This Week In Classic Rock History

Historic events this week from CCR, Eagles, Derek & the Dominoes, The Rolling Stones, Huey Lewis & the News and Bruce Springsteen.

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AUGUST 20, 1970: COSMO’S FACTORY #1

CCR’s second #1 album, Cosmo’s Factory, remains their biggest seller.

The album contains such classics as “Travelin’ Band”, “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”, “Run Through the Jungle”, “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”.

Cosmo’s Factory spent nine straight weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 charts.

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AUGUST 20, 2018: A MILESTONE FOR THEIR GREATEST HITS (1971-1975)

It’s no secret that Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) from the Eagles is one of the biggest selling albums of all-time.

But in 2018, the collection became the biggest seller of all-time in the US with 38 million in sales.

However, Michael Jackson’s Thriller remains the biggest selling album worldwide with over 70 million copies sold.

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AUGUST 22, 1970: DEREK & THE DOMINOES BEGIN RECORDING LAYLA ALBUM

The collaboration between Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock and Duane Allman stands as one of the greatest one-off supergroups of all time.

Duane Allman would contribute lead guitar to 11 of the album’s 14 tracks.

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000, and the reissue won the Grammy for Best Surround Sound Album in 2012.

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AUGUST 23, 1969: “HONKY TONK WOMEN” IS #1
Less than two months after its release, “Honky Tonk Women” went to #1 for four straight weeks.

One of the biggest Stones hits to not appear on a studio album, it was included on the Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) compilation. A country version called “Country Honk” would be released on Let It Bleed.

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AUGUST 24, 1985: “POWER OF LOVE” IS #1

Huey Lewis and the News’ first #1 Billboard Hot 100 single, “The Power of Love”, spent back-to-back weeks at the top.

The Grammy-nominated hit single appears in the 1985 blockbuster film Back to the Future.

The single helped the film’s soundtrack (featuring tracks from Eric Clapton and Lindsey Buckingham) sell over 500,000 copies.

• • •
AUGUST 25, 1975: BRUCE RELEASES BORN TO RUN
Springsteen’s breakthrough album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200.

The title track is far and away Springsteen’s most played song in concert.

With 7 million sold in the US, it remains his 2nd biggest album behind the massively successful Born In the USA (30M in sales worldwide).

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