Pick a Day

Music History Events: Releases

September 21, 1992 ABBA, which split up in 1982, release Gold: Greatest Hits, which in America becomes by far their best-selling album, moving over 6 million copies.

September 8, 1992 Tom Waits' album Bone Machine drops a sonic avalanche of apocalyptic percussion sounds, snarls, and deathly wails - and fans love him for it.More

October 22, 1991 Black Sheep release their debut album, A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, with the classic "The Choice Is Yours." The hip-hop duo are part of the Native Tongues collective along with De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest.

September 24, 1991 A Tribe Called Quest release their second album, The Low End Theory, with the tracks "Check The Rhime" and "Scenario." A hip-hop landmark, the album integrates jazz samples on songs like "Excursions" and "Verses From The Abstract."

August 13, 1991 Cypress Hill introduce a new strain of West Coast gangsta rap with the release of their self-titled debut album. The lead single is "How I Could Just Kill A Man," a song that deals with gang life in their stomping grounds of South Gate, California.

April 2, 1991 The Rolling Stones release Flashpoint, a live album recorded throughout their Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour.

March 5, 1991 Amy Grant, a fixture in the CCM community, releases a pop album, Heart In Motion. The first four singles all hit the Top 10, and "Baby Baby," a tribute to her baby daughter Millie, hits #1.

April 2, 1990 After releasing eight studio albums in her native French, Celine Dion issues her first English-language album, Unison. The lead single, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," goes to #4, setting the stage for her American breakthrough.

March 27, 1990 Digital Underground, a rap collective that later includes Tupac Shakur, release their debut album, Sex Packets. It's a concept album about a drug that simulates the experience of having sex.More

March 20, 1990 Sinead O'Connor releases her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. The single "Nothing Compares 2 U," written by Prince, propels her to stardom.

September 19, 1989 Janet Jackson releases her groundbreaking album Rhythm Nation 1814. It contains seven Top 5 hits and a message imploring young people to come together and stand up for education and equality.More

September 12, 1989 Aerosmith continue their comeback with the album Pump, which contains both the raucous "Love In An Elevator" and the weighty "Janie's Got A Gun."

September 1, 1989 Newly sober Mötley Crüe release their fifth album, Dr. Feelgood, which goes to #1 and becomes their best seller. The debaucherous bunch draw on their exploits for subject matter: the title track is about their drug dealers; "Kickstart My Heart" tells the story of bass player Nikki Sixx' near-fatal overdose.More

August 1, 1989 The Rolling Stones release their album Steel Wheels, which contains the hit "Mixed Emotions."

July 11, 1989 Miami Sound Machine lead singer Gloria Estefan releases her first solo album, Cuts Both Ways, with the hits "Don't Wanna Lose You" and "Get on Your Feet."

September 19, 1988 Erasure release "A Little Respect."

May 2, 1988 Melissa Etheridge releases her self-titled debut album, adding a much-welcome new female voice to rock radio with the singles "Bring Me Some Water" and "Like the Way I Do."

April 5, 1988 Tracy Chapman's eponymous debut album is released.

March 14, 1988 Six months after the breakup of his group The Smiths, Morrissey issues his first solo album, Viva Hate. It goes to #1 in the UK and has two hit singles: "Suedehead" and "Everyday Is Like Sunday." It's the start of a very successful solo career for Morrissey, who rejects all offers of a Smiths reunion.

November 4, 1987 Sinead O'Connor, 20, releases her debut album, The Lion And The Cobra. It earns her a tour with INXS and a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female. Her next album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, is a global sensation.

August 18, 1987 Aerosmith release Permanent Vacation, their first album post-sobriety. With the hits "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Angel," it propels a remarkable comeback for the band, who have spent the last 10 years battling drug addiction and creative malaise.

May 15, 1987 Mötley Crüe release the album Girls, Girls, Girls, the pinnacle of their rock star excess.More

March 7, 1987 The first four Beatles albums are released on compact disc: Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, Beatles For Sale. This marks the first time the band's official UK albums have been available as standard Beatles albums in the US, many being presented for the first time in America in their original mono mixes.

February 23, 1987 Jody Watley releases her self-titled debut album, which earns her the Grammy award for Best New Artist thanks to hits like "Don't You Want Me" and "Looking For A New Love."

November 10, 1986 Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band releases Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live: 1975-85; it sells one-million copies in one day.

September 20, 1986 Huey Lewis & the News release the album Fore!, the title a reference to golf (their previous album: Sports) and to it being their fourth album. It contains two #1 hits: "Stuck with You" and "Jacob's Ladder."

August 18, 1986 Bon Jovi release their third album, Slippery When Wet, which catapults them to the top with the hits "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Livin' On A Prayer." Seasoned from years of touring, the group is ready for the big crowds and quickly become a top live draw.

July 4, 1986 Run-DMC release their rap version of "Walk This Way" featuring Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, the group that released the original version in 1975. It's the first major collaboration between rappers and rockers, proof positive that the styles can work together. Both groups get a huge boost when the song becomes a hit; for Aerosmith, it launches a comeback.

June 16, 1986 The Smiths release their third album, The Queen Is Dead, with a title track that takes a sardonic and spiteful look at the British monarchy. It's the last studio album released before their breakup a year later. (A fourth album, Strangeways, Here We Come, is released soon after their split.)

March 24, 1986 The Rolling Stones release their album Dirty Work. The first single is a cover of the soul classic "Harlem Shuffle."