This Day in History: 2024-06-14

JUNE 14th

“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” arrives.  The Iron Butterfly’s sophomore album contains the extended title track (over seventeen minutes) with organ, guitar and drum solos.  It’s a psychedelic classic.  1968

“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” is not Latin or anything else.  It is organist/composer Doug Ingle’s drunken slurring of “In The Garden Of Eden.”

Truckin’. The Grateful Dead’s landmark effort, “Workingman’s Dead” is released. Robert Hunter contributes lyrics to the band’s fourth album beginning a long-term association with the band. 1970

Billy Joel’s “Glass Houses” begins a six-week run at the top of the U.S. album chart. The Phil Ramone produced set features “It’s Still Rock N’ Roll To Me” (Joel’s first #1 on the pop chart) and “Don’t Ask Me Why.” 1980

The Foo Fighters release the double album “In Your Honor,” containing “Best Of You.” Despite mixed reviews, the set goes to #2 in the U.K. and U.S. 2005

The album sits behind Coldplay’s “X&Y” on the Billboard 200.

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Keyboardist Rod Argent (born Rodney Terence Argent) starts his life in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England. He is a founding member of the Zombies, and later, Argent. 1945

King Diamond (aka Kim Bendix Petersen) is born in Copenhagen, Denmark. 1956

Chris DeGarmo, Queensryche founding member (with Michael Wilton and Geoff Tate) and rhythm guitarist (from ’82 -’97), is born in Wenatchee, Washington. 1963

Ringo Starr rejoins The Beatles in Australia. He had been sidelined for nearly two weeks due to tonsillitis, then recovering from a tonsillectomy. His temporary replacement, Jimmy Nicol, returns to a life of anonymity. 1964

The original ‘butcher block’ cover for The Beatles “Yesterday And Today” album is officially recalled by Capitol Records due to “extreme negative feedback,” just prior to its release. The cover, with the group placed among cuts of meat and decapitated dolls, soon becomes a collector’s item. A standard group photo is used instead. 1966

Cream release “Wheels Of Fire.” The double set has both studio (“White Room”) and live (“Crossroads”) tracks.  The album tops the Billboard 200.  1968

In a notable case of self-aggrandizement, Grand Funk Railroad spends $100,000 on a block long Times Square billboard to promote their “Closer To Home” album. Of course, the billboard features a huge picture of the band. 1970

The Grateful Dead release “Workingman’s Dead,” which contains “Casey Jones.” It is the Dead’s most commercially successful album to date. 1970

Derek & The Dominoes (fronted by Eric Clapton) play their first-ever show when they perform at London’s Lyceum.  1970

Puff Daddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You” debuts at #1 on the U.S. singles chart. The track heavily samples The Police’s mega-hit, “Every Breath You Take.” 1997

The Led Zeppelin live album, “How The West Was Won” tops the Billboard 200. Yes, there’s a rendition of “Stairway To Heaven.”   2003

Bruce Springsteen plays Milwaukee’s non-union Bradley Center in support of his “We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions” album. This upsets local union officials with a representative calling the Boss’ decision to play the venue “bafflingly ironic and somewhat infuriating,” seeing that he was performing the music of pro-union folk singer Pete Seeger. 2006

Paul McCartney performs a free concert in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. More than 350,000 people turn out for two-and-a-half-hour show (reportedly the biggest concert in the country’s history). Organizers ask citizens and businesses to donate to Ukraine’s National Cancer Institute’s children’s department; approximately $600,000 is pledged. 2008

The announcement is made that Ozzy Osbourne’s genetic code will be analyzed and mapped by U.K. scientists for Knome, a Cambridge, MA, based company.  Ozzy has survived years of drug and alcohol abuse, a near fatal ATV accident and reality television. Now researchers will attempt to discover how and why. 2010

Despite accidents, injuries (actors falling while swinging about in ‘Spider Man’ fashion), bad reviews, cost overruns, rewrites (of a wayward plot) and firings (including director and co-writer Julie Taymor), “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” opens on Broadway at Foxwoods Theater (following a record 183 previews). The songs for the musical are by U2’s Bono and The Edge, first-time Broadway composers. Also, the album, “Music From Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark,” recorded by the Broadway cast, is released. 2011

“We are sad to say that Kim Deal has decided to leave the Pixies,” reads a Facebook statement from the band. Deal, a founding member, traversed the group’s ’93 hiatus and ’04 reformation. “We are very proud to have worked with her on and off over the last 25 years.” 2013

Two days after vocalist Ivan Moody’s onstage substance abuse related meltdown in Tilburg, Netherlands, Five Finger Death Punch announce that they will finish their remaining European dates with Bad Wolves vocalist Tommy Vext. 2017

Metallica receives the prestigious Polar Music Prize, Sweden’s highest music award.  They donate 50% of the $130,000 prize to their All Within My Hands foundation, 25% to the Stockholm City Mission, which supports the homeless, with the remainder going to the World Childhood Foundation and the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo attend the ceremony. 2018