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Daily stories about music and vinyl: albums, artists, labels. Read on the web or in the CrateCore app.
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September 24, 2026
STORY · Soul
Drummie Zeb: Why Aswad's Drummer Shares Two Dates
Born and died on the same date, Drummie Zeb led Aswad as drummer and vocalist. His career carried the band from 1977's Roots Rocking to the 1988 UK number-one 'Don't Turn Around'.
4 min read
Drummiezeb, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
4 min read
STORY · Rock
The Association: How Cherish Defined a Band's Legacy
The Association's 1966 single "Cherish" reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It established the Los Angeles group as a soft-rock force with dense, jazz-informed harmonies.
4 min read
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4 min read
STORY · Metal
Why Did Iron Maiden Put 34 Tracks on One Vinyl Box?
Iron Maiden's 1996 compilation Best of the Beast spans three formats with different tracklists. The four-vinyl edition's 34 tracks make it the band's longest release ever.
5 min read
Cover of “Best of the Beast” by Iron Maiden. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
5 min read
STORY · Pop
Why Did Depeche Mode's Fourth Album Break Them in America?
Depeche Mode's fourth album, Some Great Reward, stalled at 51 in the US while topping the German chart. The 1984 release reshaped the band's audience.
4 min read
Cover of “Some Great Reward” by Depeche Mode. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Metal
Why did the Rolling Stones release Out of Our Heads twice?
Out of Our Heads arrived twice in 1965 — a US edition with "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" via London Records and a British version without it via Decca.
4 min read
Cover of “Out of Our Heads” by The Rolling Stones. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Hip-Hop
A Tribe Called Quest: The Low End Theory at 35
The control room at Battery Studios in New York smelled like takeout containers and tape hiss. Q-Tip sat hunched over the mixing desk, stripping away layers unt…
4 min read
Cover of “The Low End Theory” by A Tribe Called Quest. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Metal
Why Did Rush's Caress of Steel Nearly End the Band?
Rush's Caress of Steel, released on September 24, 1975, sold poorly and nearly got the band dropped. It also marked their first full embrace of progressive rock.
4 min read
Cover of “Caress of Steel” by Rush. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Alternative
Live at the Paramount: Nirvana's Only 16mm Concert Film
Nirvana's Halloween 1991 show at Seattle's Paramount Theatre became a video album in 2011. It is the only concert the band ever captured entirely on 16mm film.
5 min read
Cover of “Live at the Paramount” by Nirvana. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
5 min read
STORY · Rock
How T. Rex Made Glam Rock's First Masterpiece
Marc Bolan's Electric Warrior, released on September 24, 1971, turned a six-week number one single into a full album. It changed what British rock could sound like.
4 min read
Cover of “Electric Warrior” by T. Rex. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
The Long Run Almost Became Eagles' Double Album
Eagles' 1979 album The Long Run was originally planned as a double album. The band couldn't write enough material, so it became a single disc that sold over eight million copies.
4 min read
Cover of “The Long Run” by Eagles. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Metal
Why Did Sepultura Release a Live Album After the Split?
Roadrunner Records dropped Sepultura, then released their live album anyway. Under a Pale Grey Sky captures the band's final classic-era performance at Brixton Academy in 1996.
5 min read
Cover of “Under a Pale Grey Sky” by Sepultura. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
5 min read
STORY · Classical
Christopher Hogwood: The Conductor Who Made Old Music New
Christopher Hogwood, the British harpsichordist and conductor, built the Academy of Ancient Music. He spent his career convincing musicians that the past was a living argument, not a museum.
4 min read
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4 min read
STORY · Rock
In Absentia: The Album That Tripled Porcupine Tree's Sales
Porcupine Tree's 2002 album In Absentia tripled the band's previous sales, marking their major-label debut and first full step into progressive metal.
4 min read
Cover of “In Absentia” by Porcupine Tree. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Alternative
Why is Badmotorfinger still Soundgarden's sharpest turn?
Soundgarden's 1991 album Badmotorfinger arrived as Seattle's grunge wave was about to swallow rock radio. Yet the band leaned harder into heavy metal than anything the scene was producing.
4 min read
Cover of “Badmotorfinger” by Soundgarden. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Jazz
Why Did Pharoah Sanders Sound Like No Other Saxophonist?
