Chapter 01 — Today in music
On a day like today August 5
1966
'Revolver': the Beatles close the studio door and open the future's
On August 5, 1966, the Beatles released 'Revolver' in the UK — the album where the studio became their true instrument: backwards tapes, filtered vocals, orchestras and the vertigo of 'Tomorrow Never Knows'. Recorded by a band sick of touring, it anticipated everything rock would experiment with over the next decade. For many, their true masterpiece.
The Beatles
Listen
Via YouTube
1957
'American Bandstand' goes nationwide and rock enters the family living room
On August 5, 1957, 'American Bandstand' with Dick Clark began broadcasting nationally on ABC. The show domesticated rock and roll just enough to slip it into the country's living rooms, launching careers and dictating dances and fashions for three decades. Its polished version of rock was the decisive bridge between teenage rebellion and mass culture.
Dick Clark
American Bandstand
1959
Pat Smear is born: from the chaos of the Germs to the Foo Fighters throne
On August 5, 1959, Pat Smear was born in Los Angeles, co-founder and guitarist of the Germs, the seminal LA punk band alongside Darby Crash. When grunge conquered the world, Kurt Cobain recruited him as Nirvana's touring guitarist, and after the tragedy he became a cornerstone of Foo Fighters. Few musicians connect '77 punk to twenty-first century stadium rock so directly. In 2021 he entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Foos.
Pat Smear
Germs
Foo Fighters
Listen
Via YouTube
1978
'Miss You': the Stones surrender to the dancefloor and win
On August 5, 1978, 'Miss You' hit number one in the United States, ending Andy Gibb's seven-week reign. It was the Rolling Stones' eighth and last American number one. Jagger swore it wasn't a disco song; Keith Richards contradicted him without mercy — it was a damn good disco record, and it was calculated to be one. Charlie Watts admitted the four-to-the-floor kick came from his nights in the clubs. The most rock band in the world survived the seventies by dancing.
The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger
Keith Richards
Listen
Via YouTube
2013
George Duke dies: the keyboardist who joined Zappa to the dancefloor
On August 5, 2013, George Duke died in Los Angeles aged 67 from chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. He spent two years in the Mothers of Invention and recorded nine albums with Frank Zappa, played with Cannonball Adderley, and built one of the eighties' most fertile partnerships with Stanley Clarke. He moved from the knottiest jazz to the most direct funk without asking permission. His career is proof that genres are borders only record labels respect.
George Duke
Frank Zappa
Stanley Clarke
Listen
Via YouTube
1947
Rick Derringer is born, from 'Hang On Sloopy' to the hoochie koo
On August 5, 1947, Richard Zehringer was born in Ohio; as Rick Derringer he reached number one in 1965 with the McCoys and their infectious 'Hang On Sloopy'. In the seventies he signed his own anthem, 'Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo', and was the right-hand man of brothers Johnny and Edgar Winter, producing classics like 'Frankenstein'. His versatility took him from Steely Dan to producing 'Weird Al' Yankovic's parody hits. A total craftsman of American rock.
Rick Derringer
The McCoys
Listen
Via YouTube
1959
Pete Burns is born, the provocateur who made us spin like a record
On August 5, 1959, Pete Burns was born in England, the deep voice and androgynous image behind Dead or Alive. Emerging from the Liverpool scene, he reached glory in 1985 when 'You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)' hit number one in the UK. His band sold over 17 million albums and his defiant aesthetic pushed the limits of what was possible in eighties pop. He died in 2016, a British culture icon.
Pete Burns
Dead or Alive
Listen
Via YouTube
1964
Adam Yauch is born: the Beastie Boy who traded the joke for Tibet
On August 5, 1964, Adam Yauch was born in New York — MCA of the Beastie Boys, the group that carried rap from punk to the sampler and from there everywhere. Beyond rapping, he directed the band's videos under the alias Nathanial Hörnblowér. A practising Buddhist, he founded the Milarepa Fund and organised the Tibetan Freedom Concerts. He died in 2012 aged 47 of parotid cancer, having turned an adolescent joke into an adult commitment.
Adam Yauch
Beastie Boys
Listen
Via YouTube
1989
'Big Tyme' hits number one and introduces a certain Pete Rock
On August 5, 1989, Heavy D & the Boyz's 'Big Tyme' topped the R&B and hip-hop albums chart. The record gathered Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, Al B. Sure! and DJ Eddie F at the precise moment new jack swing made rap danceable without softening it. It also carried the first productions ever credited to Pete Rock, who within three years would be among the best in the trade. Heavy D sold a million copies by being likeable, threatening nobody.
Heavy D & the Boyz
Pete Rock
Teddy Riley
Listen
Via YouTube
1992
Jeff Porcaro dies: the drummer who was on every record
On August 5, 1992, Jeff Porcaro died in Los Angeles aged 38. The coroner cited a heart attack linked to cocaine use; his family always maintained it was a reaction to the pesticide he had been spraying in his garden, and the argument was never settled. A co-founder of Toto, he played on four tracks of 'Thriller' and on several Steely Dan albums. The half-time shuffle of 'Rosanna' is still studied like a classical score.
Jeff Porcaro
Toto
Listen
Via YouTube
One ephemeris a day, one editorial a week. Zero spam, pure archive.