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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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October 31, 2026
STORY · Metal
How Godsmack's Warehouse Gamble Made Awake a Breakthrough
Godsmack built their own studio inside a Haverhill warehouse for Awake, and the album entered the Billboard 200 at number five on October 31, 2000.
3 min read
Cover of “Awake” by Godsmack. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Alternative
How Did Lifehouse's No Name Face Break Through?
Jason Wade had already spent years leading Lifehouse as a church rock group, playing worship services with friends before any record deal. On October 31, 2000, …
4 min read
Cover of “No Name Face” by Lifehouse. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Alternative
Why Did Dinosaur Jr.'s Bug Almost Tear the Band Apart?
Dinosaur Jr. released Bug on SST Records on October 31, 1988, the last album with bassist Lou Barlow until 2007 and the record J Mascis calls his least favourite.
4 min read
Cover of “Bug” by Dinosaur Jr.. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Alternative
How Soundgarden's Debut Became Their Great Frustration
Soundgarden's first full-length album, Ultramega OK, arrived on SST Records in 1988. The band felt the producer never understood its sound.
3 min read
Cover of “Ultramega OK” by Soundgarden. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Pop
Nelly Furtado's 'Say It Right' at 20
Nelly Furtado released 'Say It Right' on October 31, 2006, a late-night Miami studio experiment with Timbaland and Danja that became a worldwide hit.
4 min read
Cover of “Say It Right” by Nelly Furtado. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Metal
Why Did Lou Reed and Metallica Make Lulu?
Lou Reed and Metallica released Lulu on October 31, 2011. The double album built from Reed's theatre song cycle and the band's avant-garde metal arrangements still divides listeners.
3 min read
Cover of “Lulu” by Lou Reed. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Soul
Chris Brown: How a 45-Track Album Beat the Doubters
Chris Brown released Heartbreak on a Full Moon on October 31, 2017, with 45 songs after RCA Records resisted the length. The album was certified gold within a week.
4 min read
Cover of “Heartbreak on a Full Moon” by Chris Brown. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Pop
Britney Spears' Britney at 25
Britney Spears released her third album, Britney, on October 31, 2001. The Neptunes production and six co-written tracks marked her break from teen pop.
3 min read
Cover of “Britney” by Britney Spears. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Alternative
What Made This Charming Man by The Smiths a Classic?
The Smiths released 'This Charming Man' on Rough Trade on October 31, 1983, weeks after Johnny Marr wrote it in a BBC session for John Peel's radio show.
4 min read
Cover of “This Charming Man” by The Smiths. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Hip-Hop
How Birdman and Lil Wayne Made Like Father, Like Son
Birdman and Lil Wayne's Like Father, Like Son opened with 176,000 copies in one week and hit number three on the Billboard 200 on October 31, 2006.
3 min read
Cover of “Like Father, Like Son” by Birdman. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Rock
What Made Built to Last the Grateful Dead's Last Stand?
Grateful Dead released Built to Last on Arista Records on October 31, 1989. Brent Mydland wrote four of its songs, more than anyone else on the album.
3 min read
Cover of “Built to Last” by Grateful Dead. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Rock
Why Did Paul McCartney Sit on Pipes of Peace for a Year?
Paul McCartney's Pipes of Peace was ready for months before its October 31, 1983 release, yet the album became his first solo record to miss the US top 10.
4 min read
Cover of “Pipes of Peace” by Paul McCartney. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
How Did Wolfmother's Debut Album Shock the Rock World?
Wolfmother's self-titled debut, recorded at Sound City Studios, was released in Australia on October 31, 2005. It turned a riff-heavy trio into an international act.
3 min read
Cover of “Wolfmother” by Wolfmother. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Hip-Hop
How MF DOOM Turned Loss Into a Masked Hip-Hop Empire
Daniel Dumile, the London-born rapper behind MF DOOM, died in Leeds on October 31, 2020, leaving a masked persona that outlived the man who built it.
4 min read
TanSenpai from Philadelphia, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, modified: re-encoded
4 min read
STORY · Hip-Hop
Why Did ASAP Rocky's Live. Love. ASAP Change Rap?
ASAP Rocky's debut mixtape Live. Love. ASAP, released free on October 31, 2011, built a New York record around Houston's chopped and screwed sound.
