Historic events this week from Led Zeppelin, R.E.M., Foo Fighters, Bob Dylan and the Beatles
NOVEMBER 8, 1971: LED ZEPPELIN’S 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: GREEN BY R.E.M.
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.
NOVEMBER 10, 2014: FOO FIGHTERS RELEASE SONIC HIGHWAYS
Foo Fighters‘ eighth album, Sonic Highways, featured high-profile guests like Joe Walsh, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and Gary Clark Jr. and was recorded across eight American cities; a process documented by the corresponding HBO miniseries where Dave Grohl interviewed local musicians to inspire the songs.
NOVEMBER 11, 1970: BOB DYLAN’S BOOK, TARANTULA
Depending on whom you ask, Bob Dylan‘s Tarantula is either a nonsensical novel, or a collection of experimental prose.
In 2003, SPIN magazine did a list of Top Five Unintelligible Sentences from Books Written by Rock Stars. Dylan topped the list with Tarantula‘s line…“Now’s not the time to get silly, so wear your big boots and jump on the garbage clowns.”
NOVEMBER 12, 1976: ALL THIS AND WORLD WAR II SOUNDTRACK ALBUM
The “musical documentary” All This and World War II featured footage of World War II, with Beatles covers as a soundtrack.
The resulting soundtrack album, later re-released as The Songs Of John Lennon & Paul McCartney Performed By The World’s Greatest Rock Artists, featured Beatles covers from Elton John, The Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Jeff Lynne, Peter Gabriel, Tina Turner, Bryan Ferry, and many more.
