Boston, Aerosmith, Metallica
Welcome to another edition of Today in Boston ROCK, where I, Adam 12, spotlight Very Important Days In Rock History. August 25 is one.
1949
August 25, 1949: Chaim Witz is born in Haifa, Israel. At the age of 8, his family settled in New York City. Soon after, the transformation began: Gene Klein became Gene Simmons, "The Demon," and founding member of KISS. More ink has been spilled about this true rock icon than the fake blood that has poured out of his mouth and over his extra-long tongue. So we'll step aside and let the legend himself give us a lesson in how he does his makeup.
1951
August 25, 1951: Robert John Arthur Halford is born in Sutton Coldfield in England. Rob Halford stepped aside the manager of a men's clothing store to co-found Judas Priest with bassist Ian Hill in 1973. Hill was dating Halford's sister. For the last half-century, Halford has cemented his status as the Metal God, mainly due to his amazing vocal range. You'll find that on display in the isolated tracks below.
1976
August 25, 1976: Boston rock band Boston releases Boston. We all know the lore: Tom Scholz tricked Epic Records into thinking he was recording with a producer in L.A., when he was actually recording the album bit-by-bit in his basement in Massachusetts from the fall of 1975 through the spring of 1976. Clearly, the ruse was a success, as Boston is regarded as one of the truly great rock albums of all-time.
If you somehow don’t own ‘Boston,’ how is that even possible? This monster debut is one of the biggest selling albums of all time moving 17 million copies in the United States alone. With a stacked tracklisting that includes “More Than A Feeling,” “Peace of Mind” and “Foreplay/Long Time,” it’s no wonder it’s such a massive hit.
1987
August 25, 1987: Aerosmith releases Permanent Vacation. It’s the band’s ninth album and marked the beginning of their late ’80s “comeback.” For the first time, they enlisted outside songwriters. And they had the benefit of big airplay on MTV, a trend that would continue with 1989’s Pump and well into the ’90s, further bolstering their popularity. See how many tracks land in our Top 50 ranking.
1988
August 25, 1988: Metallica release their fourth studio album, …And Justice For All. The release was the first with new bassist Jason Newstead and marked the end of the “classic” era of Metallica albums. It also marked the first time the band used a music video to promote a single. Watch “One” below.
