On August 12, 1992, John Milton Cage Jr. died aged 79. He was composer, music theorist, writer, and artist, Cage was pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, non-standard use of musical instruments and together with his partner, choreographer Merce Cunningham, in the development of the modern dance. He is regarded as one of the most important American composers of the 20th century and the leading figure of the post-war avant-garde. Cage’s work had influence on musicians and artists from various music styles, including Sonic Youth (band performed some of the Number Pieces), Stereolab (named a song after Cage), Brian Eno (his label Obscure Records released works by Cage), Aphex Twin (Prepared piano, which Cage popularized, is featured on their album Drukqs), Frank Zappa and Thom Yorke, who considered Cage one of his “all time heroes”.
Metallica: Same
On August 12, 1991, “Elektra” label released the self-titled, fifth Metallica album (known as “The Black Album”). It was recorded October 1990 – June 1991, at “One on One Recording Studios” and was produced by Bob Rock, James Hetfield, and Lars Ulrich. The album received worldwide critical acclaim and became the band’s best selling album ever. As of November 2014, the album has spent 328 weeks on the “Billboard” album chart, making it one of the ten longest-running discs of all time. The album was certified 16× Platinum in the USA by the “RIAA”. On December 13, 2012, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked the album at number 225 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Personnel:
- James Hetfield– lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, lead guitar and harmony guitar solo
- Kirk Hammett– lead guitar
- Jason Newsted– bass guitar, backing vocals
- Lars Ulrich– drums, percussion
- Michael Kamen– orchestral arrangement
Track listing:
All lyrics by James Hetfield.
- Enter Sandman – James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett
- Sad but True –James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich
- Hotter Than Thou – James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich
- The Unforgiven – James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett
- Wherever I May Roam – James Hatfield, Lars Ulrich
- Don’t Tread on Me – James Hatfield, Lars Ulrich
- Through the Never – James Hatfield, Lars Ulrich
- Nothing Else Matters – James Hatfield, Lars Ulrich
- Of Wolf and Man – James Hatfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett
- The God That Failed – James Hatfield, Lars Ulrich
- My Friend of Misery – James Hatfield, Lars Ulrich, Jason Newsted
- The Struggle Within – James Hatfield, Lars Ulrich
Neil Young: Old Ways
On August 12, 1985, “Geffen” label released “Old Ways”, the fourteenth studio Neil Young album. It was recorded January 1983 – April 1985 at “House Of David”, in Nashville, “The Castle” in Franklin TN, “Pedernales Recording Studio” in Spicewood, TX , and live at “The Opry” in Austin TX, and was produced by Neil Young, David Briggs, Ben Keith, and Elliot Mazer.
Personnel:
- Neil Young – vocal, guitar, banjo, harmonica
- Waylon Jennings – vocal, guitar
- Willie Nelson – vocal, guitar
- David Kirby – guitar
- Grant Boatwright – guitar
- Johnny Christopher – guitar
- Ray Edenton – guitar
- Ben Keith – pedal steel guitar, dobro
- Ralph Mooney – pedal steel guitar
- Béla Fleck – banjo
- Bobby Thompson – banjo
- Anthony Crawford: vocal, mandolin
- Marty Stuart: mandolin
- Rufus Thibodeaux – fiddle
- Gordon Terry – fiddle
- Hargus “Pig” Robbins – piano
- Spooner Oldham – piano
- Tim Drummond – bass
- Joe Osborn – bass
- Joe Allen – upright ad electric bass
- Karl Himmel – drums
- Farrell Morris – percussion
- Terry McMillan: harmonica, jew’s harp
- Gove Scrivenor: autoharp
- Carl Gorodetzky: violin
- Larry Byrom: vocal
- Rick Palombi: vocal
- Doana Cooper: vocal
- Denise Draper: vocal
- Gail Davies: vocal
- Betsy Hammer: vocal
- Pam Rose: vocal
- Janis Oliver-Gill: vocal
- Mary Ann Kennedy: vocal
- Kristine Oliver-Arnold: vocal
- Leona Williams: vocal
- Strings:
- Carl Gorodetsky, leader
- George Binkley
- John Borg
- Roy Christensen
- Virginia Christensen
- Charles Everett
- Larry Harvin
- Mark Hembree
- Lee Larrison
- Betty McDonald
- Dennis Molchan
- Pamela Sixfin
- Mark Tanner
- David Vanderkooi
- Gary Vanosdale
- Carol Walker
- Stephanie Woolf
Track listing:
All tracks by Neil Young; except where noted.
- The Wayward Wind – Herb Newman, Stanley Lebowsky
- Get Back to the Country
- Are There Any More Real Cowboys?
