This Week In Classic Rock History

MAY 2-8: Historic events this week from Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, Keith Richards and The Beatles

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MAY 2, 1995: THE WALL GOES DIAMOND
Pink Floyd\’s epic rock opera, The Wall, spent 15 straight weeks at #1.

Helped along by the hits \”Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2\” and \”Comfortably Numb\”, the album quickly went Gold.

In May 1995, The Wall was certified Diamond with over 10 million sold in the US.

With each new generation discovering the album, it has sold over 23 million copies in the US alone.

• • •
MAY 5, 1981: TOM PETTY RELEASES HARD PROMISES
Hard Promises was the last Heartbreakers album to go Top 5 until Mojo (#2) in 2010 and Hypnotic Eye (#1) in 2014.

Featuring Stevie Nicks on \”Insider\” and \”You Can Still Change Your Mind\”, the Platinum-selling album is notable for containing Tom Petty\’s first #1 song, \”The Waiting\”.

• • •
MAY 6, 1965: KEITH RICHARDS DREAMS UP \”SATISFACTION\”
According to legend, Keith Richards wrote \”(I Can\’t Get No) Satisfaction\” in his sleep.

Richards went to bed with his acoustic guitar, and a tape player rolling.

The next morning, without any recollection, he discovered that he\’d been playing the iconic riff as he drifted off to sleep.

• • •
MAY 8, 1970: THE BEATLES\’ FINAL STUDIO ALBUM
The Beatles\’ final album, Let It Be, was released a 7 months after Abbey Road.

Producer Phil Spector omitted Lennon\’s \”Don\’t Let Me Down\” and added studio banter and string & choir arrangements to the final album.

33 years later, a stripped down version which Paul McCartney felt reflected the band\’s
original vision, was released as Let It Be…Naked.

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