Throwback Thursday: Metallica Releases The Black Album

Throwback Thursday: Metallica Releases The Black Album

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On this day in 1991, the self-titled, fifth album (commonly known as “The Black Album”) by iconic heavy metal band, Metallica, hit Number 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart. Released on August 12, the album featured five singles that are considered to be among the band’s best-known songs: “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True.” The album received widespread critical acclaim, becoming the band’s best-selling album (and one of the best-selling albums worldwide). The release of “Metallica” marked a transition in the band’s sound from thrash metal to something a bit more subdued. In 2003, the album was ranked number 252 on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

Throwback Thursday: Pink Floyd, “The Wall”

Throwback Thursday: Pink Floyd, “The Wall”

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On this day in 1980, Pink Floyd’s eleventh studio album “The Wall,” began it’s 15-week residence atop the Billboard charts. The rock opera, which explores abandonment and isolation, was released on November 30, 1979 and sold over 19 million copies worldwide between its release and 1990. Following the release of the album, Pink Floyd kicked off The Wall Tour, where, during each performance, a 40-ft high wall was constructed between the band and the audience, and torn down during the show’s finale. “The Wall” remains one of the most profitable albums in the U.S., but is Pink Floyd’s second best-selling album, behind “Dark Side of the Moon” (1973). In 2003, Rolling Stone awarded “The Wall” the #87 spot on its “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list.

Throwback Thursday: Led Zeppelin Release their Debut Album

Throwback Thursday: Led Zeppelin Release their Debut Album

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48 years ago, Led Zeppelin’s debut album, Led Zeppelin, was released in the United States by Atlantic Records. The album, which brought us “Good Times Bad Times,” peaked at No. 10 on Billboard. Critical reception to the album was lukewarm, but was a commercial success due to the band’s hard-rock sound which was gradually being adopted by the American and British counterculture. In 2004, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and is currently ranked at #29 on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”