- Once an Angle
- Misfits
- California Sunset
- Old Ways
- My Boy
- Bound to Glory
- Where Is the Highway Tonight
Big Brother And The Holding Company: Cheap Thrills
On August 12, 1968, “Columbia” label released “Cheap Thrills”, the second Big Brother and the Holding Company studio album (first one with Janis Joplin as lead singer). It was recorded March-May 1968 and was produced by John Simon, who incorporated recordings of crowd noise to give the impression of a live album, but only the last song, band’s cover of “Ball and Chain”, had been recorded live at “The Fillmore” in San Francisco. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked “Cheap Thrills” at number 338 on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Personnel:
- Janis Joplin– vocals
- Sam Andrew– vocals, lead guitar, bass
- James Gurley– guitar
- Peter Albin – bass, guitar
- Dave Getz – drums
Track listing:
- Combination of the Two – Sam Andrew
- I need a Man to Love – Sam Andrew, Janis Joplin
- Summertime – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward
- Piece of My Heart – Bert Berns, Jerry Ragovy
- Turtle Blues – Janis Joplin
- Oh, Sweet Mary – Peter Albin, Sam Andrew, David Getz, James Gurley, Janis Joplin
- Ball and Chain – Big Mama Thorton
The Mothers Of Invention: Weasels Ripped My Flesh
On August 10, 1970, “Bizarre” label released “Weasels Ripped My Flesh”, the seventh Mothers of Invention (The) album. It was recorded December 1967 – August 1969 at various locations and was produced by Frank Zappa. This is the second Mothers of Invention (The) album released after the band disbanded in 1969 (first one was Burnt Weeny Sandwich).
Personnel:
- Frank Zappa– vocals, lead guitar
- Ray Collins– vocals
- Lowell George– vocals, rhythm guitar
- Don Preston– organ, electronic effects
- Roy Estrada – vocals, bass
- Art Tripp– drums
- Jimmy Carl Black– drums
- Ian Underwood– alto saxophone
- Motorhead Sherwood– baritone saxophone, snorks
- Bunk Gardner– tenor saxophone
- Buzz Gardner– trumpet, flugelhorn
- Don “Sugarcane” Harris– vocals, electric violin
- Neon Park – cover art
Track listing:
All tracks by Frank Zappa, except where noted.
- Didja Get Any Onya
- Directly from My Heart to You – Richard Wayne Penniman
- Prelude to the Afternoon of a Sexually Aroused Gas Mask
- Toads of the Short Forest
- Get a Little
- Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue
- Dwarf Nebula Processional March & Dwarf Nebula
- My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama
- Oh No
- The Orange County Lumber Truck
- Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Cannonball Adderley
On August 8, 1975, Julian Edwin “Cannonball” Adderley died aged 46. He was musician (alto saxophonist), active at the hard bop era of the 50s and 60s, has performed and recorded with some of the most important names of jazz music, including: Kenny Clarke, Nat Adderley, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Milt Jackson, Miles Davis, Louis Smith, Gil Evans, John Benson Brooks, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Jon Hendricks, Jimmy Heath. Sam Jones, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, Joe Williams, Gene Ammons, David Axelrod and Raul de Souza. Adderley achieved success with 1966 single “Mercy Mercy Mercy”, a crossover hit on the pop charts and was member of the “dream team” on the Miles Davis essential album Kind of Blue.
The Beatles: Revolver
On August 5, 1966, “Parlaphone” released “Revolver” the seventh Beatles (The) album. It was recorded April – June 1966, at “EMI Studios” in London, and was produced by George Martin. The album was recognized by critics as having redefined the parameters of popular music. The album’s Grammy Award-winning cover design was created by Klaus Voormann, old band’s friend from their early years in Hamburg. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked “Revolver” at number three on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Personnel
- John Lennon– lead, harmony and backing vocals, rhythm and acoustic guitars; piano, Hammond organ, harmonium; tape loops, sound effects; cowbell, tambourine, maracas, handclaps, finger snaps
- Paul McCartney– lead, harmony and backing vocals, bass, acoustic and lead guitars; piano, clavichord; tape loops, sound effects; handclaps, finger snaps
- George Harrison– lead, harmony and backing vocals, lead, acoustic, rhythm and bass guitars; sitar, tambura; tape loops, sound effects; maracas, tambourine, handclaps, finger snaps
- Ringo Starr– lead vocals, drums; tambourine, maracas, handclaps, finger snaps; tape loops
- Mal Evans– bass drum, backing vocals
- Anil Bhagwat – tabla
- Peter Coe, Alan Branscombe– tenor saxophone
- Eddie Thornton, Ian Hammer, Les Condon – trumpet
- Alan Civil– French horn
- Geoff Emerick- tape loops of the marching band
- George Martin– piano, Hammond organ, tape loops of the marching band
- Tony Gilbert, Sidney Sax, John Sharpe, Jurgen Hess
- Stephen Shingles, John Underwood – viola
- Derek Simpson, Norman Jones – cello
- Brian Jones – backing vocals
- Donovan– backing vocals
- Marianne Faithfull– backing vocals
- Neil Aspinall– backing vocals
- Pattie Boyd– backing vocals
Track listing
All tracks by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, except where noted.
- Taxman – George Harrison
- Eleanor Rigby
- I’m Only Sleeping
- Love You To – George Harrison
- Here, There and Everywhere
- Yellow Submarine
- She Said She Said
- Good Day Sunshine
- And Your Bird Can Sing
- For No One
- Doctor Robert
- I Want To Tell You – George Harrison
- Got To Get You Into My Life
- Tomorrow Never Knows
Arthur Lee
On August 3, 2006, Arthur Lee died aged 61. He was musician (guitar) and composer, best known as founding member and leader of the band Love. Lee is composer of all the tracks (except of two) on the band’s 67’s album “Forever changes”, highly acclaimed by the critics and regarded as one of the best albums in the rock history.
Fela Kuti
On August 2, 1997, Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti aka Fela Kuti, died aged 58. He was musician (saxophone, keyboards, trumpet, guitar, drums), singer, composer, human rights and political activist, one of the pioneers of the Afrobeat music style and one of the biggest propagators of the African music worldwide.
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