This Day in Music
January 20th
One legend performs at the biggest event of her career, another legend releases one of his biggest albums, and the King records one of his biggest hits, all on this day in music.
Releases
1975: Legendary American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan releases his 15th studio album, "Blood on the Tracks." It was his return to Columbia Records after two releases with Asylum.
Considered semi-autobiographical and influenced by the turmoil in Dylan's marriage at the time, Dylan himself has denied the songs were about him. Despite his comments, on his live release, "At Budokan," he introduces the song "Simple Twist of Fate," as "...a simple love story; happened to me."
Reviews of the album were surprisingly mixed at the time, with Rolling Stone publishing two reviews that were polar opposites. One of its writers, John Cott, wrote of "...Dylan's magnificent new album," while Jon Landau said, "...the record has been made with typical shoddiness." Retrospective reviews, however, all give the album its due, assigning the highest ratings from all major critics. It’s a masterpiece of a record and only the most pretentious critics will knock it down. Dylan fans rank the album among his best works, with many considering it to be the ultimate achievement in his oeuvre.
Devotees and casual listeners alike embraced the album wholeheartedly, sending it to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and No. 1 on the Canada Albums chart. It was a Top-10 in five other countries, including No. 4 in the UK. In the US, the record was certified double-Platinum, and in both Canada and the UK, it was Platinum.
1964: "Meet The Beatles," the intended first American studio album by The Beatles, but was actually the second, is released by Capitol Records to widespread acclaim by critics, and hysterical excitement by fans. “Introducing… The Beatles,” an arguably unauthorized release by previous-licensee, Vee-Jay Records, was released ten days earlier on January 10th.
Including many Beatles classics like "I Saw Her Standing There," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "It Won't Be Long," "All My Loving," "Hold Me Tight," and "I Wanna Be Your Man," how could it not reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200, which it did. It remained in that position for eleven weeks when it was surpassed by “The Beatles’ Second Album,” the second Capitol release in America. The LP has since been certified 5x Platinum in the US, and Platinum in Canada.
1967: Is it possible to overlook or forget a Stones album? "Between the Buttons," the seventh studio album from The Rolling Stones, answers that question with a “yes.”
One of only two Stones records to explore psychedelic rock, it's an eclectic mixture of pop ballads and psych-rock accented by a widened range of sound thanks to Brian Jones's multi-instrumental performances on organ, marimba, dulcimer, vibraphone, trumpet, and kazoo.
The album cover features a photograph of the band on Primrose Hill in North London, wherein they appear to be dissolving into the scenery. Photographer Gered Mankowitz was seeking "...to capture the ethereal, druggy feel of the time..."
Critics embraced the album warmly, assigning near-highest ratings, with Robert Christgau commenting that it was "...among the greatest rock albums." That might be a rare example of hyperbole by Christgau, but it is indeed a fantastic record.
Though the LP reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, it sold only 500,000 copies, achieving Gold certification, which is impressive for most acts, but a lower-selling Stones album, and is rarely mentioned in lists of bests by the Stones.
Strangely, none of the songs on the album are among the most famous from the band, though the U.S. release mixed up the track listing by adding two otherwise non-album singles, “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Ruby Tuesday,” both of which are among the most beloved Stones tracks.
Somehow, this glorious record has been overlooked, but it is one that everybody should hear.
2009: Aretha Franklin performs an emotional rendition of Samuel Smith’s “America ’Tis of Thee” at the United States Capitol for the inauguration ceremony of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.
The Daily Elvis
1969: Returning to American Sound Studio in Memphis, Elvis works from 9:00pm to 4:00am on 23 takes of his new Mac Davis-written song, “In the Ghetto.” It would reach No. 1 in markets all around the world, though only No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, and become one of Elvis’s highest-selling singles at over two million copies.
Pictured: Aretha Franklin singing at Barack Obama’s inauguration.
