This Day in Music
Breaking the no-compilation rule for a legend, and Elvis gets the band back together, on this day in music.
Releases
1990: Legendary English singer-songwriter and musician David Bowie releases the compilation album, “Changesbowie,” not to be confused with 1976’s “Changesonebowie.”
A collection of his most popular songs between 1969 and 1985, what makes this compilation worthy of discussion in addition to the excellent content, is that it was released just as CD's were beginning to take over from LP's, selling briskly as new CD-player owners sought out immediate variety.
The collection also includes an updated mix of the 1975 song “Fame” from the album “Young Americans.” Titled “Fame '90,” it was released as a CD single with a variety of mixes to complement Bowie's 1990 Sound + Vision Tour, in which he performed strictly his greatest hits rather than featuring a new album release.
The song was also included on the soundtrack to the movie Pretty Woman, and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself went to No. 1 on the U.K. Albums chart, and was certified Platinum in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.
People
1950: Virtuoso English drummer Carl Palmer is born in Handsworth (Birmingham), England.
His first professional gig was with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, a psychedelic rock-R&B band, in 1968. He soon formed the prog-rock outfit Atomic Rooster with Arthur Brown alumnus, organist Vincent Crane. Still seeking out the perfect musical fit, he finally joined with Keith Emerson of prog-rock band The Nice, and Greg Lake from legendary prog masters King Crimson, to form ELP, the classic Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the first prog supergroup, in 1970.
When the extended-length, bombastic prog works of the 1970's ran their course, Palmer co-founded yet another supergroup, Asia, a more mainstream rock band augmented by prog and hard-rock flourishes, with John Wetton, ex- of King Crimson on bass, Geoff Downes of Yes on keyboards, and Steve Howe, also of Yes, on guitar.
There’s something you might not know about Carl Palmer: that cat can play! Influenced by the jazz greats of the 50's and 60's, he has the speedy and powerful rudiment-led snare drumming style of Buddy Rich, the odd-time soloing mastery of Joe Morello, and the swing of Art Blakey. When it comes to great drummers of the rock oeuvre, names like John Bonham, Keith Moon, and Ginger Baker are usually discussed. Carl Palmer is better than all of them.
Palmer lives in Cyprus with his wife Katie, and performs occasionally as “Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy.” Happy 76th Birthday, Carl!!
1988: Legendary Canadian-American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Gil Evans, dies in Cuernavaca, Mexico at 75 years old. Born in Toronto, Gil made over 60 albums as leader, sideman, and conductor/arranger, including the classics “Birth of the Cool,” by Miles Davis, for which he composed “Boplicity;” arranging and conducting the 21-piece jazz orchestra for Miles Davis's “Porgy and Bess;” and “Big Band” by Charlie Parker as its arranger and conductor. He was a giant of jazz orchestral works who was on the cutting edge of innovations such as modal jazz and jazz fusion.
The Friday Frank
2026: Universal Music Group releases the 50th Anniversary edition of “Bongo Fury,” the spectacular 1975 Frank Zappa album that features long-time friend and colleague, Captain Beefheart, on “…vocals and soprano sax and madness.” It would unknowingly be their last collaboration. It is available in a 5 CD / 1 BluRay package, 2-LP black vinyl album, or a colourful 1-LP orange and black “galaxy” edition.
The Daily Elvis
1960: Elvis holds his first post-Army studio session. He recorded “A Mess of Blues,” written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, for RCA Records in Nashville. Other musicians in the session included long-time Elvis collaborators Scotty Moore on lead guitar, and D.J. Fontana on drums.
Linked: Carl Palmer demonstrates his rudimentary talent, virtuosity, and flare in this Buddy Rich-style snare drum solo.