Black Sabbath

 Today in 1981 Black Sabbath released the single Mob Rules

Birmingham, England Heavy/Traditional/Doom Metal

Status:Split Up

Years active: 1968 (as Polka Tulk), 1968-1969 (as Earth), 1969-2006, 2011-2017

Black Sabbath is one of the oldest and most well-known metal bands of all time, but they are much more than that -- they are the single most important band in the history of heavy metal, virtually defining the genre with the eight Ozzy-era albums (Black Sabbath through Never Say Die) of the seventies. As such, guitarist Tony Iommi might well be considered the father of the metal guitar riff, his distinctive style really unlike anyone else at the time, influencing an infinite number of guitarists that have followed. And they achieved their initial fame without major airplay, as really only "Paranoid" was a bonafide hit at the time. But those 70's releases contain some of the finest metal songs ever, such as "Black Sabbath" (the ultimate doom song), "Iron Man", "Sweet Leaf", "Symptom Of The Universe" (possibly the #1 BNR song of all time) and so many more.

Though Sabbath ruled the seventies without question, the succeeding years were a mixed bag. With Ozzy Osbourne out of the band and on his own, the vocalist spot fell to Rainbow man Ronnie James Dio, and the two studio albums he did with the band injected some much-needed new life into a band that by the late seventies was showing its age. Former Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan was an odd, interesting choice to succeed Dio, and the resulting Born Again album was inconsistent and not terribly well received, though it clearly had it's moments with songs such as "Zero The Hero". After that, the members grew apart and the band essentially dissolved, with the next album, Seventh Star, really a Iommi solo project released under the Black Sabbath name. Iommi and several lineups released several albums over the next decade, with only 1992's Dehumanizer, featuring a temporary return of Dio, sparking major interest, and the band gradually became more and more inactive as the nineties winded down.

Finally, in 1997, the original foursome came back together. Several reunion shows were done, some of which were released as Reunion (along with two studio tracks). Since then, the band has been an on-again, off-again affair, as Ozzy has continued his solo career both as a musician and as a general celebrity. Most recently has been the emergence of Heaven And Hell, featuring Dio, Iommi, Butler, and Vinny Appice -- a successful venture until Dio's untimely passing in May 2010. And finally, in November 2011, the original foursome has once again announced a reunion, complete with an upcoming album and tour.

Vertigo Records

Ronnie James Dio (R.I.P. 2010) Vocals

Tony Iommi Guitars

Geezer Butler Bass

Vinny Appice Drums

Guest/Session

Geoff Nicholls (R.I.P. 2017) Keyboards

Side A

1. The Mob Rules 03:04 Show lyrics

Side B

2. Die Young (live) 03:54 Show lyrics

06:58

Made in England.

Recording information:

- Mastered at The Master Room, London, UK.

- Track B recorded live 17.10.1980 at the Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY.

The Damned

 Today in 1977 The Damned released the album Music for Pleasure

London, England Punk rock, Gothic rock, Post-punk

Status: Active

Years active :1976-Present

They were rarely cited as the most important of the first wave of British punk bands, nor one of the most influential, but in many respects, the Damned can honestly claim to be first. They released the first U.K. punk single (1976's "New Rose" b/w "Help"), the first U.K. punk album (1977's Damned Damned Damned), and were the first British punks to tour the United States. They were also one of the first major bands on the scene to break up, and were later ahead of the pack when they reunited. And few of their peers have had a longer or more interesting career path. Playing music that was dark but playful at the same time, the Damned started out as a loud, hell-bent-for-leather punk quartet. They soon began adding psychedelic and garage rock influences into their music (1979's Machine Gun Etiquette), detoured into epic-scale pop with a dash of prog (1980's The Black Album), and embraced a tuneful but muscular take on goth (1985's Phantasmagoria), all within their first ten years. While the strong, mannered but witty vocals from Dave Vanian remained a constant, the band's personnel and style was in flux as the group broke up and reunited with remarkable frequency. They finally found a relatively stable lineup in the 2000s, led by Vanian and co-founder Captain Sensible, delivering a slick but enthusiastic fusion of pop, rock, and goth on latter-day albums such as 2008's So, Who's Paranoid? and 2018's Evil Spirits. Throug it all, the band's ability to take their music seriously without taking themselves seriously endeared them to a tremendously loyal fan base.

Stiff Records

Dave Vanian – vocals

Brian James – lead guitar, slide guitar on "One Way Love", backing vocals

Lu Edmunds – rhythm guitar

Captain Sensible – bass, backing vocals,

Rat Scabies – drums

Additional personnel

Lol Coxhill – saxophone on "You Know"

All tracks are written by Brian James, except as noted.

