
Historic events from Fleetwood Mac, INXS, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and more
OCTOBER 12, 1979: FLEETWOOD MAC’S TUSK
Fleetwood Mac followed up Rumours with the experimental double-album, Tusk; which was initially scheduled to be released on 10/15/79. However, the release date was moved up when radio stations began playing the album in full, and encouraging listeners to tape it. Despite its experimental nature, Tusk would go on to sell over 2 million copies, and the singles “Sara” & “Tusk” would go top 10 in the US.
OCTOBER 12, 1987: INXS RELEASES KICK
Working again with producer Chris Thomas, who helmed the 2x Platinum Listen Like Thieves, INXS delivered their biggest album. Kick featured four US top 10 singles: Need You Tonight (#1), Devil Inside (#2), New Sensation (#3) and Never Tear Us Apart (#5) The album has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
OCTOBER 13, 2016: BOB DYLAN’S NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE
Bob Dylan made history by becoming the first songwriter to win the Nobel Prize for Literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”
OCTOBER 14, 1977: DAVID BOWIE’S “HEROES”
“Heroes” is the second installment of David Bowie‘s influential Berlin Trilogy which includes Low (January 1977) and Lodger (1979). Continuing the experimental, art-rock direction of Low, the album balances propulsive rock tracks with ambient instrumental soundscapes, famously featuring the unique contributions of Brian Eno and King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp.
OCTOBER 14, 1985: INXS’s LISTEN LIKE THIEVES
Listen Like Thieves was a crucial international breakthrough for INXS, sharpening their sound from new wave into funk-infused rock that was built to fill stadiums. Featuring the US Top 5 hit “What You Need,” the record set the stage for their global dominance by successfully capturing the raw, energetic power of their live performances.
OCTOBER 15, 1973: TIME FADES AWAY BY NEIL YOUNG
Neil Young‘s critically acclaimed and widely-bootlegged Time Fades Away consisted of previously unreleased songs. Neil Young calls it his worst album due to an uncomfortable tour plagued by illness, a band member quitting mid-tour, and dealing with the death of guitarist and friend, Danny Whitten.
OCTOBER 15, 1996: COUNTING CROWS’ SOPHOMORE ALBUM
Recovering the Satellites is Counting Crows‘ darker and more electric rock-oriented follow-up to their massive debut, August and Everything After. Lyrically, the album features Adam Duritz‘s introspective journey of dealing with the isolation and personal turmoil that came with the band’s sudden, overwhelming fame and featured the hits “Long December,” “Angels of the Silences” and “Daylight Fading.”
OCTOBER 16, 2020: TOM PETTY’S MASSIVE WILDFLOWERS REISSUE
The long-rumored reissue of Tom Petty‘s Wildflowers arrived 26 years after the album’s initial release. A couple tracks were used for the She’s the One soundtrack in 1996, and the previously unreleased “There Goes Angela” and “Leave Virginia Alone” were issued ahead of Wildflowers being reissued. The massive Wildflowers & All the Rest is available in 2CD, 4CD, 5CD, 3LP and a staggering 9LP Ultra Deluxe Limited Edition.
OCTOBER 17, 1980: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S THE RIVER
A sprawling 1980 double album, The River balances Bruce Springsteen‘s signature energetic, up-tempo rock songs with darker, more introspective ballads exploring the harsh realities of love, marriage, and adulthood. Its central theme revolves around the balance between youthful dreams and the compromises of working-class life, exemplified by the haunting title track.