Today in Music History

Pink Floyd released the album “Atom Heart Mother” through Harvest Records in the United Kingdom, and it became their first album to reach No. 1 on the British chart. In the United States, it reached No. 55 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape and later received RIAA gold certification. The experimental recording represented a transition between their early psychedelic period and their later distinctive sound. The original cover contained no text and showed only a cow in a pasture; photographer Storm Thorgerson said he photographed the first cow he found in the countryside near Potters Bar. Its owner said her name was Lulubelle III.

“Peace Train” by Cat Stevens moved up from No. 88 to No. 50 on the U.S. chart.

Thirteen-year-old Donny Osmond reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with his cover of “Go Away Little Girl” by Steve Lawrence, originally released in 1963. A few days later, the recording was certified gold by the RIAA for one million copies shipped.

Elvis Presley's album Almost in Love reached No. 38 on the British album chart.

Elvis Presley bought six pistols, two derringer pistols, and ammunition at Frontier Gun Shop in Palm Springs.

Jim Root, an American musician, songwriter, and guitarist, was born. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Slipknot and a former lead guitarist of Stone Sour.

Joan Baez spent her fifth week at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”

John Lennon's album “Imagine” entered the U.S. album chart at No. 155 and climbed to No. 1 during October. The first copies of the album included a postcard featuring Lennon holding a pig as a reference to the photograph of Paul McCartney with a sheep on the cover of the album “Ram.”

“Maggie May” / “Reason to Believe” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Rod Stewart his first solo No. 1 hit in the United States. “Maggie May” was inspired by his first sexual experience in 1961 and in 2004 was ranked No. 130 on Rolling Stone's list.

The album “Every Picture Tells a Story” reached No. 1 on the U.S. album chart. At the same time, Rod Stewart reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Maggie May” and “Reason to Believe.”

The weekly television program Soul Train, focused on contemporary R&B performers, premiered nationally in the United States. The show was created and hosted by Don Cornelius. The first national broadcast featured Gladys Knight and the Pips, former Temptations member Eddie Kendricks, and the group Honey Cone. The program later ran for an astonishing 35 years.

The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Whisky A Go-Go in Los Angeles.

Pop singer Tiffany, born Tiffany Darwish, was born in Norwalk, California. Her cover of “I Think We're Alone Now” by Tommy James and the Shondells spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. Her other hit “Could've Been” also reached No. 1.

Led Zeppelin began a six-concert tour of Japan at Budokan Hall in Tokyo. The setlist included “Rock and Roll,” “Over the Hills and Far Away,” “Black Dog,” “Misty Mountain Hop,” “Since I've Been Loving You,” “Dancing Days,” “Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp,” “The Song Remains the Same,” “The Rain Song,” “Dazed and Confused,” “Stairway to Heaven,” “Whole Lotta Love” with a medley, “Heartbreaker,” “Immigrant Song,” and “Communication Breakdown.”

LaTocha Scott, singer of the group Xscape, was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

Lene Grawford Nystrom, singer of the Danish Eurodance group Aqua, was born on October 2, 1973, in Tønsberg, Norway. In 1997, Aqua reached No. 1 on the British singles chart with “Barbie Girl” and, according to the source, sold approximately 33 million albums and singles.

Lene Grawford Nystrom, singer of the group Aqua, was born in Tønsberg, Norway.

The Rolling Stones performed at Ernst Merck Halle in Hamburg, Germany.

Elvis Presley performed on October 2 at the Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The concert began at 8:30 p.m., was attended by 17,163 people, and Elvis performed in the Peacock jumpsuit. The setlist began with the “2001” theme, followed by “C. C. Rider,” “I Got a Woman,” “Love Me,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Hound Dog,” “Hawaiian Wedding Song,” and the unfinished “Can't Help Falling in Love.”

Eric Clapton performed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario.

Canadian rock singer and songwriter Sam Roberts was born. His debut EP The Inhuman Condition entered the Canadian chart in 2002. With his band, he was nominated for 15 Juno Awards and won six, including two Artist of the Year awards and one Album of the Year award.

Frank Zappa released the album Bongo Fury, recorded with Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band.

Helen Reddy scored her 15th hit on the Easy Listening chart. Fourteen of her first fifteen hits reached the Top 10, including eleven consecutive entries; eight reached No. 1 and three reached No. 2.

