Historic events this week from Paul McCartney, U2, Eagles, The Cure, CCR and Tom Petty
NOVEMBER 1, 1994: TOM PETTY RELEASES WILDFLOWERS
Wildflowers, Tom Petty‘s second solo album, is widely considered a creative high point and a deeply personal work. Produced by Rick Rubin, the 1994 release showcases a looser, more acoustic-driven sound and features enduring hits like “You Don’t Know How It Feels” and “You Wreck Me.”
NOVEMBER 1, 2024: SONGS OF A LOST WORLD BY THE CURE
Songs of a Lost World was the long-awaited 14th studio album by The Cure; released 16 years after their previous record, it features a return to their signature dark, atmospheric sound. Lyrically, the album is intensely personal, with Robert Smith confronting themes of mortality, loss, and the passage of time, largely inspired by the recent deaths of his family members.
NOVEMBER 2, 1969: CCR’s WILLY AND THE POOR BOYS
CCR released three albums in 1969:
Bayou Country in January, Green River in August and Willy and the Poor Boys in November.
The 2x Platinum album featured the double A-side “Down on the Corner” / “Fortunate Son”, which would sell over 2 million copies on its own.
NOVEMBER 3, 1979: EAGLES’ THE LONG RUN IS #1
Five weeks after Eagles released The Long Run, it began a 9 week run at #1.
It would remain at the top of the charts for the rest of 1979, on its way to 7 million sold, and a Grammy award for “Heartache Tonight.”
NOVEMBER 4, 1988: RATTLE & HUM BY U2
U2‘s hybrid studio/live album, Rattle and Hum, featured covers of Bob Dylan and The Beatles as well as the hits “Desire,” “Angel of Harlem,” “All I Want Is You,” and the BB King collaboration, “When Love Comes to Town.”
NOVEMBER 7, 1969: “PAUL IS DEAD”
The “Paul Is Dead” theory, where a lookalike named Billy Shears was thought to have replaced Paul McCartney in The Beatles after Paul McCartney‘s “death”, is one of the most complex & intriguing “conspiracies” in music.
LIFE magazine tracked “the missing Beatle” to a Scottish farm where he spent time away from the spotlight. He allowed LIFE to take a photo of him to dispel the rumors that he was dead.
The magazine’s cover declared Paul is still with us.
