Welcome to another edition of Today in Boston ROCK, where I, Adam 12, spotlight Very Important Days In Rock History. November 18 is one.
November 18, 1950: the man with the greatest real name in rock history is born. Why he chose the stage name “Rudy Sarzo” is beyond my comprehension, seeing as he was born as Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont. You know him best as Quiet Riot’s bass player.
November 18, 1962: Kirk Lee Hammett is born. And thanks to Dave Mustaine being so wild he got fired from Metallica (which shouldn’t actually be a thing, but was), we’ve been enjoying Kirk’s axework with the metal giants since 1983. To celebrate Kirk’s 59th trip around the sun, here’s his “oh face.”
November 18, 1981: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts release I Love Rock ‘n Roll. It was Jett’s second album, her first with The Blackhearts, and 40+ years on and it’s sold 10 million copies, cementing her legacy. And when you consider that legacy began as a teen with The Runaways and continues to this day, she’s in the conversation as one of the greatest rockers of all-time.
November 18, 1991: U2 releases Achtung Baby. You’d forgotten, right? Because when you think ’91, you think Nevermind and Ten and Blood Sugar Sex Magik. U2’s seventh album dropped that year, too, and made our list of The 14 Biggest Rock Albums of 1991. Now, see how many cuts from the release made it on our ranking of U2’s 50 Best Songs.
November 18, 1993: Nirvana records what would become MTV Unplugged in New York. Of course, Cobain’s death in April of 1994 pushed the release back to almost a year after it was recorded: November 1, 1994. Watch remastered videos of the performance here.
Keep scrolling for audio visual goodies. And if you want more ROCK history with a Boston twist (you do)? It’s all right here.
1950
Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont. Bless.
1962
Happy Birthday, Mr. Hammett. Hammer it out.
1981
A black and white music video at the dawn of MTV. That’s a punk rock move.
1991
Maybe the best song on Achtung Baby?
1993
Still gives the chills.
