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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 28, 2026
STORY · Rock
How Metallica’s “The Unforgiven” Flipped the Ballad
Metallica released “The Unforgiven” on October 28, 1991, as the second single from the Black Album. The song inverted the standard metal ballad by making the chorus softer than the verses.
4 min read
Cover of “The Unforgiven” by Metallica. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Alternative
Why Did Grace Jones Make an Album with One Song?
Grace to the Rhythm arrived in 1985 as Grace Jones's first album in three years, with eight versions of one song and a cover that called it a biography.
3 min read
Cover of “Slave to the Rhythm” by Grace Jones. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Alternative
How Oingo Boingo's Dead Man's Party Split Their Sound
Oingo Elfman's band released Dead Man's Party on October 28, 1985, and the album's biggest hit came from a John Hughes film soundtrack.
4 min read
AI-generated illustration
4 min read
STORY · Rock
How Sigur Rós Made an Album with No Names
Jónsi sings in a made-up language and the eight tracks have no titles: Sigvaplatan, or ( ), arrived on 28 October 2008 with a sleeve showing two brackets.
4 min read
Cover of “( )” by Sigur Rós. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Metal
How Queen's News of the World Survived the Punk Storm
Queen released News of the World on 28 October 1977, stripping back their layered sound to answer punk with riffs and big choruses.
4 min read
Cover of “News of the World” by Queen. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Metal
Why Did Deftones Hate Their Own Around the Fur Cover?
Deftones recorded Around the Fur at Stone Gossard's Studio Litho and released it on Maverick Records in October 1997. The cover photo came from a party nobody had cleared.
4 min read
Cover of “Around the Fur” by Deftones. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Other
Why Did the Sex Pistols' Only Album Scare Britain?
The Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols arrived on October 28, 1977. A Nottingham record shop manager was arrested for displaying its sleeve.
4 min read
Cover of “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols” by Sex Pistols. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Other
Why Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas Still Rules the Season
Mariah Carey was three albums into a hit-making career when she decided to record her first Christmas album, and the whole project could have been a polite seas…
3 min read
Cover of “Merry Christmas” by Mariah Carey. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Rock
How The Kinks Broke Their Own Sound with Face to Face
The Kinks released Face to Face on October 28, 1966. It traded hard beat guitar hits for baroque pop and music hall on the first album written entirely by Ray Davies.
3 min read
Cover of “Face to Face” by The Kinks. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Metal
How Kiss Met the Phantom of the Park
Four men in face paint and leather stood in a California amusement park, acting out a battle with an unseen enemy. This was Kiss, the New York rock band who had…
4 min read
Casablanca Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, modified: re-encoded
4 min read
October 27, 2026
STORY · Metal
Why Did AC/DC Live Ship with a Fake Banknote?
Epic Records released AC/DC Live on October 27, 1992, in a single-disc edition and a double album. The double album's book-like case held a novelty bill called Angus Bucks.
4 min read
Cover of “AC/DC Live” by AC/DC. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
Stevie Wonder: How Talking Book Changed His Sound
Stevie Wonder released Talking Book on Tamla on October 27, 1972. Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil were associate producers on a sound built on clavinet and synthesizers.
4 min read
Cover of “Talking Book” by Stevie Wonder. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Alternative
Japan: How a Ten-Day Album Changed Everything
Japan recorded Obscure Reflections in seven months after their debut, mixing rock with post-punk and new wave under label pressure.
4 min read
Cover of “Obscure Alternatives” by Japan. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
Why Did Robbie Robertson Risk His Solo Debut on U2?
Robbie Robertson's self-titled debut solo album arrived on October 27, 1987. It was built in Dublin with U2 and producer Lanois, then finished in Bath with Peter Gabriel.
4 min read
Cover of “Robbie Robertson” by Robbie Robertson. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
Why Did Bryan Adams' On a Day Like Today Nearly Vanish?
In the summer of 1998, Bryan Adams was at The Warehouse studio in Vancouver with a handful of trusted players, trying to make his eighth studio album faster tha…
4 min read
Cover of “On a Day Like Today” by Bryan Adams. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Alternative
Refused: How The Shape of Punk to Come Broke Punk
Refused released The Shape of Punk to Come on Burning Heart Records in 1998, then broke up after eight shows. The album became a touchstone for post-hardcore years later.
