Today’s 5 Most Important Anniversaries

Lots of fun things happened on July 27 in rock history. Let’s get right to five of the day’s most important anniversaries:

1977: AC/DC Plays Their First American Concert

It’s hard to imagine now, but AC/DC didn’t conquer America right away. Their first album sold so poorly that their U.S. record label decided not to release their follow-up, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. But as an unknown opening act, the group quickly won over the crowd at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas on July 27, 1977.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Earl Johnson of that evening’s headlining band Moxy told the Austin Chronicle in 20008. “The vibe was there. Everybody knew they would break.” Less than a year later, AC/DC returned to Austin as headliners.

1979: AC/DC Releases ‘Highway to Hell’

Two years after debuting on an American stage, AC/DC released the album that officially made them worldwide stars. Produced by Mutt Lange, Highway to Hell featured tighter songwriting and bigger choruses, sending the band into the Top 20 on the U.S. album charts for the first time. Sadly, it would be the last album the band released before singer Bon Scott’s death.

1981: Stevie Nicks Releases ‘Bella Donna’

After touring in support of 1979’s ambitious double album Tusk, the members of Fleetwood Mac needed a break from each other. Several of them released solo albums but only Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna reached the same multi-platinum heights as the band.

Thanks to the hit singles “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” “Leather and Lace” and “Edge of Seventeen,” Nicks became the most popular member of the group, a change that would affect their dynamics going forward.

1984: Metallica Releases ‘Ride the Lightning’

Metallica’s march to world dominance took a strong second step on July 27, 1984 with the release of their sophomore album. Ride the Lightning featured more polished production and sophisticated songwriting than that previous year’s Kill ‘Em All. 

Home to “Creeping Death,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and what might be trash metal’s first power ballad, “Fade to Black,” Lightning set a bold new template for heavy metal, and is widely regarded as one of the genre’s best albums of all time.

1984: Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ Movie Debuts

1982’s 1999 album made Prince a superstar, so you can use whatever superlatives you want to describe how popular he became after the release of his first big-screen movie. Purple Rain was an unexpectedly big hit at the box office, and its soundtrack improved on the 1999 formula with a big dose of rock guitar. Together they formed an amazing display of multimedia dominance.

Other July 27 Rock Anniversaries:

1970: Billy Joel’s heavy metal band Attila (yes, you read that right) release their self-titled debut. It is a very weird album.

1974: John Lennon finally gets his green card, after a four-year legal battle.

1977: The Grateful Dead release Terrapin Station.

1979: John Cougar releases his self-titled album.

1983: Neil Young basically dared his record label to sue him by releasing Everybody’s Rockin’. They took him up on that offer.

1993: The Smashing Pumpkins announce their presence with authority by releasing Siamese Dream.

2007: A pre-show health scare forced Paul Stanley to miss his first Kiss show, as the band’s other three members performed without him.