Rock
This section gathers album stories, birthdays, and anniversaries tied to the artists and bands who shaped rock, along with notes on new vinyl reissues as they surface. Rock grew up alongside the LP: gatefold sleeves and a running order built around two sides of a record were part of how the genre presented itself from the start, and a large share of its catalog keeps coming back through official reissue programs. Expect the human side of the records here: the sessions, the lineup changes, the decisions that turned into landmark albums, and why particular pressings matter to collectors.
521 STORIES
Prince's Let's Go Crazy: How the Purple Rain Opener Hit #1
On September 29, 1984, Prince and the Revolution took Let's Go Crazy to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The single confirmed his shift from underground eccentric to mainstream pop star.
· 4 min read
Led Zeppelin Live: How One 1971 Set Rewired Rock
On September 29, 1971, Led Zeppelin played a set in Osaka that captured the band's live power months before their fourth album became an institution.
· 4 min read
Why did TAYANNA walk away from the accordion at eight?
TAYANNA, born Tetiana Reshetniak in Chernivtsi in 1984, abandoned the accordion at eight and built a career in electronic music, folk rock, and soft rock.
· 4 min read
New Order's Brotherhood: Why the Split-Personality Album Worked
New Order's 1986 album Brotherhood split itself between synth and guitar sides. The deliberate fracture produced a breakthrough single and a lasting cult reputation.
· 4 min read
Brett Anderson: The Voice That Outgrew Britpop
Brett Anderson, born in Lindfield in 1967, moved from garage bands and science A-levels to fronting Suede. He then built a parallel solo career that outlasted Britpop.
· 4 min read
Jerry Lee Lewis: The Killer Who Shook Rock 'n' Roll
A piano stool kicked across the stage, a boot heel hammering the keys, a voice that sounded like it was trying to escape a burning building. That was Jerry Lee …
· 4 min read
Mark Farner: How Grand Funk's Captain Steered to No. 1
Mark Farner, born in Flint, Michigan on September 29, 1948, wrote Grand Funk Railroad's first Top 40 single 'I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)'. It peaked at No. 22 in October 1970.
· 4 min read
Why did St. Vincent hand her guitar to Jack Antonoff?
Annie Clark's path from Berklee student to self-producing artist saw her hand guitar duties to Jack Antonoff on Masseduction. She reclaimed full control on All Born Screaming.
· 4 min read
Yes: The Italian Castle Sessions That Nearly Killed Big Generator
In 1985, Yes rented a castle in Carimate, Italy, to force closeness. The sessions for Big Generator became one of the group's most unproductive stretches.
· 4 min read
Jennifer Rush: Why 57 in the US Still Meant a World Record
Jennifer Rush, born Heidi Stern, topped charts across Europe with 'The Power of Love' while the same song stalled at 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. That gap defined her transatlantic career.
· 5 min read
Andy Ward: How Camel's Drummer Survived the Fall
Andy Ward, born in Epsom on 28 September 1952, helped define Camel's early sound. He survived a nervous breakdown with Marillion in 1983 and rebuilt his career through Canterbury scene connections.
· 6 min read
How Kris Kristofferson Made Country Music Get Honest
Kris Kristofferson traded an Army captain's uniform for a songwriter's honesty. He helped launch the outlaw country movement of the 1970s with songs like 'Me and Bobby McGee.'
· 4 min read
The Police: How a Teacher Story Became a UK No. 1
The Police took a taboo classroom scenario, wrapped it in reggae-tinged rock, and pushed it to the top of the British chart on 28 September 1980.
· 4 min read
Nirvana: How a $65,000 Record Ended Glam Metal
Nirvana's Nevermind, recorded for $65,000, arrived in September 1991. Within months, it unseated the biggest rock bands and dragged alternative music into the mainstream.
· 4 min read
Cliff Burton: Why His Bass Still Haunts Metal 40 Years On
Cliff Burton's four years in Metallica redefined what a bassist could do inside a thrash band. His effect-pedal solos on Kill 'Em All and his final show in 1986 still haunt metal.
· 4 min read
Randy Bachman at 83: Why 'American Woman' Still Rips
Randy Bachman, born September 27, 1943, in Winnipeg, built a career split between The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. His guitar experiments produced 'American Woman' and other rock staples.
· 4 min read
Greg Ham: The Flute That Made Men At Work Famous
Greg Ham, born September 27, 1953, gave Men At Work their signature sound. A flute phrase from a children's campfire song became one of pop's most recognizable melodies.
· 3 min read
Peter Gabriel Followed So With an Album of Fractures
Peter Gabriel's sixth studio album Us arrived on 28 September 1992. It is a fractured follow-up to So that maps his divorce and family distance through seven-minute songs.
· 3 min read
Meat Loaf: The Cop's Son Who Sold 100 Million
Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday in Dallas in 1947, sold over 100 million albums worldwide, led by the enduring success of Bat Out of Hell.
· 3 min read
Mitski's Graduation Project Became a Global Soundtrack
A college senior in upstate New York sits in a practice room, layering guitar feedback over a melody she wrote for a grade. The assignment was a senior project …
· 4 min read
Why Did Marty Balin Leave Jefferson Airplane in 1971?
A kid from suburban Ohio singing folk harmonies in a San Francisco club hardly screams acid rock architect. Yet Marty Balin — born Martin Jerel Buchwald on Janu…
· 4 min read
Meat Loaf: Why Bat Out of Hell Took Five Years to Escape
Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday in Dallas in 1947, turned a childhood of chaos into Bat Out of Hell. The album took five years to escape the industry's rejection.
· 4 min read
The Beach Boys on Ed Sullivan: How 'I Get Around' Hit #1
On September 27, 1964, The Beach Boys made their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. They performed 'I Get Around' and 'Wendy' as America's answer to the British Invasion.
· 4 min read
Marty Balin: Why His Voice Still Defines San Francisco Psych
Marty Balin, co-founder of Jefferson Airplane, defined the San Francisco psych sound. His tenor carried the scene from The Matrix club to Woodstock and beyond.
· 3 min read