Pharoah Sanders, born Ferrell Lee Sanders in 1940, died in 2022. His catalog splits between ferocious free jazz and meditative spiritual jazz.
4 min read
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4 min read
STORY · World
Dharius: The Cartel de Santa Exit That Split Mexican Rap
Dharius, born Alan Alejandro Maldonado Tames, left Cartel de Santa in 2013 after fourteen years. His solo career since then has reshaped Mexican gangsta rap.
4 min read
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4 min read
STORY · Pop
Why did Paul McCartney teach his wife to play keyboards?
Linda McCartney, born Linda Eastman in 1941, was a photographer who shot the Fillmore East and the first woman to land a photo on a Rolling Stone cover. She later became Wings' keyboardist.
4 min read
Kurt Schollenberger, Comet Photo AG Zürich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
4 min read
STORY · Alternative
Why Did Nickelback's Silver Side Up Land on 9/11?
Nickelback's third album Silver Side Up was released on September 11, 2001. Despite the day's chaos, it became a global hit driven by 'How You Remind Me'.
4 min read
Cover of “Silver Side Up” by Nickelback. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Metal
Blood Sugar Sex Magik: The Day Funk Metal Learned to Whisper
In September 1991, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released Blood Sugar Sex Magik, recorded in a Hollywood mansion with Rick Rubin. The album's quiet intimacy transformed their sound and career.
4 min read
Cover of “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
Läther: The Box Set Zappa Couldn't Release
Frank Zappa's Läther was scheduled for Halloween 1977, cancelled before release, and finally issued by Rykodisc in 1996 as a three-disc posthumous box set.
4 min read
Cover of “Läther” by Frank Zappa. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
September 23, 2026
STORY · Rock
David Bowie Heroes: How a Berlin Wall Song Was Recorded
In 1977, David Bowie recorded 'Heroes' at Hansa Studio 2. Tony Visconti's multi-latch microphone system defined a song about lovers by the Berlin Wall.
3 min read
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3 min read
STORY · Jazz
John Coltrane: Why the Saxophone Became Spiritual Speed
John Coltrane, born in Hamlet, North Carolina, on September 23, 1926, turned practice into a physical obsession that would reshape jazz.
4 min read
Gelderen, Hugo van / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
4 min read
STORY · Pop
Julio Iglesias: How a Car Crash Created a Vinyl Empire
Julio Iglesias turned a 1963 car crash that left him paralyzed into a two-decade rise that produced over 300 million records sold across 14 languages.
4 min read
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4 min read
STORY · Rock
Bob Marley: Why His Final Pittsburgh Show Still Matters
On September 23, 1980, Bob Marley gave his final concert at Pittsburgh's Stanley Theater. He was two days past a Central Park collapse and flew in against doctors' orders.
4 min read
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4 min read
STORY · Pop
Why Did Leonard Cohen Release Albums So Fast in 2014?
Leonard Cohen's 2014 album Popular Problems arrived just two years after Old Ideas, a rapid pace for an artist who often let decades pass between records.
4 min read
Cover of “Popular Problems” by Leonard Cohen. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Hip-Hop
OutKast: The Double Album Arista Never Wanted
OutKast's fifth album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, arrived in September 2003 as a double album forced together by Arista. It became the biggest record of the year.
4 min read
Cover of “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” by OutKast. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
Peter Gabriel: The Album That Took Seven Years to Surface
Peter Gabriel's Up finally appeared on September 23, 2002. The album arrived after seven years of sessions that outlasted two British prime ministers and an entire US presidential administration.
4 min read
Cover of “Up” by Peter Gabriel. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Pop
Why Julio Iglesias sold 300 million records
A 1963 car crash ended a young goalkeeper's career at Real Madrid. The hospital guitar it brought him launched Julio Iglesias toward selling more than 300 million records.
3 min read
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3 min read
STORY · Classical
Vincenzo Bellini: The 33-Year-Old Who Redefined Opera
Vincenzo Bellini died on 23 September 1835 at thirty-three. His ten operas defined the bel canto era and influenced generations of composers and singers.
3 min read
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3 min read
STORY · Alternative
Why did Pixies call their last album Trompe le Monde?
The fourth Pixies album, Trompe le Monde, arrived on September 23, 1991. It was the final statement from the original lineup, its title meaning 'to deceive the world.'
4 min read
Cover of “Trompe le Monde” by Pixies. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read