Are you ready to learn some stuff? It’s December 3rd and here’s what happened Today in Rock History!
We spoke about it yesterday, but in 1976, day two of the three-day photo shoot for the cover of Pink Floyd’s upcoming album Animals took place at the Battersea Power Station in London. The photo shoot used a giant 40ft inflatable pig attached to ropes between two of the station’s smokestack towers. Just like yesterday, the marksman the band hired to shoot the pig down if it got loose was not present. This time not because of weather, but because nobody told him to come back. So, the pig came loose when a gust of wind tore the rope it was attached to and floated away. The pig disappeared within minutes and caused entire flights to be cancelled out of Heathrow airport! The pig would land that night at a cattle farm in Kent in South East England, where it frightened a herd of cows.
One birthday today, and it’s the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne!
In 1976, an assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley when seven gunmen broke into Marley’s home in Kingston, Jamaica. The gunman injured Marley, his wife Rita and manager Don Taylor. The attack was believed to be politically motivated. Marley was shot in the arm during the altercation and never had the bullet removed, as he was told the operation could cause him to lose movement in his fingers.
We lost Ian McLagan of the Faces in 2014 and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots in 2015.
With releases today, we got the Electric Light Orchestra’s debut in 1971, Show No Mercy from Slayer in 1983, and both The Who’s My Generation and The Beatles’ Rubber Soul in 1965!
In 1986, metal giants Judas Priest were sued by two families after they alleged the band were responsible for the deaths of their sons. The families claimed that after listening to the Judas Priest song Better By You, Better Than Me from the band’s Stained Class album, which allegedly featured subliminal messaging, the boys formed a suicide pact and shot themselves. The trial would last from mid-July to late August of 1990, and the suit would be dismissed.
In 2014, a false news report claimed that Axl Rose of Guns N Roses was found dead in his home. The band’s official Facebook page posted a photo of Rose with the caption: “Ha! They say I’m dead — again… Wait, what? WTF? It’s a hoax. Guys. Get a life at ParadiseCity.com.”
And finally, at a 1979 Who concert in Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum, a stampede broke out when audiences tried to claim unreserved seats, which were on a first-come-first served basis, a practice known as “festival seating.” The resulting stampede killed 11 audience members and injured 26 others. The stampede began due to fans hearing the band performing a late sound check, making them think the show had already started and tried to rush into the still-closed doors.
This has been Today in Rock History! Keep on Rocking, keep on Rolling! Check back tomorrow for your next rock history lesson!
