Time to take a look back into this day in rock history: September 21
1968
The Jimi Hendrix version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” is released. Hendrix idolized Dylan even referring to bassist Noel Redding onstage as “Bob Dylan’s grandmother”. Hendrix had a tape of Dylan’s recording from publicist Michael Goldstein. Dave Mason from Traffic and Rolling Stone Brian Jones are also on the recording.
Above is what producer Eddie Kramer had to say about the session.
1971
The first showing of BBC TV’s ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’ was aired. Hosted by Richard Williams, the show includes Jim Hendrix from the Monterey Festival doing ‘Wild Thing’, ‘Maggies Farm’ by Bob Dylan, with America and others ‘live’ in the studio. The wildly popular show ran from 1971 to 1987. According to Bob Harris, the show got its name from a Tin Pan Alley phrase. When a new record was released, they would play it to people they called the old grey who were doormen in grey suits. The songs they could remember and whistle, after just hearing it just once or twice, passed the old grey whistle test.
1977
A major hit for Cleveland International Records. Meat Loaf’s second album, “Bat Out of Hell”, the first collaboration with composer Jim Steinman and producer Todd Rundgren, becomes one of the best-selling albums of all time, after selling over 43 million copies worldwide (still selling over 200,000 copies per year). Oddly enough, the first single released from the album ‘You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth’ didn’t chart when first released.
1986
The National Enquirer published a photo of Michael Jackson in an oxygen chamber claiming that Jackson had a bizarre plan to live until he was 150 years old.
2014
The crowd reaction shows why m.o.e. packs the Kent Stage.
Poster courtesy of Raw Sugar Studio
