STACK #185 Mar 2020

MUSIC FEATURE

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wearing drag. Upon release it was banned by MTV in the US. Guitarist Brian May later says the video marred Queen in America.

Kate believes in her Heights , Nena’s balloons take flight, and Zappa has Hendrix’s charred Strat in his sights: We've combed the dusty archives to assemble this calendar of notable dates, events, and oddities of music history for March.

MAR 23, 2016 Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive is chosen to join the US National Recording Registry, as a song of “cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance and/or which informs or reflects life in the United States.”

MAR 2, 1997 A man named Clifford Goldberg sues Mötley Crüe for irrevocably damaging his hearing at a New Jersey show. The suit is thrown out of court after the judge says Goldberg “knew the risk [he] was taking” by sitting close to the stage. MAR 3, 1984 German one-hit-wonder Nena – who has re-recorded her song 99 Luftballons as 99 Red Balloons – begins a three-week stint at #1 in the UK. The song makes it to #2 on the US charts.

MAR 14, 1933 Quincy Delight Jones Jr. is born in Chicago, Illinois. He’ll go on to become a multi- instrumentalist, producer (MJ's Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad ), songwriter, record executive, receiver of a record 80 Grammy nominations and 28 wins, a Grammy Legend in 1992, and a Rock And Roll Hall of Famer in 2013.

MAR 18, 2004 With her back to the audience, Courtney Love stands up on talk show host David Letterman’s desk and flashes her bare chest at him, while singing traditional Irish ballad Danny Boy . Later on that night she plays a spontaneous show at Manhattan’s Plaid nightclub, during which she throws a mic stand into the audience, injures

MAR 28, 1981 Blondie release single Rapture , the first US #1 to feature rap in its lyrics – which mention hip hop founders Grandmaster Flash and Fab 5 Freddy. MAR 31, 1967 Jimi Hendrix sets his guitar on fire for the first time live on stage, during a show at London’s Astoria. The guitar – a Fender Stratocaster – finds its way into the collection of Hendrix’s pal Frank Zappa, who refurbishes the pickguard and adds custom EQ knobs. Zappa plays it on his album Zoot Allures (1976) and

MAR 7, 1966 Well aware of Ike Turner’s controlling behaviour in-studio, producer Phil Spector gets the musician to sign a $20,000 contract stating he’ll stay away while Tina Turner records her vocals for River Deep Mountain

an attendee, and is charged with reckless endangerment.

MAR 22, 1984 Queen film their clip for single I Want To Break Free ; it’s a parody of British soapie Coronation Street , with all the bandmembers

High . Although eventually credited to Ike & Tina Turner, only Tina’s vocals are used in the track.

poses with it on the cover of the January 1977 issue of Guitar Player magazine.

MAR 9, 1985 Dead or Alive are at #1 on the UK singles chart with You Spin Me Round (Like A Record). Five days later they’re booted from the studio of UK music show The Tube after confessing they are unable to play the song live. MAR 11, 1978 The debut track from 19-year-old Kate Bush shoots to the top of the UK charts. Bush has spent weeks fighting for Wuthering Heights to be her first single; EMI execs had been pushing for James and the Cold Gun . Both tracks are part of Bush's debut album The Kick Inside .

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MARCH 2020

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