Behind every music nerd daughter is an arguably even nerdier music-loving dad. My dad often asked me, “who sings this song?” growing up and even today.
While this is a widely experienced phenomenon among music-loving dads and their daughters, my dad likes to take it a step further and see if I can guess notable music events that have happened in history, like album releases and tour dates.
With experience in mind, I thought it would be interesting to see what albums have been released this week in history. There is one feature mentioned that is not an album, but I thought should be added due to its significance.
“Rumors”
Fleetwood Mac’s 11th studio album, “Rumors,” was released Feb. 4, 1977. During recording sessions for “Rumors” in 1976, the marriage of two of the band’s members, Christine and John, was falling apart due to stress and invasive media coverage of their romantic troubles.
Lead singer Stevie Nicks and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham’s relationship was also on the rocks. Despite the widely publicized turmoil and disdain in the group, they released arguably one of the greatest rock albums of all time.
“Stop! In The Name of Love”
“Stop! In The Name of Love” released Feb. 8, 1965 by the Supremes was one of the band’s most successful songs. It became their second gold-certified song and was one of several top charting hits.
The three “original Supremes” Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard had success together with Motown Records and in their own careers. This song is just a classic. It demonstrates the amazing influence of Black musicians in the industry.
“Both Sides Now”
Also released Feb. 8, but in the year 2000, was Joni Mitchell’s concept album “Both Sides Now.” I love Mitchell’s earlier work and recently started branching out into her other discography.
While this isn’t a “typical” Joni Mitchell album, I still enjoy it. She is an artist I look forward continuing to listen to, despite the lack of her music on Spotify in protest of Joe Rogan’s podcast, where she believes he was spreading misinformation regarding COVID-19.
“Little Dark Age “
MGMT’s fourth studio album, “Little Dark Age,” was released Feb. 9, 2018. While the song “Little Dark Age” has gained more notoriety in the past few years because of TikTok, the rest of the album is just as good.
Currently, it is one of my top 10 most listened to albums. MGMT has been a staple of indie/alternative/rock over the last 20 years with a diverse discography including three new singles from January 2024 that also deserve attention.
“Van Halen”
Diving back into the world of classic rock, Van Halen released their debut self-titled album on Feb. 10, 1978. This album to me is quintessential Van Halen and sets the groundwork for their later albums.
The album was created by singer David Lee Roth, bass player Micheal Anthony, drummer Alex Van Halen and guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Roth proposed Eddie and Alex’s surname, which is Dutch, to be the band’s name.
Roth said Van Halen “was more than just a name.” Despite Roth’s role as the original vocalist, the band’s later works featured a new lead singer, Sammy Hagar (someone my musical-nerd dad loves to mention that he has met).
“Tapestry”
Seven years prior to “Van Halen,” “Tapestry” by Carole King was released on Feb. 10, 1971. I only discovered this album while researching for this story, but after listening to it, I am happy to report that it is so worth a listen.
“The College Dropout “
Finally, I would like to highlight the rap album “The College Dropout” by Kanye West. Released Feb. 10, 2004, this was West’s debut album. While he is a talented artist with an awarded discography, I don’t think it excuses his controversial and antisemitic comments.
With that said, this concludes our history lesson, but it most certainly won’t be the last from me.
Moris can be reached at [email protected].
