Historic events this week from The Police, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks and Bryan Adams
JULY 23, 1983: THE POLICE’S SYNCHRONICITY IS #1
Synchronicity, the final album from The Police, went to #1 a week after its release.
Thanks to “King of Pain”, “Wrapped Around Your Finger” and the massive “Every Breath You Take”, Synchronicity spent 17 non-consecutive weeks at #1, on its way to 8 million copies sold in the US.
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JULY 25, 1980: BACK IN BLACK
Five months after the death of Bon Scott, AC/DC had a new album with Geordie’s Brian Johnson on lead vocals.
Back in Black has sold over 18 million copies in the US thanks to songs like “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”, “You Shook Me All Night Long”, and “Hells Bells.”
With 50 million sold worldwide, Back In Black remains #2 bestselling album of all time, behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
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JULY 25, 1968: BEGGARS BANQUET DELAYED
Beggars Banquet‘s intended cover featured a graffiti riddled bathroom wall with a visible toilet and toilet roll.
The band’s label rejected the album cover, resulting in the album being delayed until December.
Beggars Banquet was released with a plain cover, resembling an invitation. Subsequent reissues of the album have used the “offending” cover.
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JULY 27, 1981: STEVIE NICKS RELEASES BELLA DONNA
Stevie Nicks’ solo debut, Bella Donna, is her biggest album outside of Fleetwood Mac.
The 4 million selling album would spend a week at #1 and contained the hits “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and “Edge of Seventeen (Just Like the White Winged Dove)”.
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JULY 27, 1991: BRYAN ADAMS’ MASSIVE #1 HIT
Bryan Adams had his second US #1 hit (after “Heaven”) with the release of “(Everything I Do) I Do it for You”.
The massive hit appeared on the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves soundtrack, as well as Adams’ sixth studio album, Waking Up the Neighbours.
The single made Bryan Adams a Grammy winner and an Oscar nominee
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JULY 28, 1970: MICK JAGGER STARS IN NED KELLY
Mick Jagger made his feature film acting debut as the infamous iron outlaw, Ned Kelly.
A year before the film’s release, Jagger told The Australian Women’s Weekly:
“I am taking this film very seriously. Kelly won’t look anything like me. You wait and you’ll see what I look like. I want to concentrate on being a character actor.”
