This Day in Music
On October 31, 1989, MTV aired the first episode of its long-running concert series, Unplugged, with a stripped-down performance by Squeeze. Encouraging guests to play an acoustic set of hits and covers, the show has propelled countless artists to greater levels of fame, while many acts, including Nirvana, Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey, Tony Bennett, and 10,000 Maniacs, found phenomenal success by releasing their sessions as live albums. Clapton’s MTV Unplugged album, for instance, sold 26 million copies worldwide and eventually became the best-selling live album ever. Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York, meanwhile, has long been considered to be one of the greatest live albums of all time.
In 2015, One Direction played the final show of their nearly year-long world tour before their self-proclaimed extended hiatus. While the “On the Road Again Tour” was the second-highest grossing concert tour of the year, it also marked the beginning of the end for the teen group. Two months into the run of dates, Zayn Malik departed the group, while the remaining members of One Direction went their separate ways in the months following the tour.
In 1996, Slash announced his departure from Guns N’ Roses. While he returned to his post exactly two decades later, the legendary guitarist stayed busy during his hiatus, co-founding the supergroup Velvet Revolver (with Scott Weiland, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, and Dave Kushner) and releasing several solo albums.
In 1970, Led Zeppelin began a four-week run at the top of the US album chart with Led Zeppelin III. The album, which features such favorites as “Immigrant Song” and “Celebration Day,” found the band incorporating folk-rock and acoustic elements into many of their songs.
In 1964, The Supremes began a four-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Baby Love,” the group’s second of a remarkable five consecutive No.1s.
In 1992, Boyz II Men landed at the top of the UK singles chart with “End Of The Road,” their only chart-topper in the country. In the US, the track spent a record-breaking 13 weeks at No.1.
BORN ON OCTOBER 31
1961: Larry Mullen Jr. (U2)
1963: Johnny Marr (The Smiths)
1964: Colm O’Ciosoig (My Bloody Valentine)
1966: Ad-Rock (Beastie Boys)
1967: Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne)
1970: Rogers Stevens (Blind Melon)
1980: Isabella Summers (Florence + The Machine)
1981: Frank Anthony Iero (My Chemical Romance)