4 min read
AI-generated illustration
4 min read
STORY · Hip-Hop
How Jay-Z Turned a Compilation Into The Dynasty
Jay-Z's fifth solo album, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, arrived on October 31, 2000. It began as a Roc-A-Fella compilation and became a number one record.
3 min read
AI-generated illustration
3 min read
STORY · Other
How Ali Farka Touré Broke a Caste Rule and Found the Blues
Ali Farka Touré built a forbidden monochord from a tin can in Kanau on the Niger River, then became Mali's great singer and multi-instrumentalist.
4 min read
Tagles, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, modified: re-encoded
4 min read
October 30, 2026
STORY · Rock
How Did Eagles Conquer the Chart Without a Traditional Release?
The Eagles released Long Road Out of Eden on October 30, 2007, selling it only through Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and their own website. The album still reached number one in the US.
4 min read
Cover of “Long Road Out of Eden” by Eagles. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Pop
How Michael Jackson's Invincible Got Buried by Its Own Label
Michael Jackson released Invincible on October 30, 2001, after four years and nearly 30 million dollars. Sony effectively abandoned the album within months of its release.
5 min read
Cover of “Invincible” by Michael Jackson. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
5 min read
STORY · Metal
Why Did Avenged Sevenfold Bet Their Sound on This Album?
Avenged Sevenfold's self-titled fourth album arrived on October 30, 2007, produced by the band themselves and built on slower grooves meant to fill arenas.
3 min read
Cover of “Avenged Sevenfold” by Avenged Sevenfold. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Other
How Bring Me the Horizon Rushed Into Deathcore History
Bring Me the Horizon cut their 2006 debut in a Birmingham studio with only days to spare. The rush became the defining character of Count Your Blessings.
3 min read
Cover of “Count Your Blessings” by Bring Me the Horizon. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Pop
How Ariana Grande Turned Healing Into Chart History
The opening track of Positions arrived draped in pizzicato strings and orchestral passages, while the lead single had already crashed onto the top of the Billbo…
4 min read
Cover of “Positions” by Ariana Grande. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Hip-Hop
Why Did Bomfunk MC's Freestyler Take Over the World?
Bomfunk MC's released Freestyler in Finland on October 30, 1999, and the breakbeat single went on to top charts in more than ten countries.
3 min read
AI-generated illustration
3 min read
STORY · Rock
How Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection Imagined America
Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection, released in the UK on October 30, 1970, was a country-and-western concept album. Bernie Taupin wrote its Old West lyrics before he had ever set foot in America.
4 min read
Cover of “Tumbleweed Connection” by Elton John. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
Why U2 Relearned Their Sound on All That You Can't Leave Behind
U2 released All That You Can't Leave Behind on October 30, 2000, returning to producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois after a decade of studio experiments.
3 min read
xrayspx, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, modified: re-encoded
3 min read
STORY · Metal
How Sepultura's Schizophrenia Won the World Without a Single Show
Sepultura's Schizophrenia reached the world through Roadrunner Records, which signed the band without ever seeing them play live.
3 min read
Cover of “Schizophrenia” by Sepultura. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Rock
Why Did Weezer's Raditude Become a Punchline?
Weezer released Raditude on October 30, 2009, with five producers, a Lil Wayne feature and a Kenny G sax solo. The album sold well but became a byword for compromise.
4 min read
Cover of “Raditude” by Weezer. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
Why Did Buffalo Springfield Make an Album While Falling Apart?
Buffalo Springfield released Buffalo Springfield Again on Atco Records on October 30, 1967. The nine months of sessions behind it saw the five members already pulling apart.
3 min read
Cover of “Buffalo Springfield Again” by Buffalo Springfield. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Pop
Why Did George Michael Refuse to Appear in Freedom! '90?
In October 1990, George Michael released Freedom! '90 without appearing in its video, letting five supermodels lip-sync the song while his old Faith props were destroyed on screen.
3 min read
University of Houston Digital Library, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, modified: re-encoded
3 min read
STORY · Other
Destiny's Child's 8 Days of Christmas at 25
Destiny's Child released their only holiday album, 8 Days of Christmas, on October 30, 2001. It arrived while the group was still riding the success of Survivor from earlier that year.
3 min read
John Ferguson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, modified: re-encoded
3 min read