History Highlight:

Today in 2000, Australian electronic music group The Avalanches released their debut studio album, Since I Left You. Produced by band members Robbie Chater and Darren Seltmann (aka Bobbydazzler), the album samples widely from various genres and was released to critical acclaim. Alongsside the title track, Since I Left You features the singles “Frontier Psychiatrist” and “Electricity.” The band and album would go on to receive nine nominations at the 2001 ARIA Music Awards — Australia’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards — ultimately winning four of them, including Producer of the Year for Chater and Bobbydazzler.

Also, Today In:

1964 - Mick Jagger was fined £16 (U.S. $350 in 2025) for driving offenses. Jagger's lawyer told the court: "The Duke of Marlborough had longer hair than my client, and he won some famous battles. His hair was powdered, I think because of fleas. My client has no fleas."

1968 - Steppenwolf's self-titled debut album was certified gold.

1969 - The Rolling Stones recorded "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!" at New York City's Madison Square Garden. In the audience was Jimi Hendrix, celebrating his 27th (and last) birthday.

1970 - George Harrison released his epic triple solo album All Things Must Pass. The record was produced by Phil Spector and featured Eric Clapton, Dave Mason and Ringo Starr, among others. Many critics say that his 1970 triple album is the finest solo Beatles effort. It is a great body of work which, with the release of the worldwide No. 1 hit "My Sweet Lord," firmly established Harrison as an equal to Lennon and McCartney.

1978 - Gloria Gaynor released her sixth studio album, Love Tracks. It features “I Will Survive.”

1981 - Soft Cell released their debut studio album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. It features “Tainted Love.”

1981 - The British Phonographic industry placed advertisements in the press claiming that "home taping is wiping out music." The Boomtown Rats, 10cc, Elton John and Cliff Richard all backed the campaign.

1982 - Lionel Richie, who had already topped the Hot 100 with his group Commodores ("Three Times A Lady," "Still") and with Diana Ross ("Endless Love"), reached the top spot on his own with "Truly."

1990 - MTV banned the video for Madonna's "Justify My Love," which was apparently too racy for the network. The singer responded by releasing the video on VHS, which sold over a million copies.

1991 - Freddie Mercury's funeral service was conducted by a Zoroastrian priest, for 35 of his close friends and family, with Elton John and the remaining members of Queen among those in attendance.

1995 - The Beatles' Anthology I set a first-week sales record of $1.2 million copies.

1999 - Pavement announced they had broken up. During their show at London's Brixton Academy, band member Stephen Malkmus told the crowd that the show would be the band's last.

2006 - Alan Leslie "Fluff" Freeman, who hosted the long-running BBC Radio show Pick of the Pops from 1964 until 2000, died at age 79.

2009 - Pop singer Al Alberts (of The Four Aces) died of complications from renal failure at age 87.

2014 - Taylor Swift was at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with her fifth studio album 1989. The total U.S. sales figure from the debut week of 1989 was the highest of any album since 2002 and it became the best-selling album of 2014 in the U.S. The album has now sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

2020 - Smashing Pumpkins released their 11th studio album, Cyr. It features the title track and “The Colour of Love.”

Birthdays:

Al Jackson, founding member and drummer from Booker T and the MG's, was born today in 1935.

Songwriter and producer Buzz Cason — who wrote “Everlasting Love,” recorded by many artists including R&B singer Carl Carlton — was born today in 1939.

Country singer-songwriter Eddie Rabbitt, who enjoyed such hits as “Driving My Life Away,” “I Love a Rainy Night” and “You Can’t Run from Love,” was born today in 1941.

Jimi Hendrix was born today in 1942.

Charlie Burchill of Simple Minds is 66.

Maria Schneider — Grammy-winning jazz artist who was born in Windom, Minnesota — is 65.

Minneapolis native Lori Barbero, drummer of Babes in Toyland, turns 64 today. After moving to New York in her teenage years, Barbero often ventured into New York City to see live music, which exposed her to a number of different styles of music and bands. After moving back to Minneapolis, Barbero met Kat Bjelland at a barbecue in the mid 1980s, leading to the formation of Babes in Toyland.

Charlie Benante, drummer for Anthrax, is 63.

Mike “Puffy” Bordin, drummer for Faith No More, is 63.

Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge is 56.

Twista is 52.

Jean Grae is 49.

The Streets, aka Mike Skinner, is 47.

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.