Today in rock history 16th January

1942 – Born on this day, William Francis, keyboards, vocals, Dr Hook, 1957 –The Cavern Club opened in Liverpool. It became the home of many Liverpool bands including The Beatles who appeared at the club 292 times. 1970 – Police close an exhibition of John Lennon’s lithographs at a London gallery for alleged obscenity. 1973 – Bruce Springsteen appeared at Villanova University appearing to an audience of 25 people. 1978 – Sex Pistol, Sid Vicious fell through a glass door at a San Francisco hotel, took a drug overdose and was rushed to hospital. 1979 – Cher’s divorce from Gregg Allman was finalised. 1980 – Paul McCartney was jailed for nine days in Tokyo for marijuana possession after being found with 219g on his arrival at Narita Airport in Japan. 1984 – Paul and Linda McCartney were arrested in Barbados for drug possession and were each fined $200 (£117). 1985 – David Bowie’s schizophrenic half-brother Terry Burnes killed himself after laying down on the railway lines at Coulsdon South station, London. 1988 – 24 years after The Beatles first topped the chart, George Harrison went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Got My Mind Set On You’. 1992 – Eric Clapton recorded his unplugged session for MTV. 1996 – Jamaican authorities opened fire on Jimmy Buffett’s seaplane, mistaking it for a drug trafficker’s plane. U2 singer Bono was also on the plane; neither singer was injured 1998 – The Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah cancels the premiere of Nick Broomfield’s documentary “Kurt and Courtney,” about late Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain and his widow, Courtney Love. 1999 – Legendary Los Angeles nightclub the Whisky A Go-Go begins a weeklong slate of concerts to mark its 35th anniversary. 2000 – It was reported that Mick Jagger had lost the chance of a knighthood because of his errant ways. British Prime Minister Tony Blair had second thoughts about the message it would give about family values. 2005 – Elvis Presley’s single ‘One Night’ made chart history by becoming the 1,000th UK number one. 2007 – Bob Dylan and his brother bought Aultmore House a mansion in the Scottish Cairngorms National Park, near Nethybridge, Inverness-shire. 2011 – A brick from The Cavern Club, a check for 11 pounds signed by Ringo Starr, an “authentic” Beatles wig. These and thousands of other objects related to the “Fab Four” were luring Beatles fans to a new museum in Buenos Aires.

Today in rock history 15th January

1928 – According to bluesman Howlin’ Wolf, today was the day he bought his first guitar. “Cost me only five dollars,” he claimed. 1941 – Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) is born in Glendale, Calif. 1948 – Born on this day, Ronnie Van Zant, vocalist with Lynyrd Skynyrd 1952 – Born on this day, Melvyn Gale, cello, Electric Light Orchestra 1959 – Pete Trewavas, bassist with English ’80s prog rockers Marillion, is born in Middlesborough. 1965 – The Who release their single “I Can’t Explain” in the U.K., where it goes to No. 8. 1965 – Bob Dylan completes the recording of Bringing It All Back Home. His magnum opus (so far) was laid down in two days. 1965 – Born on this day, Adam Jones, guitarist, Tool. 1966 – The Beatles remain at No. 1 this week in the United States with “We Can Work It Out.” 1967 – Donovan appeared at The Royal Albert Hall, London, Paul McCartney and George Harrison both attended the show. 1970 – Bag One, an exhibition of John Lennon’s lithographs, opens at the London Art Gallery. 1972 – Manager Peter Grant turns down an invitation for “Led Zeppelin and his musicians” to play in Cannes, France, by publishing the request in today’s issue of Record Retailer. 1973 – The Rolling Stones announce a benefit concert for Managua, Nicaragua. The hometown of Bianca Jagger was recently devastated by an earthquake. 1977 – The Eagles went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Hotel California’ the group’s third US No.1 album. 1980 – The Ramones appeared live on UK BBC TV music show The Old Grey Whistle Test. 1984 – Bette Midler films the video for her cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Beast of Burden” with Mick Jagger. 1991 – Sean Lennon’s updated version of his father John’s ‘Give Peace A Chance’ was released to coincide with the United Nation’s midnight deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. 1992 – Elton John’s bassist Dee Murray dies of cancer in Nashville. 1994 – Harry Nilsson, a pal of John Lennon’s whose golden pipes appeared on classics like “Everybody’s Talkin'” and “Without You,” dies from heart disease in Agoura Hills, Calif. 1998 - Harmonica player Junior Wells, who played with artists such as The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison & Buddy Guy died of lymphoma. He was 63 years old. 2001 – The Brit awards committee announces that U2 will receive an Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the February 26 ceremony in London, despite actually coming from Ireland. 2008 – Ronnie Wood was recovering following an operation for a hernia after he sustained the injury during the band’s recent Bigger Bang tour. The 60-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist was told to rest for two months after the procedure

