August 9th In Album History – John Sebastian “The Four Of Us” / 1971

Release Date August 9, 1971. (AllMusic Review by James Chrispell) Following his great solo debut, The Four of Us suffers a bit in comparison, but there’s a lot of great listening to be found here. Side one contains a variety of sounds, from the blues-based “Well, Well, Well” and “Black Snake Blues” to the Lovin’ Spoonful-reminiscent “Apple Hill” and “We’ll See.” Side two is a side-long title track broken down into four separate tunes and styles, the first being folkish, the second Caribbean, the third rock & roll, and the fourth country-rock, all tied together with a very pleasant, lilting refrain. http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-four-of-us-mw0000743462

August 8th In Album History – The Beatles “Revolver” / 1966

Revolver is the seventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 5 August 1966 in the United Kingdom and three days later in the United States. The album marked a progression from their 1965 release Rubber Soul and signalled the band’s arrival as studio innovators, a year before the seminal Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. On release, Revolver was widely recognised by critics as having redefined the parameters of popular music. The album’s diverse influences and sounds include the incorporation of tape loops on the experimental “Tomorrow Never Knows”, the use of a classical string octet on “Eleanor Rigby”, and the Indian-music setting of “Love You To”. Together with the children’s novelty song “Yellow Submarine”, “Eleanor Rigby” became an international hit when issued as a double A-side single.

The album’s Grammy Award-winning cover design was created by Klaus Voormann, one of the Beatles’ friends from their fledgling years in Hamburg. In the UK, Revolver‍‍’​‍s 14 tracks were released to radio stations throughout July 1966, with the music signifying what author Ian MacDonald later described as “a radical new phase in the group’s recording career”. The album spent 34 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, reaching the number one spot on 13 August. Reduced to 11 songs for the North American market, Revolver was the last Beatles album to be subjected to Capitol Records’ alteration of the band’s intended running order and content. Its US release coincided with the Beatles’ final concert tour and the controversy surrounding John Lennon’s statement that the group had become “bigger than Jesus”. In America, the album topped the Billboard Top LPs listings for six weeks. (from Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_%28Beatles_album%29

August 7th In Album History – Extreme “Extreme II: Pornograffitti” / 1990

Extreme II: Pornograffitti (A Funked Up Fairy Tale) is the second album released by the Boston rock band Extreme. The title is a portmanteau of pornography and graffiti.

The album sold very well, peaking at #10 on the Billboard 200, and was certified double platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA. It is the band’s best selling album. Two singles from Pornograffiti, “More Than Words” and “Hole Hearted”, reached the top-5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two other tracks, “Decadence Dance” and “Get the Funk Out”, reached the lower half of Billboard’s rock chart.

In 2010, after the band’s reunion in the previous years, rumours started about possible commemorative shows given the 20th anniversary of the record. In 2012, a small string of such shows in Japan was announced. In January 2014, the band confirmed they would be performing Pornograffiti in its entirety on their 2014 Europe and UK tour. (from Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornograffitti

August 7th In Album History – Jon Bon Jovi “Blaze of Glory” / 1990

Blaze of Glory is Jon Bon Jovi’s first solo album, released in 1990. It includes songs from and inspired by the movie Young Guns II. Emilio Estevez asked for Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” as the theme song for his upcoming Billy the Kid sequel, but Jon Bon Jovi ended up composing an all-new theme song for the film’s soundtrack instead. The album featured guests such as Elton John, Little Richard, and Jeff Beck. Blaze of Glory was awarded a Golden Globe. It also received Academy Award and Grammy nominations. (from Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaze_of_Glory_%28Jon_Bon_Jovi_album%29

August 6th In Album History – Barry White “Can’t Get Enough” / 1974

Can’t Get Enough is the self-produced third album by American R&B singer Barry White, released in 1974 on the 20th Century label. In 2003, the album was ranked number 281 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The album topped the R&B albums chart, his third to do so. It also topped the Billboard 200 and peaked at #4 on the UK Albums Chart. The album included two Billboard R&B number-one singles, “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” and “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything”. Both were also successful on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #1 and #2 respectively. Both singles were also hits on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #8 and #1 respectively. The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD on March 19, 1996 by Island/Mercury Records. (from Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can%27t_Get_Enough_%28Barry_White_album%29

August 5th In Album History – Pat Benatar “Crimes of Passion” / 1980

Crimes of Passion is the second studio album by American rock singer Pat Benatar, released on August 5, 1980 by Chrysalis Records. The album is the first to feature Myron Grombacher on drums, beginning a long tenure in Benatar’s band that would last into the late-1990s.

The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 album chart the week ending August 23 and held at No. 2 for five weeks in the US in January 1981, behind John Lennon’s Double Fantasy. It contains the hits “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” (US No. 9), “You Better Run” (US No. 42), “Treat Me Right” (US No. 18), plus a cover of Kate Bush’s international hit, “Wuthering Heights”. Crimes of Passion is Benatar’s biggest selling career album, having been certified 4x Platinum (for sales of over four million copies) in the United States alone. The song “Hell Is for Children”, which was not released as an A-side single, was also a hit on album-rock stations. (from Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimes_of_Passion_%28Pat_Benatar_album%29

August 4th In Album History – Michael Jackson “Ben” / 1972

Ben is the second studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 4, 1972, while Jackson was still a member of The Jackson 5. The album received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Ben was more successful on music charts than Jackson’s previous studio album, having charted within the top ten on the Billboard 200. Internationally, the album was less successful, peaking at number twelve in Canada, while charting within the top 200 positions in Australia and France.

Worldwide, Ben has sold a reported 5 million units. The album released one single, the title track “Ben”, which was a commercial success on music charts, topping both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Australian ARIA charts, giving Jackson his first number-one single, domestically and internationally. “Ben” also charted within the top ten in other territories worldwide. “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” was planned to be released as the second single from the album, but canceled for unspecified reasons. Two of the album’s songs were “stripped” in 2009 as part of the three-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection. (from Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_%28album%29

August 4th In Album History – Gin Blossoms “New Miserable Experience” / 1992

New Miserable Experience is the breakthrough album by the pop-rock band the Gin Blossoms, released on August 4, 1992. The album was released to little fanfare and relatively lackluster reviews. However, nearly a year after its release the lead single, “Hey Jealousy”, entered the top 40, with “Found Out About You” following a few months later. The album eventually reached multi-platinum status.

The band’s guitarist, Doug Hopkins, was fired near the conclusion of the recording sessions for the album, ostensibly for his persistent alcohol problems. His replacement, Scott Johnson, is listed as a member of the band in the liner notes, but did not play on the album. Just as the album was becoming a success at the end of 1993, Hopkins committed suicide. (from Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Miserable_Experience

August 3rd In Album History – Def Leppard “Hysteria” / 1987

Hysteria is the fourth studio album by English hard rock band Def Leppard, released on 3 August 1987 through Mercury Records and reissued on 1 January 2000. It is the band’s best-selling album to date, selling over 20 million copies worldwide, including 12 million in the US, and spawning seven hit singles. The album charted at #1 on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. (from Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteria_%28Def_Leppard_album%29

August 3rd In Album History – Creedence Clearwater Revival “Green River” / 1969

Green River is the third studio album by American rock and roll band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in August 1969 after their second release Bayou Country which was released in January of the same year. In 2003, the album was ranked number 95 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It features two of the band’s best-known songs, “Bad Moon Rising” and the title track. The album was remastered and reissued on 180 Gram Vinyl by Analogue Productions in 2006. (from Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_River_%28album%29