This Day in Music

February 11th

Bowie is in a new town, Morrissey hates carnivores, The Rolling Stones do need security, and yet another Elvis bio-flic, on this day in music.

Releases

1977: Legendary English songwriter, musician, actor, and creative force, David Bowie, releases the song, "Sound and Vision," the first single from his album,"Low," which itself was the first release of what would come to be known as his “Berlin Trilogy.”

Recording began at the famous Château d'Hérouville studio (for which Elton John named his album "Honky Château") in France, but was moved to Hansa Studios in West Berlin, as Bowie sought a change of scenery to kick his cocaine habit.

Co-produced with long-time collaborator Tony Visconti, the song also features Brian Eno and Visconti's wife at the time, Mary Hopkin, on backing vocals. Hopkin was a famous singer in her own right, having scored a No. 1 hit in 1968 with the Paul McCartney-produced English version of an old Russian folk song, "By the Long Road," translated as "Those Were the Days."

Oddly structured and unique for a pop song, "Sound and Vision" was a hit with audiences, peaking at No. 3 on the UK Singles chart, where it was certified Silver. It was also successful throughout Europe, hitting No. 3 in Belgium, No. 6 in West Germany, and No. 2 in Netherlands. It really should have been No. 1 around the world though.

1985: The Smiths release their second studio album, "Meat is Murder." Produced by Morrissey, the album is a musical evolution for the band with elements of rockabilly and funk being added to their modern rock sound.

It was also through this album's lyrics that Morrissey revealed much of his social views. His politically-infused lyrical formula worked, and “Meat is Murder” became the band's most successful release.

Peaking at No. 1, the LP stayed on the UK Albums list for 13 weeks. International success was more modest, where it broke the Top-20 in only one country, New Zealand.

Events

2016: Following the fatal shooting of an employee of La Plata Stadium in Argentina in a failed robbery attempt after their concert, The Rolling Stones were assigned armed guards for the duration of their stay in the country.

The Daily Elvis

1979: The made-for-TV movie "Elvis," starring Kurt Russell as Elvis, airs on ABC-TV. Directed by John Carpenter, who would normally do horror or science-fiction films, it was a hit with audiences and critics alike. It received a 27.3 Nielsen rating, edging out two popular and well-established movies on rival networks, "Gone With the Wind," and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Though the movie did not win, it was nominated for three Prime Time Emmy Awards, and one Golden Globe Award.

Pictured: David Bowie in a still image from the movie The Man Who Fell to Earth. That profile of Bowie would be used to design the Low album cover.