Today in rock history 13th January

1947 – Chris Thomas, who has produced classic albums like For Your Pleasure, Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols, The Pretenders and Kick, is born in Middlesex. 1947 – John Lees, vocalist/guitarist with prog rockers Barclay James Harvest, is born. 1954 – Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin is born in Johannesburg, South Africa. 1963 – In Birmingham, the Beatles make a recording for Thank Your Lucky Stars, their first British national TV appearance. 1963 – Bob Dylan plays a folk singer in the BBC radio play The Madhouse of Castle Street. He fills out his performance by singing “Blowin’ in the wind" 1964 – Bob Dylan releases Another Side of Bob Dylan. 1964 – The Beatles release their breakthrough single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in the United States. Bob Dylan mishears the middle eight as “I get high, I get high, I get high.” 1966 – George Harrison and his girlfriend Patti Boyd met up with Mick Jagger and Chrissie Shrimpton at Dolly’s nightclub on Jermyn Street in London’s west End. 1967 – The Rolling Stones appear on TV’s “Ed Sullivan Show” and are forced to change the lyrics of “Let’s Spend the Night Together” to “Let’s Spend Some Time Together” 1967 – Jimi Hendrix performs at London’s Bag O’Nails club before an audience that includes Beatles manager Brian Epstein. 1970 – Born on this day, Zach de la Rocha, vocals, Rage Against The Machine. 1973 – Eric Clapton performs at the Rainbow Theatre in a concert organized by his friend Pete Townshend in order to help Clapton shake his alcoholism. 1973 – Slade scored their first UK No.1 album with ‘Slayed’. 1978 – The Police started recording their first album at Surrey Sound Studios, Surrey, England with producer Nigel Gray. 1980 – Bob Dylan kicks off the second leg of his Gospel Tour in Seattle meeting with great success. 1983 – Neil Young kicks off his association with a new label, Geffen Records, with ‘Trans,’ an album of heavily synthesized, computer-generated songs interspersed with breezy love songs. 1986 – Sex Pistol members John Lydon, Steve Jones and Paul Cook, as well as the mother of Sid Vicious, sued former manager Malcom McClaren for £1 million ($1.7 million). They settled out of court. 1991 – The crowd at Dayton, Ohio’s Ervin J. Nutter Center get introduced to Guns N’ Roses time, as the band take the stage at 12:25 AM to play a two-and-a-half-hour-long show. 2001 – Tickets go on sale for U2’s Elevation tour but, despite worries about the dangers of festival seating, sell out almost instantly. 2003 – Police in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 lost tapes made the Beatles in raids on bootleggers. 2003 – Who guitarist Pete Townshend was arrested on suspicion of child porn offences. Police officers impounded seven computers from his £15 million ($25.5 million) home in Richmond, Surrey. 2004 – A Canadian furniture store apologizes to the widow of Frank Zappa for using his song “Watermelon in Easter Hay” without consent in a TV commercial. 2011 – Money For Nothing banned 25 years after release. Canadian broadcasters stop playing original version of Dire Straits classic after just one complaint. 2013 – Black Sabbath announce the title of the their new album as ’13’

Today in rock history 12th January

1941 – English blues singer Long John Baldry is born in London. He gave both Rod Stewart and Elton John their first breaks in the music biz by employing them to play in his band. 1945 – Gravelly-voiced Maggie Bell, one time singer with Stone the Crows and a signing to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label, is born in Glasgow. 1963 – Bob Dylan is given the part of a folk singer on a BBC radio play, “The Madhouse on Castle Street.” 1964 – The Beatles appeared on the ATV show Sunday Night At The London Palladium performing ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’, ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, ‘Money’ and ‘Twist And Shout’. The compare for the evening was Bruce Forsyth. When The Beatles appeared on this show on October 13, 1963, their fee had been £250, now, just three months later, their fee was £1,000. 1969 – The psychedelic film Wonderwall premieres in London, with a soundtrack by George Harrison. Halliwell’s Film Guide says the movie is “vapid and witless.” Oasis write a song about it. 1974 – No. 1 Chart Toppers Pop Hit: “The Joker,” Steve Miller Band. 1977 – EMI Records issued a statement saying it felt unable to promote The Sex Pistols records in view of the adverse publicity generated over the last two months. 1977 – Rolling Stone Keith Richards was fined £750 ($1,275) for possession of cocaine found in his car after the guitarist had been involved in a car crash. 1977 – The Police had their first rehearsal, held at drummer’s Stewart Copeland’s London flat, with Henri Padovani on guitar. 1981 – It was reported that the White House had expanded its record library by including albums by Bob Dylan, Kiss and The Sex Pistols. 1984 – Motley Crue opens its first U.S. tour at Madison Square Garden, New York. 1993 – Van Morrison failed to turn up at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction dinner, making him the first living inductee not to attend. 1993 – Cream reform at tonight’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles. Other inductees are Creedence Clearwater Revival – who don’t reform at all – the Doors – who can’t reform – Van Morrison, Sly & the Family Stone, Frankie Lymon, Dinah Washington and Etta James. 1995 – The Allman Brothers Band, Al Green, the late Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Al Green, Neil Young, the Orioles and the late Frank Zappa are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1998 – Tonight at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, the Mamas & the Papas, Santana, Lloyd Price, Gene Vincent, Allen Toussaint and Jelly Roll Morton. 2000 – It’s announced that Bob Dylan will receive Sweden’s Polar Music Award. 2004 – Frank Zappa’s widow Gail appears in a Quebec City courtroom as proceedings open in her lawsuit against the Ameublements Tanguay furniture store. She alleges they used a portion of Zappa’s “Watermelon in Easter Hay” as background music in a TV commercial without permission. 2005 – It was announced that the Strawberry Field children’s home immortalised by The Beatles was to close. 2005 – Green Day’s American Idiot returns to the top of the U.S. album charts, knocking Eminem’s Encore down to No. 2.

