What happened in Music on this day !?

April 14th

1997

Depeche Mode release their ninth album, Ultra, in the UK. Work on the album had to be stopped in 1996 when lead singer Dave Gahan nearly died of a drug overdose; he spent a lot of time making court appointments and trying to get sober when operations resumed. The band is in no condition to tour to support the album, but it still makes #1 in the UK and sells over 500,000 copies in America.

April 18th

1966

The Spencer Davis Group were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Jackie Edwards song 'Somebody Help Me', (as with their previous hit 'Keep on Running' which was also composed by Edwards).

1987 

Aretha Franklin and George Michael started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I Knew You Were Waiting' also a No.1 in the UK. Aretha Franklin set a record for the artist with the longest gap between US No.1 singles, it had been 19 years, 10 months from her last hit 'Respect' in June 1967.

https://deezer.page.link/8PJth6YjuMmDzfoP9

1992

Annie Lennox went to No.1 on the UK album chart with her debut solo release 'Diva.' The album won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year at the 1993 Brit Awards and received nominations for Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Long Form Music Video, winning the latter award at the Grammy Awards the same year.

https://deezer.page.link/rZZjw3sL4KjDFran7

April 19th

1980 

Blondie went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Call Me', featured in the Richard Gere movie 'American Gigolo', the track was also a No.1 in the UK.

1986  

George Michael was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'A Different Corner', the singers second solo No.1. Michael became the first solo act in the history of the UK chart to reach No.1 with his first two releases. The song was also credited with being the second No.1 (after 'I Just Called To Say I Love You' by Stevie Wonder), which was written, sung, played, arranged and produced by the same person.

https://deezer.page.link/n3SWk89oFccJmRUe7

1998 

Robbie Williams started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with his debut solo album Life Thru A Lens. The album spent a total of 218 weeks on the UK chart, with sales of 2.4 million copies.

https://deezer.page.link/3rdZhnUBQRxExXgXA

April 21st

1973 

Tony Orlando & Dawn started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree', (it became the biggest seller of 1973, selling over 6 million copies). The song was based on a true story of a prisoner who wrote to his wife asking her to tie a yellow ribbon around an oak tree in the town square in White Oak, Georgia, if she still loved him.

1984 

Phil Collins started a three week run at No.1 in the US singles chart with the theme from 'Against All Odds'. It was Phil's first US No.1, a No. 2 in the UK.

https://deezer.page.link/6sPQzu5v3i9Hmx6o7

2014 

Robin Thicke's controversial hit single 'Blurred Lines' was named the UK's most-downloaded song of all time. The song had sold 1.54 million copies since it was released in May 2013, despite criticisms of its explicit lyrics. About 20 university student unions banned the track, saying it promoted "date rape culture", an accusation Thicke consistently denied.

https://deezer.page.link/bdA1fV7qDy7pxP759

The Boss… I love Bruce Springsteen and saw him live a few years ago playing with the E street Band.
One of my favourites albums is Live in Dublin
 

January 11th

1962

Cliff Richard was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Young Ones'. It stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks and made Cliff the first UK artist to enter the chart at No.1.

1964 

'Louie Louie' by The Kingsmen was the No.1 song on the US Cash Box music chart. For a while, the record was banned by a handful of US radio stations because of its indecipherable lyrics, which were rumored to contain some naughty words. Even the F.B.I. investigated the song, but finally concluded that they could find nothing wrong.

March 24th

1977

Fleetwood Mac released 'Dreams' from their eleventh studio album Rumours which became their first and only US No.1 hit single. Stevie Nicks wrote the song in early 1976 at the Record Plant studio in Sausalito, California in around 10 minutes, on a day when she wasn't required in the main studio.

1986 

Van Halen released their seventh studio album 5150 (pronounced fifty-one-fifty) which became their first album to top the US chart. The first of four albums to be recorded with lead singer Sammy Hagar, who replaced David Lee Roth was named after Eddie Van Halen's home studio, 5150, in turn named after a California law enforcement term for a mentally disturbed person.

https://deezer.page.link/RbssPhzsonAmm6hc9

1990 

Sinead O’Connor went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got', featuring the single 'Nothing Compares To You. Also No.1 in 13 other countries and six weeks at No.1 in the US.

https://deezer.page.link/j6KDTGmT7mwXYN178

January 14th 

1984 

Paul McCartney was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Pipes Of Peace.' With this release McCartney made chart history by becoming the first artist to have a No.1 in a group, (The Beatles), in a duo, (with Stevie Wonder) in a trio, (with Wings) and as a solo artist.

