This Day in Rock History: April 17

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1964:  The Rolling Stones released their self-titled debut album in the United Kingdom, one month ahead of its release in the United States.
• 1965: Bob Dylan's second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, went to the top of the UK charts, where it spent a single week. It included the iconic song "Blowin' in the Wind" and established Dylan in the UK as an outstanding singer and songwriter.
• 1966: The Troggs released their cover of “Wild Thing,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 in July and remained there for two weeks.
• 1973: Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon was certified Gold in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling over half a million copies. It would eventually become the most charted album in history, selling close to 10 million copies in the US and 50 million worldwide.
• 1989: Pixies became a commercial success with the release of their sophomore album, Doolittle, featuring “Here Comes Your Man” and “Wave of Mutilation.”
• 1993: David Bowie went to No. 1 on the UK charts with his eighteenth studio album, Black Tie White Noise. It received generally favorable reviews from critics at the time and has sold almost 2 million copies since.
• 1994: A year later to the day, Pink Floyd's fourteenth studio album, The Division Bell, started a four-week run at No. 1 on the UK album charts. It was the band's fourth UK chart-topper and went Platinum in multiple countries, including the US, UK, Spain, Poland, New Zealand, Norway, Australia, Belgium, Italy, and France.

Cultural Milestones

• 1960: Rock & roll pioneer Eddie Cochran tragically died as a result of a car accident, on its way to the airport after performing at the Bristol Hippodrome in the UK. He was hugely popular with teenagers in the mid-1950s and early 1960s, with songs like "Summertime Blues" and "C'mon Everybody."
• 1971: All four former Beatles had Top 10 hits in the UK singles charts — “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison topped the charts, beating out “Another Day” by Paul McCartney, “It Don't Come Easy” by Ringo Starr, and “Power to the People” by John Lennon.
• 1991: Nirvana performed grunge anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for the first time at Seattle's OK Hotel.
• 2004: Several priceless pieces of rock memorabilia were sold at the Icons of 20th Century Music auction in Dallas, including Kurt Cobain's Mosrite guitar and Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacker guitar.
• 2013: Exactly 37 years since radio station directors refused to play their newly released first single, Heart was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1970: The Beatles confirmed their split as Paul McCartney released his first solo album, McCartney, in the United Kingdom, which featured “Maybe I'm Amazed.”
• 1973: The Eagles released their sophomore album, Desperado, a concept album about Wild West outlaws featuring “Tequila Sunrise” and the title track.
• 1976: Thin Lizzy released their signature song, “The Boys Are Back in Town,” which Q Magazine called one of the greatest guitar songs of all time.
• 1982: Motörhead released Iron Fist, their last of three albums featuring the band's Three Amigos: Lemmy Kilmister, “Fast” Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor.
• 1989: Black Sabbath released Headless Cross, their second with Tony Martin on vocals, which is regarded as one of the band's best.
• 2020: Fiona Apple wowed fans and critics when she released Fetch the Bolt Cutters, her first album since 2012.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1965: RCA and Learjet Corporation announced they were developing a combination radio and 8-track tape deck, which would be in all cars by the fall.
• 1970: The Beatles' official breakup on April 17 led to their label, Capitol Records, losing $8 million in the financial year.