On November 25, 1974, Nicholas Rodney “Nick” Drake died aged 26. He was musicians (guitar, piano, saxophone, clarinet), singer and songwriter, in his short career he released three albums. His music failed to reach wide audience during his lifetime, but it received worldwide recognition posthumously.
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Albert Collins
On November 24, 1993, Albert Collins died aged 60. He was musician (guitar) and singer, best known for his distinctive, powerful guitar style, which gained him the title “The Master of the Telecaster”. From his first album “The Cool Sounds of Albert Collins” in 1965 till “Iceman” from 1991, Collins has released ten studio and nine live albums.
Freddie Mercury
On November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury died aged 45. He was musician (piano, guitar) singer, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter and front man of the band Queen. He wrote some of the band’s best known songs featuring “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and “We Are the Champions.”As a singer he had powerful vocal with over a four-octave range, and had unique stage appearance. In 1992, Mercury was awarded the “Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music”; in 2001,as a member of Queen, he was inducted into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”; in 2002 Mercury was ranked at number 58 in the BBC’s poll of the “100 Greatest Britons”; in 2003 he was inducted in the “Songwriters Hall of Fame”; in 2005 he was inducted in the UK “Music Hall of Fame”; in 2005, in “Blender” and “MTV2” pool, Mercury was voted the “Best male singer of all time”; in 2008, editors of the magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked Mercury at number 18 on their list of the “100 greatest singers ever” and in 2009, “Classic Rock” poll elected him the best rock singer of all time.
Don McLean: American Pie
On October 24, 1971, “United Artists” label released “American Pie”, the second Don McLean studio album. It was recorded May – June 1971, at “Record Plant Studios” in New York and was produced by Ed Freeman. The album featured McLean’s two best known songs “American Pie” and “Vincent”.
Personnel:
- Don McLean – vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo
- David Spinozza– electric guitar
- Paul Griffin– piano
- Warren Bernhardt– piano
- Ray Colcord– electric piano
- Bob Rothstein– vocals, bass
- Roy Markowitz – drums, percussion
- Mike Mainieri– marimba, vibraphone
- Tom Flye – drums
- West Forty Fourth Street Rhythm and Noise Choir – chorus
- Ed Freeman – string arrangements
- Lee Hays– arranger
- Gene Orloff – concert master
Track listing:
All tracks by Don McLean except where noted.
- American Pie
- Till Tomorrow
- Vincent
- Crossroads
- Winterwood
- Empty Chairs
- Everybody Loves Me Baby
- Sister Fatima
- The Grave
- Babylon – Trad. arr. by Lee Hays and Don McLean
Tim Buckley: Blue Afternoon
On November 24, 1969, “Straight Records” label released “Blue Afternoon”, Tim Buckley’s fourth studio album. It was recorded in 1969 and was produced by Tim Buckley.
Personnel:
- Tim Buckley – vocals, 12 string guitar
- Lee Underwood– guitar, piano
- David Friedman – vibes
- John Miller – acoustic and electric bass
- Jimmy Madison – drums
- Carter C.C. Collins- congas
Track listing:
All tracks by Tim Buckley.
- Happy Time
- Chase the Blues Away
- I Must Have Been Blind
- The River
- So Lonely
- Café
- Blue Melody
- The Train
Public Image Ltd.: Metal Box
On November 23, 1979, “Virgin” label released “Metal Box”, the second Public Image Ltd. album. It was recorded March – October 1979, at “The Manor Studio”, ”Shipton-on-Cherwell”, “Townhouse Studios”, “Advision Studios”, “Gooseberry Sound Studios & Rollerball Rehearsal Studios” in London, and was produced by John Lydon, Keith Levene, Jah Wobble and David Humphrey. In 2003, magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked “Metal Box” at number 469 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Personnel:
- John Lydon– vocals, piano
- Keith Levene– guitar, synthesizers, drums, bass guitar
- Jah Wobble– bass guitar, drums, piano
- David Humphrey – drums
- Richard Dudanski– drums
- Martin Atkins– drums
- PiL, Dennis Morris- design
- The Metal Box Company – packaging
Track listing:
All tracks by John Lydon, Keith Levene, Jah Wobble and David Humphrey.
- Albatross
- Memories
- Swan Lake
- Poptones
- Careering
- No Birds
- Graveyard
- The Suit
- Bad baby
- Socialist
- Chant
- Radio 4
cat Stevens: Tea For The Tillerman
On November 23, 1970, “Island” label released “Tea for the Tillerman”, the fourth Cat Stevens studio album. It was recorded May – July, 1970, at the “Morgan Studios”, “Island Studios” and “Olympic Studios” in London, and was produced by Paul Samwell-Smith.