Rock Talk - Lou Gramm

Part 1 1. Foreigner - Feels like the first time 2. Foreigner - Cold as ice 3. Foreigner - Hot blooded 4. Foreigner - Juke box hero 5. Foreigner - Urgent 6. Foreigner - Dirty white boy Part 2 1. Lou Gramm - Midnight blue 2. Foreigner - Waiting for a girl like you 3. Foreigner - That was yesterday 4. Foreigner - I want to know what love is 5. Foreigner - Say you will

Timesweep 14th January

Part 1 We're going straight to hell 1. ACDC - Highway to hell 2. Meatloaf - Bat out of hell 3. Chris Rea - The road to hell 4. Black Sabbath - Heaven and hell Part 2 Back to 1973 1. Pink Floyd - Breath 2. Allman Bros - Rambling man 3. Aerosmith - Dream on 4. Alice Cooper - Elected 5. Roger Daltrey - Giving it all away Part 3 Back to 1958 1. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley 2. Elvis Presley - King Creole 3. Jerry Lee Lewis - Breathless 4. Richie Valens - Come on lets go 5. Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode Part 4 This week in rock history 1. Bad Company - Bad company 2. Fleetwood Mac - Don't stop 3. Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy train Part 5 1. Billy Idol - White wedding 2. Faith No More - We care a lot 3. Neil Young - Southern man Part 6 Those rockers celebrating their birthdays this week 1. Robert Palmer - Bad case of loving you 2. Janis Joplin - Me and Bobby McGee 3. 10CC - Rubber bullets 4. Poco - Call it love Part 7 1. Judas Priest - Breaking the law 2. Kiss - Detroit rock city 3. Saxon - Wheels of steels 4. Meatloaf - Dead ringer for love Part 8 1. Steve Perry - Oh Sherrie 2. Doobie Bros - China grove 3. Cheap Trick - The flame 4. Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London Part 9 Back to 1968 1. Deep Purple - Hush 2. The Doors - Hello I love you 3. Small Faces - Afterglow of your love 4. Status Quo - Pictures of matchstick men Part 10 1. Jimi Hendrix Experience - I put a spell on you 2. Creedence Clearwater Revival - I put a spell on you 3. The Beatles - Blackbird 4. Joe Cocker - With a little help from my friends Part 11 1. Cream - White room 2. Canned Heat - On the road again 3. Steppenwolf - Born to be wild 4. Moody Blues - Nights in white satin 5. Mason Williams - Classical gas

Brit Rock 14th January

1. Van Halen - Eruption/Yunning with the devil 2. The Kinks - You really got me 3. Santana - Filmore East 4. Manic Street Preachers - If you tolerate this 5. Offspring - Pretty fly for a white guy 6. Radiohead - Karma police 7. Metallica - Whiskey in the jar 8. REM - At my most beautiful 9. Fastball - The way 10. Anders Bossell - Planet nova 11. Kraftwerk - Auto bhan 12. Marillion - Uninvited guest 13. Faith No More - Epic 14. Skid Row - 18 and life 15. Bad English - When I see you smile 16. Aerosmith - Love in an elavator 17. Tom Petty - Yer so bad 18. Queen - Love of my life 19. The Scorpions - Still loving you 20. Journey - Faithfully 21. Led Zeppelin - Thank you 22. Hoobastank - The reason 23. John Lennon - Oh my love Hour three it's an hour of psychedellic rock 1. Small Faces - Itchycoo park 2. Traffic - Paper sun 3. The Moody Blues - Voices in the sky 4. The Byrds - Eight miles high 5. The Beatles - Fixing a hole 6. Jefferson Airplane - White rabbit 7. Bonzo Doo Dah Dog Band - I'm the urban spaceman 8. David McWilliams - The days of Pearly Spencer 9. Simon Dupree & The Big Sound - Kites 10. Matthew Southern Comfort - Woodstock 11. Soft Machine - Jet propelled photograph 12. Procul Harum - Homburg 13. Thunderclap Newman - Something in the air 14. Beach Boys - Heroes and villains 15. The Flowerpot Men - Let's go to San Francisco 16. Donovan - Jennifer Juniper 17. The Creation - Painter man 18. Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity - This wheel's on fire