Historic events this week from Stone Temple Pilots, Neil Young, Prince, Nirvana and U2
OCTOBER 26, 1999: NO. 4 BY STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
No. 4 served as Stone Temple Pilots‘ “back to basics” effort, blending the hard rock intensity of their early work with elements of glam and psychedelic rock. It was certified Platinum and featured the popular singles “Down” and the Grammy-nominated “Sour Girl.”
OCTOBER 27, 1982: 1999
Prince‘s fifth studio album, 1999, is widely credited as his commercial breakthrough, introducing the infectious “Minneapolis Sound” that defined 1980s synth-funk and pop. The double-LP generated massive hits like the iconic title track and “Little Red Corvette,” the latter of which became one of the first videos by a Black artist to enter heavy rotation on MTV.
OCTOBER 28, 1977: NEIL YOUNG’S 3LP DECADE COMPILATION
Neil Young‘s comprehensive 3LP compilation gathered classic songs from the first decade his career.
The Platinum-selling Decade gathers 35 tracks from Young’s career, including his time with Buffalo Springfield and CSN&Y.
OCTOBER 29, 2002: NIRVANA’S SELF-TITLED GREATEST HITS
Nirvana‘s self-titled compilation stands as the official career-spanning greatest hits, and is significant for featuring studio version of the #1 hit “You Know You’re Right;” the last song Nirvana ever recorded, which had been the subject of a prolonged legal dispute before its release.
OCTOBER 30, 2000: U2’s ALL THAT YOU CAN’T LEAVE BEHIND
All That You Can’t Leave Behind was widely considered a triumphant “return to form,” shedding the electronic experimentation of the 1990s for a more classic, anthemic rock sound.
The album was a massive commercial and critical success, notably becoming the only record in history to have two different songs—”Beautiful Day” and “Walk On”—win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in successive years.
