Historic events this week from Foo Fighters, Nirvana, U2, Led Zeppelin, R.E.M. and more
NOVEMBER 2, 1999: FOO FIGHTERS’ THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE
Foo Fighters‘ third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, marked a stylistic shift toward more melodic, grounded rock with a notably mellower and more experimental feel than their previous records. Recorded by the core trio of Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, and Taylor Hawkins in Grohl’s home basement studio, the record produced the massive hit single “Learn to Fly” and earned the band their first Grammy for Best Rock Album.
NOVEMBER 2, 2009: NIRVANA RELEASE LIVE AT READING
Live at Reading captures Nirvana‘s legendary headlining performance at the 1992 Reading Festival, which saw a theatrical entrance by Kurt Cobain in a wheelchair, mocking rumors about his health. The highly energetic show, finally released officially in 2009, featured a career-spanning setlist that included nearly all of Nevermind and early versions of songs from the then-unreleased In Utero.
NOVEMBER 3, 2009: FOO FIGHTERS’ GREATEST HITS
The 2009 Foo Fighters Greatest Hits album compiles the band’s most popular singles from their first six studio albums, including essential tracks like “Everlong,” “My Hero,” and “Learn to Fly.” It also features two new songs, “Wheels” and “Word Forward,” which were recorded specifically for the compilation, and a previously unreleased “Everlong (Acoustic version).”
NOVEMBER 4, 1988: RATTLE AND HUM BY U2
U2‘s hybrid studio/live album, Rattle and Hum, featured covers of Bob Dylan and The Beatles as well as the hits “Desire”, “Angel of Harlem”, “All I Want Is You”, and the BB King collaboration, “When Love Comes to Town.”
NOVEMBER 7, 1969: THE “PAUL IS DEAD” RUMORS
The Paul Is Dead theory, where a lookalike named Billy Shears was thought to have replaced Paul McCartney in The Beatles after Paul’s “death”, is one of the most complex & intriguing “conspiracies” in music. LIFE magazine tracked “the missing Beatle” to a Scottish farm where he spent time away from the spotlight. He allowed LIFE to take a photo of him to dispel the rumors that he was dead.
The magazine’s cover declared Paul is still with us.
NOVEMBER 8, 1971: LED ZEPPELIN’S UNTITLED FOURTH ALBUM
Despite being their biggest album, Led Zeppelin‘s untitled fourth album is only one of two albums that didn’t go to #1 for the band.
Commonly referred to as “Led Zeppelin IV” (and sometimes “Zoso”), the album peaked at #2. The classic album has sold over 37 million copies worldwide and contains the classic rock radio staples “Black Dog”, “Misty Mountain Hop”, “Rock and Roll”, “Going to California” and “Stairway to Heaven.”
NOVEMBER 8, 1988: R.E.M.’s GREEN
Green marked R.E.M.‘s jump to a major label and featured a more diverse sound, incorporating bright pop like “Stand,” and acoustic ballads that introduced Peter Buck‘s mandolin playing. The album was a critical and commercial success, launching the band into mainstream stardom with hit singles like “Orange Crush” and exploring themes related to environmentalism and political change.
