Historic events this week from The Beatles, John Lennon, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin
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SEPTEMBER 9, 1968: “HELTER SKELTER” (Take 18)
The Beatles recorded 18 takes of “Helter Skelter.” At the end of Take 18, Ringo threw his drum sticks and declared “I’ve got blisters on my fingers!” Take 18 ended up on The Beatles (“White Album”).
SEPTEMBER 9, 1971: JOHN LENNON’S IMAGINE
John Lennon’s classic solo album, Imagine, contained much socio-political vitriol with songs like “Gimme Some Truth”, “I Don’t Want to Be a Soldier, Mama” and “Imagine”, which Lennon summed up as “anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song, but because it’s sugar coated, it’s accepted.” The very personal album contains “How Do You Sleep”, about Paul McCartney dissolving the Lennon/McCartney partnership.
SEPTEMBER 12, 1975: PINK FLOYD RELEASES WISH YOU WERE HERE
The release of Wish You Were Here gave Pink Floyd their second straight US #1 album.
The album contains criticism of the music industry (“Have a Cigar”), self-reflection (“Wish You Were Here”) and a lengthy tribute to Syd Barrett (“Shine On You Crazy Diamond”).
With 6 million copies sold in the US, it remains their second biggest selling album behind The Dark Side of The Moon.
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SEPTEMBER 13, 2000: ALMOST FAMOUS
Stillwater, the fictitious band in Almost Famous, is a composite of the many artists Cameron Crowe covered as a journalist for Rolling Stone magazine.
One of those bands, Led Zeppelin, loved an early cut of the movie so much, they gave Crowe permission to use five of their songs in the final cut of the film.
“The Rain Song”, “Bron-Yr-Aur”, “Tangerine”, “Misty Mountain Hop” and “That’s the Way”
“That’s the Way” would be included on the Grammy award winning soundtrack album.
