This Day in History: 2023-04-13

APRIL 13th

The Beatles record “Help!” in 12 takes.  Take 9 is the keeper and it subsequently goes to #1.   1965

The song is the title track of their second film.  Unlike “A Hard Day’s Night” this one is in color.

Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” tops the Rock Songs chart. The song also peaks at #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and is the band’s first top 10 single.  2013

The track is from the band’s “Night Vision” album.

Crossfade’s ’04 self-titled album drops.  2005

The set is subsequently certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. “Our fans include all these young girls who think Ed (singer Ed Sloan) is hot and their dads who like our music,” says bassist Mitch James.

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Influential bassist Jack Cassady enters the world. Aside from his lengthy stint with Jefferson Airplane, Cassady is also heard on the Jimi Hendrix album “Electric Ladyland.” 1944

Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up,” written by Otis Blackwell (who also composed “Don’t Be Cruel”), starts an eight-week run at #1. 1957

The Beatles win Best New Artist and Best Performance by a Vocal Group for “A Hard Day’s Night” at the 7^th annual Grammy Awards in Beverly Hills. The Beatles do not attend.  1965

Guitarist Marc Ford (Black Crowes) starts his life in L.A. 1966

The Rolling Stones perform their first concert behind the Iron Curtain. It’s in Warsaw, Poland. Of course, there is a riot when fans attempt to crash the sold-out show. 1967

Led Zeppelin’s riff-driven (lifted from a Willie Dixon song) “Whole Lotta Love” goes gold. The song is on “Led Zeppelin II.”  1970

Staind‘s Aaron Lewis is born in Rutland, VT. 1972

The Allman Brothers Band’s classic and epic album, “Eat A Peach,” reaches gold status. 1972

“Band On The Run,” the third album by Paul McCartney & Wings is at the top of the Billboard 200. The album. which features the title track, “Jet” and “Helen Wheels,” raises McCartney’s standing with critics. 1974

Though it sounds like a live recording, Elton John’s “Bennie And The Jets” is a studio creation. It’s a #1 song (for a week). 1974

Billy Squire’s second album “Don’t Say No” is released.  The platinum effort contains “The Stroke” and “In The Dark.” 1981

 “We Are The World” is #1. The song, which raises money for Africa relief, has performances (singing a line of the song) by Bob Geldof (organizer and member of Boomtown Rats), Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac), Steve Perry (Journey),Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder. 1985

 Rage Against The Machine make their national T.V. debut on Saturday Night Live. They hang U.S. flags upside down on their amps (protesting the show’s host Steve Forbes of Forbes Magazine and General Electric, owner of NBC, SNL’s network) for “Bulls On Parade.” They are not allowed to perform another song. 1996

Metallica files a lawsuit against Napster over file sharing. Rightly or wrongly, Metallica are seen as record industry shills. It practically wrecks their credibility. Napster doesn’t fare any better. 2000

 Legendary Wall Of Sound producer Phil Spector (The Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison, Tina Turner, Righteous Brothers) is found guilty of second-degree murder in the ’03 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson. A Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberates for nine days before finding the verdict. A mistrial was declared in ’07 following a jury deadlock. 2009

 Public Image Ltd. launch their first U.S. tour in 18 years at Club Nokia in L.A. “What a f***ing audience,” says frontman Johm Lydon. “The only one spitting is me.” 2010

U2’s 360⁰ tour is the highest grossing tour of all time following three concerts in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The group’s $558 million in earnings tops the Rolling Stones’ “A Bigger Bang” trek. 2011

Deftones bassist Chi Cheng passes away. He had been in a coma-like semi- conscious state since an ’08 car accident. 2013

Pearl Jam are the official Record Store Day ambassador for independent record stores around the world. “(Record stores are) a place to learn. It’s a place to have fun. And it’s a place to discover new music,” Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready says in a statement.”  Record Store Day was founded in ’08 to draw attention to the 1,400 independent record stores operating in the U.S. 2019

Poison frontman Bret Michaels, who’s a Type 1 diabetic, backs the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which implements a price cap for insulin for those with certain health insurance and Medicare plans.  2022

The Library of Congress announces that Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” have been selected to be added to the National Recording Registry.  Both are multi-platinum songs with over a billion streams each.  2022

A film chronicling Metallica’s 11th studio album, “72 Seasons,” is screened in cinemas worldwide.  Every song on the album has its own video and commentary from the band.   2023

Former Iron Maiden vocalist  Blaze Bayley undergoes triple bypass surgery following a recent heart attack.  2023