Historic events this week from Elton John, Prince, Neil Young, KISS, U2, Alice In Chains, Tom Petty and The Cure
OCTOBER 26, 1970: ELTON JOHN’S FIRST HIT SINGLE
After releasing seven singles between 1968 and 1970, Elton John finally scored a hit. As the second single from his eponymous second album, “Your Song” reached #8 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and sold 2,000,000 copies on its own.
The Elton John/Bernie Taupin-penned song was first recorded by Three Dog Night, but was not released as a single.
OCTOBER 27, 1982: PRINCE RELEASES 1999
Prince‘s fifth studio album, 1999, is widely credited as his commercial breakthrough, introducing the infectious “Minneapolis Sound” that defined 1980s synth-funk and pop. The double-LP generated massive hits like the iconic title track and “Little Red Corvette,” the latter of which became one of the first videos by a Black artist to enter heavy rotation on MTV.
OCTOBER 28, 1977: NEIL YOUNG’S 3LP DECADE COMPILATION
Neil Young‘s comprehensive 3LP compilation gathered classic songs from the first decade his career. The Platinum-selling Decade gathers 35 tracks from Young’s career, including his time with Buffalo Springfield and CSN&Y.
OCTOBER 28, 1978: KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK
The “KISSterical! KISStounding! KISStoric!” TV movie, KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, remains a cult classic, mostly among KISS fans. The plot centers around KISS using superpowers to save an amusement park from being destroyed by an evil inventor. VHS copies of the movie are listed at $30+ on eBay. The rare Laserdisc version is listed at $300+.
OCTOBER 30, 2000: ALL THAT YOU CAN’T LEAVE BEHIND BY U2
U2‘s All That You Can’t Leave Behind was widely considered a triumphant “return to form,” shedding the electronic experimentation of the 1990s for a more classic, anthemic rock sound. The album was a massive commercial and critical success, notably becoming the only record in history to have two different songs—”Beautiful Day” and “Walk On”—win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in successive years.
NOVEMBER 1, 1994: TOM PETTY’S SECOND SOLO ALBUM
Wildflowers, Tom Petty‘s second solo album, is widely considered a creative high point and a deeply personal work. Produced by Rick Rubin, the 1994 release showcases a looser, more acoustic-driven sound and features enduring hits like “You Don’t Know How It Feels” and “You Wreck Me.”
NOVEMBER 1, 2024: THE CURE’S SONGS OF A LOST WORLD
Songs of a Lost World was the long-awaited 14th studio album by The Cure; released 16 years after their previous record, it features a return to their signature dark, atmospheric sound. Lyrically, the album is intensely personal, with Robert Smith confronting themes of mortality, loss, and the passage of time, largely inspired by the recent deaths of his family members.
