Dark Side of the Moon shatters all records
1973
Pink Floyd’s epic ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ went to No.1 in the US charts from where it would enjoy a record-breaking 800 weeks on the Billboard albums chart.
The album eclipsed the previous record of 490 weeks set by Johnny Mathis with his Greatest Hits record.
After entering the Billboard Top Pop Catalog Chart, the album amassed a further 759 weeks taking its cumulative total of time spent on the chart for over 1,500 weeks.
Reissues, digital releases and record-breaking concert tours have since triggered its re-entry into the charts.
Roger Waters, Rick Wright and Dave mason formed Pink Floyd when they were studying in a London architectural school. Syd Barrett joined them later.
Chicago make debut with double album
1969
The Chicago Transit Authority, who would later become just Chicago, released their self-titled, debut double album.
Four of the original members of the band, which began life as The Big Thing — horn players James Pankow, Walter Parazaider, Lee Loighnane and keyboardist Robert Lamm, have been with the band right since its formation over 50 years ago.
Following the release of their debut album, Chicago was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist of the Year while the album stayed on the Billboard 200 Chart for 171 weeks, beating the previous record for a rock album’s longevity of 155 weeks.
The band, who featured three lead vocalists, Peter Cetera, Lamm and Terry Kath, scored their biggest hit in 1982 with the power-ballad ‘Hard to Say I’m Sorry’ from the album Chicago 16. The song was co-written by Cetera and soft-rock impresario David Foster, who also became the band’s producer.
In 2016 Chicago were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Hair
1969
The Broadway rock opera ‘Hair’ debuted at the famous Biltmore Theatre in New York City.
‘Hair’ represented an anthem for the youth who grew their hair and protested against the government in America.
The musical featured several hits songs including ‘Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In’, ‘Good Morning Starshine’ and the title song.
‘Aquarius’ was originally sung by the 5th Dimension, a popular ensemble during the late 60s and early 70s. The song won a Grammy in 1980.
The Age of Aquarius refers to when the sun is in the constellation Aquarius during spring, something that will only happen again in 2448 as we are currently in the age of Pisces.
‘Hair’ the musical ran for over 1,700 performances.
The onset of the digital universe
2003
A new era in the digital world was launched when Apple opened its iTunes store, the first legal music download service.
Although it was available exclusively to Mac users, US-based customers were able to download the music they wanted for just 99 cents per song, without subscription fees.
Also on offer were never-before personal use rights, which allowed music lovers to burn songs onto an unlimited number of CDs for personal use.
Today, Apple is believed to have over 435 million registered users in 119 countries around the world It recently clocked its 25 billionth song which was downloaded by a man in Germany.
As it expanded its business iTunes has also allowed customers to download movies, TV shows, games, books, podcasts and much more.
