Pick a Day

Music History Events: Releases

April 12, 1983 R.E.M. release their debut album, Murmur.

March 7, 1983 Bananarama release their debut album, Deep Sea Skiving, featuring a hit cover of Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" and the Top 10 UK entry "Shy Boy."

February 22, 1983 Styx release Kilroy Was Here, a concept album about a dystopian future where rock and roll is banned and technology has run amok.More

November 30, 1982 Michael Jackson releases Thriller, which becomes, by far, the best selling album worldwide.More

November 19, 1982 Led Zeppelin release their final studio album, Coda, a collection of unused songs recorded before drummer John Bonham died in 1980.

October 27, 1982 Prince releases his fifth album, 1999. It's a breakthrough, selling well over 5 million copies worldwide, thanks to "Little Red Corvette" and the title track.

September 13, 1982 After co-producing her previous release, Never For Ever, British singer-songwriter Kate Bush returns as sole producer with The Dreaming.More

April 17, 1982 Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force release "Planet Rock," the first hip-hop hit with electronic elements and a rhythm powered by a Roland TR-808 drum machine. It's just the third rap song to reach the Hot 100, following "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang and "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow.More

September 1, 1981 Hall & Oates release the Private Eyes album, which contains two #1 hits: the title track and "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)."

August 24, 1981 The Rolling Stones release Tattoo You. The big hit from the album is "Start Me Up," which they first recorded with a reggae rhythm in 1977. That version was scrapped, but they rocked it up for Tattoo You with better results.

August 6, 1981 Stevie Nicks releases her first solo album, Bella Donna.

May 10, 1981 Kraftwerk release their eighth studio album, Computer World, featuring prescient songs about the influence of computers on society.More

February 27, 1981 The Who release "You Better You Bet," their first single since the death of their drummer, Keith Moon, in 1978. Their new stickman is Kenney Jones, formerly of the Faces.

July 25, 1980 AC/DC release Back In Black, their first album without lead singer Bon Scott, who died five months earlier.More

July 18, 1980 Closer, the second and final album from Joy Division, is released just two months after the suicide of founding member and singer Ian Curtis. Its claustrophobic, synth-laden sound, combined with Curtis's nihilistic lyrics make it a defining moment in England's post-punk scene.

April 14, 1980 Judas Priest release British Steel, a metal landmark containing the tracks "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law."

February 4, 1980 The Ramones release their fifth album, End of the Century, produced by Phil Spector. Dee Dee Ramone claims Spector pulled a gun on him during the sessions.More

December 7, 1979 "Christmas Rappin'" by Kurtis Blow becomes the first rap song released on a major label - Mercury Records. It sells about 400,000 copies and provides the template for his next single, "The Breaks," which becomes the first rap Gold record.

November 30, 1979 Pink Floyd's album The Wall is released, seeing out the '70s in spectacular fashion as it sells over 13 million copies. The powerful concept album's themes of isolation and despair resonate with legions of fans, and it even spawns a #1 single - "Another Brick In The Wall (part II).More

October 19, 1979 Prince releases his sophomore album, Prince, containing the #1 R&B hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and the original version of "I Feel For You," later a hit for Chaka Khan. It's his first album certified Platinum for sales over 1 million.

October 19, 1979 Following a vicious legal battle with MCA Records, the third Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album, Damn The Torpedoes, is released on the label's new subsidiary, Backstreet Records.More

October 12, 1979 Fleetwood Mac release Tusk, their first album since the wildly successful Rumours in 1977. A double album with less commercial appeal, Mick Fleetwood credits it with keeping the band together, as the band members were free to experiment.

September 16, 1979 "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang is released. It becomes the first rap song to chart on the the Hot 100.

August 15, 1979 Led Zeppelin release their eighth and final studio album, In Through The Out Door. It's the last album released by the band while drummer John Bonham is still alive.

June 23, 1979 The Charlie Daniels Band release "The Devil Went Down To Georgia." Daniels plays the fiddle parts for both Johnny and the Devil; he says the Devil part is "just a bunch of noise."

October 13, 1978 Queen release their "Fat Bottomed Girls"/"Bicycle Race" single, featuring a cover photo that combines imagery from both songs.More

April 7, 1978 Prince releases his debut album, For You. It reaches #163 in the US and contains his first Hot 100 entry: "Soft and Wet," which reaches #92.

February 10, 1978 Van Halen release their self-titled debut album. The lead single is a cover of the Kinks classic "You Really Got Me."

December 6, 1977 Jackson Browne releases Running On Empty, a live album compiled from performances at various stops on his summer tour. Live albums typically rely on songs that have already been released, but this one features all new songs, the first major rock album to do so.More

October 21, 1977 Meat Loaf releases the landmark album Bat Out Of Hell. Written by Jim Steinman and produced by Todd Rundgren, it's one of the most popular albums of the '70s, eventually selling over 14 million copies in America.