This Day in Music
January 14th
Laying low to ride a permanent wave, and a promotion for the King, on this day in music.
Releases
1980: Legendary Canadian band Rush release their seventh studio album, “Permanent Waves,” to widespread critical acclaim and adoration from audiences. The first of four consecutive albums, and seven in total, to be recorded at Le Studio in Morin Heights, Quebec, it is also the sixth of nine albums produced or co-produced with Terry Brown.
The group deliberately aimed to include more radio-friendly songs on the LP, achieving success with the huge hits, “The Spirit of Radio” and “Freewill,” but by no means eschewed their love of prog-rock, as displayed on the tracks “Jacob’s Ladder” and “Natural Science,” the record’s near-epic nine-minute closer.
The cover artwork superimposed Canadian model Paula Turnbull on a photograph of the Galveston, Texas seawall during Hurricane Carla in September of 1961. She would appear once again on a Rush package, peering out from behind the curtain on 1981’s “Exit…Stage Left.”
Within only two months, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA in the US, making it the fastest-selling Rush album to date. That feat would be eclipsed by their next record, “Moving Pictures.” It went on to be certified Platinum in the US, Platinum in Canada, and Gold in the UK.
This blogger vividly remembers waking up for school to “The Spirit of Radio” on a cold January morning in 1980 in Montréal.
1977: David Bowie releases his eleventh studio album, "Low," the first of what would become known as his Berlin Trilogy.
Co-produced with long-time collaborator, Tony Visconti, and featuring Brian Eno, the project was launched from the studios at the famous Hérouville's Château, often nicknamed “Honky Château,” (as used by Elton John for his album of the same name) in Val d'Oise, France, near Paris. The team soon decamped to Hans Tonstudio in West Berlin, where the album, and the next two, “Heroes” and “Lodger,” were completed.
Having recently kicked his cocaine habit, "Low" was a new direction for Bowie, his first ventures into electronica and ambient music. He was influenced at the time by German artists such as Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, and Harmonia.
As with all of Bowie's new directions, it was of course a huge success. Critics heaped praise upon the album, with many to this day considering it to be Bowie's best work. A somewhat esoteric LP, it didn't sell as well as usual for a Bowie record, but nonetheless peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums list, No. 11 on the Billboard 200, and was certified Gold in both the UK and Canada.
Events
1966: Englishman David Jones, to ensure he is not mistaken for American singer Davey Jones of The Monkees, changes his name to David Bowie.
1997: The Beach Boys guest-star on the American TV show, Home Improvement. The fictional narrative has it turn out that they were the cousins of Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor's neighbour, Wilson, and the reason for him being a recluse. They sang "Barbra Ann" with the show's cast.
1957: Talented American drummer Steve Jordan is born in New York City. With a career that's now in its sixth decade, Jordan is famous for having been the drummer in the original Saturday Nigh Live band, the original Late Show with David Letterman band, along with other projects led by Paul Schaffer, and as drummer and songwriting collaborator in Keith Richards's side project, X-pensive Winos. What has Steve been up to in recent years? Well, he's only the drummer for a little outfit called The Rolling Stones, hand-picked by his predecessor, Charlie Watts. Happy 69th Birthday, Steve!
The Daily Elvis
1966: The U.S. Army promotes a young corporal named Elvis Aaron Presley to Acting-Sergeant, and awards him with a pay raise of $22.94 per month.
Pictured: The famous cover of Rush’s Permanent Waves album.