Side A

No. Title Writer(s) Length

1. "Problem Child" James, Rat Scabies 2:13

2. "Don't Cry Wolf" 3:15

3. "One Way Love" 3:44

4. "Politics" 2:26

5. "Stretcher Case" James, Scabies 1:52

6. "Idiot Box" Captain Sensible, Scabies 5:00

Side B

No. Title Writer(s) Length

1. "You Take My Money" 2:04

2. "Alone" 3:37

3. "Your Eyes" James, Dave Vanian 2:53

4. "Creep (You Can't Fool Me)" 2:12

5. "You Know" 5:05

CD reissue bonus tracks

No. Title Writer(s) Length

12. "Help" (Beatles cover) John Lennon, Paul McCartney 1:43

13. "Sick of Being Sick" 2:30

14. "Singalong a Scabies" Scabies 1:01

Music for Pleasure is the second studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 18 November 1977 by Stiff Records.

Punk Flashback

 Todays Punk Flashback The Reducers

Things Go Wrong / We Are Normal (Vibes 1978). Classic mid tempo grungy bass driven single a la Stranglers with Lou Reed's 'Vicious' melody . Extremely catchy melodic punk. Another single though not in the same league Man With A Gun / Vengeance / Can't Stop Now (Vibes 79)

Band: Raggy F - Vocals. Graham Barstow - Drums. Roy Tynan - Guitar. Stuart Lyons - Bass

Hardcore Flashback

 Todays Hardcore Flashback Ensign

Hardcore/punk band from New Jersey. The band’s sound incorporates typical first and second wave hardcore punk with the modern-day version of the genre. There is also emphasis on melody similar to the likes of Kid Dynamite, Lifetime and Husker Du.

Classic Flashback

 Todays Classic Flashback Herman's Hermits

Herman's Hermits was an internationally successful 60s British rock band, from Manchester, England, formed in 1963. Part of the British Invasion, their trademark simple, non-threatening, clean-cut "boys next door" image made them easier to listen to and more accessible than other British Invasion bands.

Their first hit, "I'm Into Something Good", was produced by Mickie Most, reaching #1 in the UK (1963) and #13 in the US (1964). Other hits followed such as "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (1965) and "I'm Henry VIII, I Am". The last was said at the time to be "the fastest-selling song in history". The band played on these singles but many of their subsequent singles employed session musicians, including Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, with contributions from the band. The band's singles were written by top songwriters of the day. Regardless of how the records were made, the guitar player, Lek Leckenby, was a gifted guitarist. Indeed, all the other members were capable players and Peter Noone was a charismatic front man. The band was nominated for two Grammy awards in 1965, both for "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter". Noone and the band deliberately emphasized their Manchester accents on the record, which was never intended to be a single.

Born in Manchester, England, Noone was a child TV star in Coronation Street and in other TV work. He was still only 15 when he achieved international fame as teenage heart-throb as leader of the Hermits.

Herman's Hermits, whilst hugely successful in the mid-1960s, never topped the British charts again after their first hit, "I'm Into Something Good". However, they had two US No. 1's with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am". The band disliked both songs, and never released them as singles in Britain. They appeared in several movies, including When The Boys Meet The Girls (1965) and Hold On! (1966). They also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show and The Jackie Gleason Show.

They enjoyed consistent success in Britain throughout the rest of the decade but they were even more popular in America for a while. Their hits continued until 1967's "No Milk Today". Soon, however, the Monkees had replaced Herman's Hermits as the simple pop rock act, and the Hermits' career declined. "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" engendered a revival, but the Hermits never again cracked the top 10 in the U.S. This song was, however, successfully covered by The Carpenters in their album "A Kind of Hush", released in 1976. The band continued releasing records throughout the 1970s with little success. In the end, Herman's Hermits were a band which were both blessed and cursed by the 'niche' in which originally they found success.

Happy Birthday

 Happy Birthday East Bay Ray

Raymond John Pepperell (born November 17, 1958), better known by his stage name East Bay Ray, is a guitarist best known for his membership in the San Francisco Bay area-based punk band Dead Kennedys. His guitar work was heavily influenced by surf music, jazz and rockabilly, and, alongside Jello Biafra's astute lyrics and unique vibrato-based vocal style, East Bay Ray's playing was one of the defining factors of the music of the Dead Kennedys, and by extension, of the "second wave" of American punk.

Happy Birthday

 Happy Birthday Paul Allender

Paul Allender (born 17 November 1970) is a lead guitarist best known for his work with the British extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. He was a longtime member with stints in the band from 1992–1995 and then again from 1999–2014.