands of complaints about the Stones after their first appearance, those complaints were clearly outnumbered by fans. Also appearing that night were fellow Britons Tom Jones from Wales, and Dusty Springfield from London.
The Daily Elvis
1977: Performing at Chicago Stadium and clad in his Mexican Sundial jumpsuit, Elvis electrified the audience with a robust setlist that included “See See Rider,” “I Got a Woman,” and a legendary rendition of “Hurt.”