3 min read
Cover of “The Shape of Punk to Come” by Refused. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Rock
Why Did Van Halen Open Their Last Classic Single With Drums?
Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" opens with roughly thirty seconds of Alex Van Halen's drums before a single guitar note. The 1984 single reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100.
4 min read
Cover of “Hot for Teacher” by Van Halen. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
How Frank Zappa Turned Tour Chaos Into Playground Psychotics
On 27 October 1992 Frank Zappa released Playground Psychotics, a double album credited to him and The Mothers of Invention. It mixes live performances with recorded backstage conversations.
4 min read
Cover of “Playground Psychotics” by Frank Zappa. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
How Johnny Winter Made a Double Album with a Blank Side
Johnny Winter's Second Winter, released October 27, 1969, packed eleven songs onto three sides. The fourth side of the double album was left completely blank.
3 min read
Cover of “Second Winter” by Johnny Winter. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Metal
Why Did Motörhead's Bomber Almost Never Get Made?
Motörhead's third album Bomber arrived on Bronze Records in 1979. Sessions with producer Jimmy Miller were disrupted by his deepening heroin addiction.
4 min read
Cover of “Bomber” by Motörhead. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Metal
Why Did a Guns N' Roses VHS Go Double Platinum?
Welcome to the Eden — Guns N' Roses' 1998 Geffen collection of MTV-era clips — went double platinum on VHS despite one glaring omission.
3 min read
Cover of “Welcome to the Videos” by Guns N' Roses. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Alternative
Creed: How Full Circle Rebuilt a Broken Band
Creed's Full Circle, released on October 27, 2009, was the band's first studio album since 2004. It also marked the return of original bassist Brian Marshall to the lineup.
4 min read
Cover of “Full Circle” by Creed. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Rock
How Ten Years After Built a Debut on Borrowed Blues
Ten years after forming, the band cut its debut for Deram on October 27, 1967. The self-titled album leans on borrowed blues to fill out a thin songbook.
4 min read
Cover of “Ten Years After” by Ten Years After. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Soul
Why Does Amy Winehouse's Back to Black Still Hit So Hard?
Amy Winehouse released Back to Black on Island Records in October 2006, and the album went on to sell 20 million copies. Its mix of 1960s soul and raw confession still holds up two decades later.
4 min read
Cover of “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Alternative
How Did XTC's Skylarking Survive Its Own Making?
XTC recorded Skylarking with producer Todd Rundgren in 1986. The clashes over drum parts and song choices became part of the album's story.
3 min read
Cover of “Skylarking” by XTC. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Pop
Aretha Franklin's Aretha at 40
Arista released Aretha Franklin's thirty-first studio album, Aretha, on October 27, 1986. Its George Michael duet gave her a first pop number one since 1967.
4 min read
Cover of “Aretha” by Aretha Franklin. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Pop
How Did Aladdin's Soundtrack Conquer the World?
Alan Menken faced a strange problem: he had written some of the most melodic songs of his career for a cartoon, but the man who was supposed to make them funny …
3 min read
Cover of “Aladdin” by Alan Menken. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
STORY · Soul
How Prince's 1999 Turned a Stumble Into a Breakthrough
Prince's single '1999' stalled at number 44, but the album of the same name became his first top-10 LP and a double-album breakthrough.
3 min read
Cover of “1999” by Prince. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
3 min read
October 26, 2026
STORY · Classical
Why Did The Who's Quadrophenia Nearly Sink Them?
The Who's Quadrophenia arrived on Track Records on October 26, 1973, a double album built from Pete Townshend's writing that nearly tore the group apart.
4 min read
Cover of “Quadrophenia” by The Who. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read
STORY · Electronic
How Sade's Love Deluxe Traded Warmth for Darkness
Sade's Love Deluxe, released by Epic Records on October 26, 1992, replaced the band's easy warmth with programmed beats and a darker, more expensive sound.
4 min read
Cover of “Love Deluxe” by Sade. Source: Cover Art Archive (coverartarchive.org)
4 min read