November 13, 2015
The blues-rock band Eagles of Death Metal are in the midst of performing their song “Kiss the Devil” at a sold-out show at Le Bataclan in Paris, France, when the venue is attacked by terrorists armed with automatic rifles, grenades and explosive suicide vests – one of many attacks throughout the city.
November 14, 1990
Pete Townshend of The Who tells Newsweek that he is bisexual, saying, “I won’t be classified as just a man.” He calls his song “Rough Boys” a “coming-out.”
November 15, 1993
A mysterious act called The Fireman releases an album called Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest in the UK. The cover is a red square with just a touch of text, and the music is mellow electronica. It is later revealed that The Fireman is a Paul McCartney side project.
November 16, 1978
Replicating their infamous promo stunt for the single, Queen are joined onstage at Madison Square Garden by several dozen nude, rotund women during their performance of “Bicycle Race.” (Rotund because the single mentions “Fat Bottomed Girls,” the title of the other half of the A-side.)
November 17, 1997
An all-star rendition of Lou Reed’s 1972 song “Perfect Day” featuring Reed, Elton John, David Bowie, Tammy Wynette, Joan Armatrading and several other stars, is released as a single in the UK, with proceeds going to the BBC’s Children In Need charity. It debuts at #1 on the UK singles chart and raises over £2 million for the appeal.
November 18, 1994
The Rolling Stones become the first major act to stream a live concert on the Internet, webcasting 20 minutes of their show at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. It’s really for publicity to promote their upcoming pay-per-view concert, as very few computers can receive the webcast.
November 19, 1992
Led Zeppelin release their final studio album, Coda, a collection of unused songs recorded before drummer John Bonham died in 1980.
November 20, 1969
James Brown drags his road-weary band into King Studios in Cincinnati, where Clyde Stubblefield starts banging out a drum pattern. Brown makes it the basis of a song, which he calls “Funky Drummer.” It’s just a minor hit, but becomes one of the most samples songs in hip-hop.
