This Day in Rock History: September 18
Sept. 18 is a sad day in rock history, when arguably the most talented and exciting person to touch an electric guitar came to an untimely end. It’s also a…
Sept. 18 is a sad day in rock history, when arguably the most talented and exciting person to touch an electric guitar came to an untimely end. It's also a day of firsts, with the world first getting to see KISS without their makeup and The Who scoring their first and only U.K. No. 1 album. Here are moments to remember on this day in rock history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Legendary rock bands had defining career moments on Sept. 18:
- 1971: The Who's Who's Next album reached the top of the U.K. album charts, where it only spent a single week. It was the band's only U.K. No. 1 album.
- 1983: KISS appeared in public without their makeup for the first time while promoting their album Lick It Up on MTV. It was a major milestone in the band's history, which led to a "no-makeup era" that lasted around 10 years.
Cultural Milestones
Rock culture lost one of its biggest icons on this date, while it also marked the birthday of a punk-rock pioneer:
- 1951: Ramones founder and bass player Dee Dee Ramone was born in Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. He co-founded the band in 1974, and they toured nonstop for 22 years, with their 1996 farewell show in Los Angeles being their 2,263rd.
- 1970: Jimi Hendrix died in London at age 27, due to an overdose of sleeping pills. He's widely considered to be rock's greatest guitarist, and he influenced many other legendary artists.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Sept. 18 is the anniversary of some memorable albums:
- 1971: Black Sabbath released their second studio album, Paranoid, via Vertigo Records. It's considered to be one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time and features many of the band's most recognizable songs, such as "Iron Man," "War Pigs," and the title track.
- 1978: In an unprecedented move, all four KISS members, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss, released solo albums on the same day. While all four albums achieved Platinum status, the move is now seen as detrimental to album sales, as most fans only bought one of the four.
Many pivotal moments happened on Sept. 18, from the loss of one of rock's brightest stars, Jimi Hendrix, to the release by Black Sabbath of their second studio album, Paranoid, one of the most quintessential albums in heavy metal history.
