Foreigner - 4 (35th anniversary)

Today (July 2nd) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of 4, the fourth studio album from Foreigner. This 1981 release spent eighty-one weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, including ten of those at the number 1 position.

For my full review of this classic album, click here.

For more from Foreigner, click here.

Big Audio Dynamite - This Is Big Audio Dynamite

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of This Is Big Audio Dynamite, the debut album from Big Audio Dynamite. The group was created by former Clash guitarist/vocalist Mick Jones. The group included Dan Donovan (keyboards), Don Letts (vocals and sound effects), Greg Roberts (drums and backing vocals) and Leo Williams (bass). This 1985 release went to number 103 on the US Billboard Album chart (with a thirty-five week total run), number 27 in the UK and number 8 in New Zealand.

The Clash - London Calling (35th anniversary)

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Sunday.

Today (December 14th) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of London Calling, the third studio album from the Clash. This 1979 release debuted on the US Billboard Album chart in early February of 1980. It then spent thirty-three weeks on that chart and peaked at number 27.

Click here for my full review.

Foreigner - Agent Provocateur (30th anniversary)

Today (December 7th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Agent Provocateur, the fifth studio album from Foreigner. The 1984 release sepent forty-five weeks on the US Billboard Album chart with a top position of number 5.

For my full review, click here.

General Public - All The Rage

Today (September 17th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of All the Rage, the debut album from General Public. Dave Wakeling (vocals and guitar) and Ranking Roger (vocals, bass, keyboards and drums), formerly of the Beat, decided to form their own group to continue working together. They teamed up with Mickey Billingham on keyboards and Andy “Stoker” Growcott on drums (both from Dexy’s Midnight Runners), Horace Panter (from the Specials) on bass, and Mick Jones (from the Clash) and Kevin White on guitar.

The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope (35th anniversary)

Today (November 10th) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the release of Give 'Em Enough Rope, the second studio album from UK punk group the Clash.

Please click here for more details on this 1978 release.

Foreigner - Double Vision

Today (June 20th) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of Double Vision, the second studio album from the British-American rock band Foreigner. This multi-Platinum album went to number 32 in the UK and New Zealand, and number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 200.

The Clash - Combat Rock

Today (May 14th) marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the fifth studio album by the Clash. Combat Rock was originally planned as a seventeen-track double album with the title Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg but was cut back a twelve song single album during production.

Chart-wise, it reached its highest spot in the rock band's native UK, number 2; it also went to number 12 in Canada, number 9 in Sweden, and number 7 in Norway. In the US, it peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 200 and spent sixty one weeks on the chart total.

Foreigner - Agent Provocateur

Happy sixty-seventh birthday today (December 27th) to English guitarist, songwriter and producer Mick Jones of Foreigner.

After their hugely successful album 4 in 1981 and before their appearance on the 1985 Vision Quest soundtrack (click here and here for my reviews of each of those), Foreigner put out their fifth studio album Agent Provocateur on December 7th of 1984. This concept album, which tells the story of a spy who sees life from many sides, went to number 1 in the UK, Germany and Switzerland; in the US it reached number 4 on the Billboard Album chart. Sales-wise, the record achieved multi-platinum status.

The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope

Happy fifty-sixth birthday today (December 15th) to bassist Paul Gustave Simonon of the Clash.

Sandwiched between their self-titled, well-received 1977 debut record the Clash and their landmark 1979 album London Calling (click here and here for each of those respective reviews) came 1978’s Give ‘Em Enough Rope (it was released on November 10th). In the UK it went to number 2; in the US it was the first of the band’s albums to be released and reached number 128 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The Clash - London Calling

Though it was released during the final two weeks of the 1970’s in the UK, in the US the Clash’s third studio album London Calling came out during the first month of 1980. This double album sold very well, going Platinum in the US and Gold in the UK and Canada. In the US the album went to number 27 on the Billboard album charts; in the UK it went to number 9. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the record number 1 on its list of the 100 Best Albums of 1980 and number 8 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.

The Clash - The Clash

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday.

The quartet of English rockers who made up the Clash released their self-titled debut album in their home country in 1977. The record, with its mix of musical styles, did very well and peaked on the charts at number 12. As an import, it was very popular in the United States, especially among the college radio stations. Two years later, the Clash was re-released in the US with some changes to the content (four tracks were dropped and five others were added), going to number 126 on the Billboard charts. It achieved Gold sales status in both countries.

Foreigner - 4

The British-American rock band Foreigner released their apply-titled fourth studio album 4 on July 2nd of 1981.

Thanks to a number of very successful singles, it was propelled to the top of the charts and was the band’s only number 1 LP in the United States (of the eighty-one weeks it spent on the US Billboard Album chart, ten of those were at the number 1 spot). The album was produced by “Mutt” Lange and band guitarist Mick Jones.