ZZ Top performed at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Peter Frampton's live double album Frampton Comes Alive! spent its ninth week at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart.

Joe Cocker appeared on Saturday Night Live performing “Feelin' Alright.” During the performance, Jon Belushi joined him and delivered his famous exaggerated imitation of Cocker's distinctive singing style. Cocker took the joke in good humor and later joked that Belushi portrayed Joe Cocker better than he did himself.

Rod Stewart released the single “Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” which later became his second U.S. No. 1 hit. In the United Kingdom, it reached No. 5 despite being boycotted by British radio stations because of its suggestive lyrics. The recording featured whispered French vocals by his then-girlfriend, actress Britt Ekland.

The remains of Elvis Presley and his mother Gladys were moved from Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis to the Meditation Garden at his Graceland estate for security reasons. The family took this step after an attempted theft of the singer's body for ransom was uncovered in August. The transfer took place after dark under police supervision.

Grateful Dead played the second of two concerts at the Paramount Theater in Portland, Oregon.

AC/DC performed at the Sports Arena in Toledo, Ohio.

Gene Simmons received a platinum award for his self-titled solo album, one of four solo albums released simultaneously by members of KISS. Simmons's album was the most successful of the four in the United States, reaching No. 22.

The Police released their second album “Regatta de Blanc.” It was even more successful than their debut and earned the group its first Grammy Award in 1980. The French title can loosely be translated as “White Reggae.”

Van Halen performed at the Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona.

Members of First Assembly Church of God in Ankeny, Iowa, burned various books and music albums they considered satanic and works promoting premarital sex, homosexuality, and immorality. Among the recordings burned were the soundtrack to the film Woodstock and albums by Peter Frampton and The Beatles.

Leaveil Degree of the soul group The Whispers began serving a two-year prison sentence in Boron, California, for his involvement in a diamond robbery.

Yes performed at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.

The Police reached No. 1 on the British album chart with “Ghost in the Machine.” It was their third album to top the British chart. The album included the singles “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Invisible Sun,” and “Spirits in the Material World.”

The Police released their fourth album “Ghost in the Machine,” the last in their series of four consecutive autumn albums. The title comes from a psychological book by Arthur Koestler, and the album reached No. 2 in the United States. It included the hit “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.”

Accept released their fourth studio album, “Restless and Wild.” The album was self-produced by the band and included, among other songs, “Fast as a Shark,” which many consider one of the recordings that helped give rise to speed metal.

Dire Straits began a four-week run at No. 1 on the British album chart with Love Over Gold.

Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett reunited with their former Genesis bandmates for a one-off benefit concert at the Bowl in Milton Keynes, England. The concert raised funds for Gabriel's financially troubled World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) project.

The word “jobsworth” first appeared in the London Times. The expression was popularized, or according to the source possibly coined, by singer-songwriter Jeremy Taylor.

Jethro Tull performed at The Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts.

John Cougar reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Jack & Diane.” “Hurts So Good” remained at No. 10, while the album “American Fool” was at No. 1 on the album chart. According to the source, this combination made him the first male solo artist to have an album at No. 1 and two songs in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.

Musical Youth reached No. 1 on the British singles chart with “Pass The Dutchie.” The group consisted of boys from Birmingham aged 11 to 16. The song was a cover of “Pass The Kutchie” by The Mighty Diamonds, with the reference to a cannabis pipe changed so that the group could avoid a ban because of the drug reference.

Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett reunited with their former Genesis bandmates for a one-off benefit concert at Milton Keynes Bowl in Buckinghamshire, England. Gabriel performed with Genesis for the first time since leaving the group in 1975 and, according to the source, this was the only occasion on which he sang Genesis songs on stage after his departure. The concert was intended to raise money for Gabriel's WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) project, or to repay debts incurred during his WOMAD tour.

Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA was involved in a car accident in Skåne, Sweden. She suffered a concussion but soon recovered.

Bonnie Tyler reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” written and produced by Jim Steinman. She became the first Welsh female artist to reach No. 1 on the chart.

Bruce Springsteen concluded the “Born in the USA” tour with the last of four concerts at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. This brought his highly successful “Born in the USA” tour to an end.