Stevie Nicks - The Wild Heart

This week (June 10th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Wild Heart, the second studio album from Stevie Nicks. This 1983 release went double-Platinum in the US after peaking at number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 200. It also charted at number 28 in the UK, number 19 in Sweden, number 17 in New Zealand, number 8 in Australia and number 7 in Canada.

FM (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

In April of 1978, Universal Pictures released a film about radio station QSKY, where corporate management enacts an advertising push that the station manager and on-air personalities do not buy in on. The protest quickly escalates when the deejays use the airwaves to stir up the listeners to join in the conflict. The cast of the film included Michael Brandon, Eileen Brennan, Alex Karras, Cleavon Little and Cassie Yates.

While many might not remember the film FM itself, they would certainly be familiar with the songs that appear on the accompanying two-disk soundtrack album. The tracks read like a who’s who of artists that were appearing on album-oriented rock stations at the time. This soundtrack album peaked in the top five of the US Billboard Hot 200, was certified Platinum by the summer of 1978, and won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Long After Dark

Today (November 2nd) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Long After Dark, the fifth studio album from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. As the first album by the group to feature Howie Epstein on bass and backing vocals, it charted at number 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 25 in New Zealand, and number 45 in the UK.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday. Today (October 20th) is a special one as we also celebrate the sixty-second birthday of Florida-born American rocker Tom Petty.

Petty and his band the Heartbreakers made their recording debut on the November 9th, 1976, self-titled release. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers did not initially take off in the US; only after a UK tour and reaching number 24 on the charts there did it spark in the States (where it ultimately went to number 55 on the US Billboard Hot 200 in 1978). It also charted at number 57 in Australia and number 18 in New Zealand.

Roy Orbison - Mystery Girl

Today (April 23rd) was the day that American singer and songwriter Roy Orbison was born. He died of a heart attack at age fifty-two on December 6, 1988.

On February 7th, 1989, the posthumous album Mystery Girl was released; Orbison had recorded the tracks in the months prior to his passing. The record turned out to be his best selling album ever, going Platinum in both the US and Canada. On the charts, it went to number 4 on the Canadian charts, number 17 on the US Country charts, number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 200, number 2 on the UK charts and number 1 in Australia, Norway and Sweden.

Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever

Happy 61st birthday today (October 20th) to American singer/songwriter/guitarist Tom Petty.

In 1989, the Florida born musician recorded his first solo album Full Moon Fever. He did, however, get a little help from some of his band the Heartbreakers (Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench) as well as his fellow Traveling Wilburys (Jeff Lynne who co-wrote and co-produced most of the songs with Petty, George Harrison and Roy Orbison). The record went to number 3 on the Billboard 200 album charts and has been certified Platinum many times over in its first decade of release. The album was ranked number 92 in Rolling Stone's Top 100 Albums of the 80's list.