Historic events this week from Led Zeppelin, Ace Frehley, The Who, Nirvana and Elvis Costello
DECEMBER 11, 1990: “LED ZEPPELIN IV” CERTIFIED DIAMOND
Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album is a masterpiece and one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Featuring “Black Dog”, “Misty Mountain Hop” and “Stairway to Heaven”, the album was certified Diamond (10 million sold) in 1990.
It has since gone 23x Platinum in the US alone.
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DECEMBER 12, 1976: ACE FREHLEY NEARLY ELECTROCUTED
During a KISS show in Florida, Frehley touched an ungrounded metal railing.
He received a shock that caused him to lose feeling in his hand for the rest of the show.
The experience resulted in the KISS classic, “Shock Me”.
DECEMBER 15, 1967: THE WHO SELL OUT
Containing the hit “I Can See for Miles”, The Who Sell Out plays like a radio broadcast, with faux commercials between tracks.
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DECEMBER 16, 1993: MTV UNPLUGGED IN NEW YORK
One month after recording their iconic set, Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York aired on MTV.
The set was dominated by album tracks and lesser known covers, with the only Nirvana hit being “Come As You Are”.
The live album was released in November ’94, and earned the band their only Grammy: Best Alternative Music Performance
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DECEMBER 17, 1977: SNL BANS ELVIS COSTELLO
Appearing on SNL, Costello was to play “Less Than Zero”.
14 seconds in, he screamed for his band to stop, and instead performed “Radio, Radio”, a song he was forbidden to play due to its criticism of the airwaves’ commercialization.
