Are you ready to learn some stuff? It’s August 31st and here’s what happened Today in Rock History!
Starting off this slow day with releases, we got: Leviathan from Mastodon in 2004 and Goats Head Soup from The Rolling Stones in 1973
As well as Asylum from Disturbed in 2010, Styx’s self-titled debut in 1972, and Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush in 1970.
Birthdays today include Van Morrison, Gina Schock of The Go-Go’s, Rudolf Schenker of the Scorpions and James Black of Finger Eleven!
In 1976, George Harrison was found guilty of “subconscious plagiarism” after a judge ruled his song My Sweet Lord was similar to the 1963 song, He’s So Fine by The Chiffons. Harrison was ordered to pay $1.6 million in damages even though he tried to settle out of court with Bright Tunes Music who owned the publishing rights to the Chiffons’ song. After spending three days learning about musical motifs and chord progressions, the judge ruled in favor of Bright Tunes saying that the songs were “virtually identical” but admits Harrison didn’t plagiarize on purpose. The silent Beatle would mock the case later that year with his song This Song.
And finally in 1985, Richard Ramirez was arrested. Why does a serial killer get mentioned in a rock blog? Well, it’s because AC/DC got unfortunately linked with Ramirez aka the Night Stalker. When Ramirez left an AC/DC hat at one of his crime scenes, the media linked their song Night Prowler with the Night Stalker name, claiming that the song compelled Ramirez to kill. The band were horrified by the association, and the assertion was never substantiated.
This has been Today in Rock History! Keep on Rocking, keep on Rolling! Check back tomorrow for your next rock history lesson!
