November 23, 1981 – AC/DC release their eighth studio album For Those About to Rock which goes on to sell four million copies in the U.S. November 23, 1991 – Freddie Mercury of Queen issues a press release confirming that he has AIDS, which he has previously denied.  He dies the next day. November 23, 2008 – Guns N’ Roses … Continue reading CDJ Today: November 23 in Classic Rock →

November 19, 2001 – Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots is arrested on one count of domestic battery after a fight with his wife at the Hard Rock Hotel.  Weiland argued with his wife over a prescription he was going to have filled. The couple’s 18-month-old son was also in the room. “He wanted to leave the room to … Continue reading CDJ Today: November 19 in Classic Rock →

November 10, 1986 – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band release Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live/1975-85; it sells one-million copies in one day.  Live/1975–85 is the second best selling live album in U.S. history, selling 13x platinum, trailing only Garth Brooks’ Double Live. November 10, 2014 – Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan is arrested after an alleged air rage incident on a … Continue reading CDJ Today: November 10 in Classic Rock →

November 7, 2003 – David Gilmour of Pink Floyd is honored with the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) award. Gilmour is cited for his charity work. November 7, 1966 – John Lennon meets Yoko Ono for the first time when he visits her art exhibition in London. She presents him with a card that simply says, “Breathe,” and he responds by panting. He later … Continue reading CDJ Today: November 7 in Classic Rock →

October 30, 1990 – Axl Rose is released on $5,000 bail after being arrested for allegedly hitting his neighbor, Gabriella Kantor, over the head with a bottle of wine. Kantor said, “He hit me over my head with a really good bottle of Chardonnay and a piece of chicken.  I continue to experience headaches as … Continue reading CDJ Today: October 30 in Classic Rock →

September 24, 1991 – Nirvana release their second studio album, Nevermind. The album goes on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide.  Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl conceive of the cover shot after watching a TV documentary on water babies.  Spencer Elden, the 3-month-old son of the photographer’s friend is the baby chosen.  Elden’s circumcised penis is visible in the image and Cobain … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 24 in Classic Rock →

September 17, 1991 – Guns N’ Roses release both Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II on the same day because they think one double album of 30 tracks would be too expensive for fans.  Record stores open at midnight to frenzied purchasing and when the dust settles, each album sells more than 7 million … Continue reading CDJ Today: September 17 in Classic Rock →

“I was f@#king around with this stupid little riff,” Slash has said of the origins of Guns N Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” That “stupid little riff” is, by the way, the riff that in 2004 Total Guitar magazine readers voted the greatest guitar riff of all time, beating out the opening riffs of Nirvana’s … Continue reading Classic Rock Landmarks: Sweet Child ‘O Mine →

August 27, 1989 – Izzy Stradlin of Guns N’ Roses loses his “patience” on a US Airways flight from Indianapolis to Los Angeles and pees in the galley after being annoyed that the lavatory was occupied. His publicist explains that, “Relieving himself in the galley was just his way of expressing himself.” After being sentenced to a year of probation … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 27 in Classic Rock →

August 25, 2005 – Slash and Duff McKagan file a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles against Axl Rose, accusing the Guns N’ Roses singer of changing the publisher of the group’s copyrighted songs without their consent and pocketing the royalties.  “Rose’s actions were malicious, fraudulent and oppressive, and undertaken in conscious disregard of [Slash and Duff’s] property rights,” the … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 25 in Classic Rock →

August 20, 1988 – Iron Maiden headline the Monsters of Rock Festival at Castle Donington with Kiss, David Lee Roth, Megadeth, Guns N’ Roses and Helloween.  Two fans die during Guns N’ Roses’ set when they slip in the mud and a crowd surge pushes them beneath others. Classic Rock Birthdays August 20, 1948 – Robert Plant, vocals (Led Zeppelin)August … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 20 in Classic Rock →

August 8, 1969 – The photo session for the cover of The Beatles Abbey Road album takes place on the crossing outside the Abbey Road studios. Photographer Iain McMillan, balanced on a step-ladder in the middle of the road, takes only six shots of John, Ringo, Paul, and George walking across the zebra crossing while a policeman … Continue reading CDJ Today: August 8 in Classic Rock →