Personnel:
- Cat Stevens – lead vocals, classical guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards
- Alun Davies– acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- John Ryan – double bass
- Harvey Burns – drums, congas, tambourine
- Del Newman – string arrangements
- Jack Rothstein – violin
Track listing:
All tracks by Cat Stevens.
- Where Do the Children Play?
- Hard Headed Woman
- Wild World
- Sad Lisa
- Miles from Nowhere
- But I Might Die Tonight
- Longer Boats
- Into White
- On the Road to Find Out
- Father and Son
- Tea for the Tillerman
Miles Davis: Get Up With It
On November 22, 1974, “Columbia” label released Miles Davis album “Get Up with It”. It was recorded 1970 – 1974, at the “Columbia Studios E and B” in New York, and was produced by Teo Macero.
Personnel:
- Miles Davis— electric trumpet with wah-wah, organ
- Dave Liebman— alto flute
- Pete Cosey— electric guitar
- Reggie Lucas— electric guitar
- Dominique Gaumont— electric guitar
- Cornell Dupree— electric guitar
- John McLaughlin— electric guitar
- Khalil Balakrishna— electric sitar
- Keith Jarrett— electric piano
- Cedric Lawson— Fender rhodes, electric piano
- Herbie Hancock— clavinet
- Lester Chambers— harmonica
- Michael Henderson— bass guitar
- Al Foster— drums
- Bernard Purdie— drums
- Billy Cobham— drums
- Airto Moreira— percussion,
- James Mtume— percussion
- Badal Roy— tabla
- John Stubblefield— soprano saxophone
- Carlos Garnett— soprano saxophone
- Steve Grossman— soprano saxophone
- Sonny Fortune— flute
- Wade Marcus— brass arrangement
- Billy Jackson — rhythm arrangement
Track listing:
All tracks by Miles Davis.
- He Loved Him Madly
- Maiysha
- Honky Tonk
- Rated X
- Calypso Frelimo
- Red China Blues
- Mtume
- Billy Preston
Steely Dan: Gaucho
On November 21, 1980, “MCA” label released “Gaucho”, the seventh Steely Dan studio album. It was recorded 1978 -1980, at the “Sigma Sound of Philadelphia” and “Village Records” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Gary Katz.
Personnel:
- Donald Fagen – lead vocals, synthesizer, electric piano, organ, rhythm arrangements
- Walter Becker – bass, guitar, guitar solo, rhythm arrangements
- Steve Khan- guitar, lead guitar
- Mark Knopfler, Larry Carlton – lead guitar
- Hugh McCracken, Hiram Bullock, Rick Derringer – guitar
- Rob Mounsey- piano, synthesizer, horn arrangement
- Don Grolnick- electric piano, clavinet
- Pat Rebillot, Joe Sample – electric piano
- Chuck Rainey, Anthony Jackson – bass
- Steve Gadd – drums, percussion
- Bernard Pretty Purdie, Rick Marotta, Jeff Porcaro – drums
- Crusher Bennett, Victor Feldman, Ralph McDonald, Nicholas Marrero – percussion
- Tom Scott- alto saxophone and clarinet; tenor saxophone, lyricon, horn arrangement
- Michael Brecker, Dave Tofani – tenor saxophone
- David Sanborn- alto saxophone
- Ronnie Cuber- baritone saxophone
- Randy Brecker- trumpet, flugelhorn
- George Marge, Walter Kane – clarinet
- Wayne Andre- trombone
- Michael McDonald, Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson, Frank Floyd, Diva Gray, Gordon Grody, Lani Groves, Leslie Miller, *Zachary Sanders, Toni Wine – backing vocals
- Paul Griffin, Don Grolnick, Rob Mounsey – rhythm arrangements
- Rob Mounsey, Tom Scott – horn arrangements
- Vartan- art direction
- Suzanne Walsh – art direction, design
- Michael Diehl – design
- John Tom Cohoe – design assistant
- Rene Burri – photography
- Ryan Null – photography
Track listing:
All tracks by Michael Becker and Donald Fagen, except where noted
- Babylon Sisters
- Hey Nineteen
- Glamour Profession
- Gaucho – Michael Becker, Donald Fagen, Jarrett
- Time Out of Mind
- My Rival
- Third World Man
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