1996 

Oasis went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their second studio album (What's The Story) Morning Glory, the group's second UK No.1 spent a total of 145 week's on the chart. It was also the band's breakthrough in the United States, reaching No.4 on the US Billboard 200. The album yielded four major hit UK singles, 'Some Might Say' and 'Don't Look Back in Anger' reached No.1, and 'Roll with It' and 'Wonderwall' peaked at No.2; the latter has emerged as the band's biggest selling UK hit, spending 30 consecutive weeks on the chart.

2001 

Jennifer Lopez scored her first UK No.1 single with 'Love Don't Cost A Thing.' The track was taken from her second studio album J.Lo. It became her first single to top the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and the music video was met with acclaim, garnering a MTV Video Music Award.

May 24th

1974 

David Bowie released his eighth studio album Diamond Dogs. The cover art features Bowie as a striking half-man, half-dog grotesque painted by Belgian artist Guy Peellaert. It was controversial as the full painting clearly showed the hybrid's genitalia.

1997 

Hanson started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'MMMBop', the brothers first US No.1, also a No.1 in the UK. 'MMMBop' was phenomenally successful, especially for a debut single, reaching No.1 in 27 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Mexico.

https://deezer.page.link/oT8sdKNZoMfzpBUB9

1997 

Spice Girls went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Spice', making them only the third all girl group to do so after The Supremes and The Go-Go's and the first ever UK girl group to do so.

https://deezer.page.link/KBjb1freMPnVeoFG8

May 26th

1979 

'Sunday Girl' gave Blondie their second UK No.1 hit single. The track was taken from the group's 'Parallel Lines', which went on to become the biggest selling album of 1979.

February 24th

1973

Roberta Flack had her second US No.1 when 'Killing Me Softly With His Song', started a five-week run at the top of the charts. The song was written in collaboration with singer songwriter Lori Lieberman and was born of a poem she wrote after experiencing a strong reaction to the Don McLean song 'Empty Chairs.' Roberta Flack first heard the song during a flight. She performed it for the first time live when supporting Marvin Gaye who told her she had to recorded a version before playing it live again.

1982 

The Police won best British group at the first annual Brit Awards held in London, Adam And The Ants won best album for 'Kings Of The Wild Frontier', Cliff Richard won British Male Solo Artist, Randy Crawford won British Female Solo Artist, British Breakthrough Act went to The Human League, British Producer was Martin Rushent and Outstanding Contribution went to John Lenon.

1997 

The Spice Girls won best single with 'Wannabe' at this year's Brit Awards held in London. Other winners included, Best Group for Manic Street Preachers, Best Dance Act went to The Prodigy, George Michael won Best Male, Best Female went to Gabrielle, Best Newcomer was won by Kula Shaker, International Male was Beck, International Female Sheryl Crow and Best International Group was The Fugees.

2000 

Carlos Santana won eight awards at this years Grammy Awards for his Supernatural album. Before Supernatural, the guitarist had not had a Top 10 album since 1981. Sting won two awards, one for best pop album and another for best male pop vocalist. 

https://deezer.page.link/U1Pi8oDTPLqz5uWU7

April 14th

1966

The Spencer Davis Group were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Somebody Help Me', the group's second UK No.1.

April 16th

1964 

The Rolling Stones first album was released in the UK, it went to No.1 two weeks later and stayed on the chart for 40 weeks, with 11 weeks at No.1. The American edition of the LP, with a slightly different track list, came out on London Records on 30 May 1964, subtitled England's Newest Hit Makers, which later became its official title.

https://deezer.page.link/oMMZ7q6QGVFCH2Jx8

1970 

The Led Zeppelin single 'Whole Lotta Love' was certified Gold in the US after selling over a million copies. The single had peaked at No. 4 on the US singles chart. In the UK Atlantic Records had expected to issue the edited version themselves, and pressed initial copies for release on 5th December 1969. However, band manager Peter Grant was adamant that the band maintain a 'no-singles' approach to marketing their recorded music in the UK, and he halted the release.

1994 

Prince had his first UK No.1 with 'The Most Beautiful Girl In The World', (his 37th single release). It was his first release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol.

https://deezer.page.link/WAX4ReEJUvtE5APP8