Music History

Kansas released the album Point of Know Return, which became their highest-charting album in the United States and achieved multi-platinum certification.

Boston released their second studio album, “Don't Look Back,” on August 2, 1978. Like their debut album, it was largely recorded at Tom Scholz’s studio.

Epic Records released Boston's second studio album Don't Look Back. The album reached No. 1 on the US Billboard chart and No. 9 in the UK, sold more than one million copies within its first ten days and later received a seven-times-platinum certification. The title track reached No. 4 and “A Man I'll Never Be” reached No. 31.

The Who released the album Who Are You, the band's last studio album with drummer Keith Moon.

Boston’s album “Don’t Look Back” was released.

Devo released the album “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo”.

Epic Records released Molly Hatchet's self-titled debut album. Although it reached No. 64 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, it later received RIAA platinum certification for sales of more than one million copies.

Golden Earring released their thirteenth studio album, “Grab It for a Second”. After the previous tour with Ted Nugent, the band wanted to make a hard rock album, but the record label chose producer Jimmy Iovine. It was also the band’s last album with second guitarist Eelco Gelling.

Rory Gallagher released his seventh solo studio album, “Photo-Finish”. The band was reduced to a power trio with drummer Ted McKenna of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Notable tracks on the album included “Shin Kicker”, “Shadow Play”, and “Overnight Bag”.

Dire Straits released their self-titled debut album. It was initially more successful in the UK and Australia, later gaining ground in the US, where the single “Sultans of Swing” reached the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Judas Priest released their fifth album, "Hell Bent for Leather" in the United States and "Killing Machine" in most other territories.

Columbia Records released Billy Joel's sixth studio album, 52nd Street. The album spent eight non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard album chart and produced the hits "My Life," which reached No. 3 in the United States and No. 12 in the UK; "Big Shot," which reached No. 14 in the United States; and "Honesty," which reached No. 24. The album won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In 1982, it was also among the first 50 albums released on compact disc.

AC/DC released the live album "If You Want Blood You've Got It", the band's first live album and the only live album featuring Bon Scott as lead vocalist.

Michael Jackson released his fifth studio album “Off the Wall” on Epic Records. The album reached No. 3 in the US and No. 5 in the UK, driven by four Top 10 singles: “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough” (US #1, UK #3), “Rock With You” (US #1, UK #7), “Off the Wall” (US #10, UK #7), and “She's Out of My Life” (US #10, UK #3). Despite the album's great success, it received only two Grammy nominations, and Jackson won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough”.

Led Zeppelin released their eighth and final studio album, "In Through the Out Door," in the United States. It was the last album by the group to be released during drummer John Bonham's lifetime.

Bob Dylan released his 19th studio album, Slow Train Coming.

Bob Dylan released his 19th studio album, “Slow Train Coming”, through Columbia Records, his first album following his conversion to Christianity. The religiously focused songs expressed his personal faith and emphasized the importance of Christian teaching and philosophy. The album reached No. 1 in Australia, New Zealand and Norway, No. 2 in the UK and No. 3 in the U.S. It included “Gotta Serve Somebody”, which reached No. 24 on the U.S. chart and became Dylan's last single to reach the U.S. Top 40. In 1980, it won a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male. According to one of the sources, the album alienated some of his longtime fans.

“In Through the Out Door” was released in the United States on August 22, 1979, as the band's eighth and final studio album. The album reached No. 1 on both the U.S. and British album charts and included the song “Fool in the Rain”, which reached No. 21 in the United States.

Randy Newman released the album “Born Again”, which followed his breakthrough but controversially perceived hit “Short People”.

Kool & the Gang released their 11th studio album, "Ladies' Night". Driven by the title track, which reached No. 8 in the U.S., and the hit "Too Hot", which reached No. 5, the album topped the Billboard Top R&B / Hip-Hop Albums chart and reached No. 13 on the main album chart. The group earned its first platinum certification with the album.

Led Zeppelin released the album "In Through the Out Door" in the UK.

Cliff Richard released his 22nd studio album “Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile”, which included the internationally successful hit “We Don't Talk Anymore” (No. 7 in the US, No. 1 in the UK), as well as “Hot Shot” (No. 46 in the UK) and “Carrie” (No. 4 in the UK).

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.”

Jimmy Buffett appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine while promoting the album Volcano. The album reached number 14 on the Billboard 200 and number 13 on the country chart. The singles Fins, Volcano, and Survive also charted. The article also covered the recording of the album in Montserrat at George Martin's AIR Studios near the then-inactive volcano.

Joe Jackson released his second studio album I'm the Man.

The Police released their second studio album Reggatta de Blanc on A&M Records. The album reached No. 1 in the UK and Australia and featured the hits Walking on the Moon and Message in a Bottle.

The Who released the soundtrack album Quadrophenia.

Fleetwood Mac brought forward the release of Tusk after its songs began mysteriously appearing on U.S. radio stations.

Elton John released the album Victim of Love, which moved away from his usual piano-driven pop-rock style toward disco music.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono began recording the album “Double Fantasy.”

John Lennon a Yoko Ono začali po pětileté přestávce nahrávat album „Double Fantasy“ ve studiu The Hit Factory v New Yorku. Album vyšlo v listopadu, dostalo se na první místo v USA, stalo se celosvětovým komerčním úspěchem a získalo Grammy za album roku.

AC/DC achieved their first UK No. 1 album with “Back In Black.” It was the band’s first album recorded without original vocalist Bon Scott, who died on February 19, 1980, and the album was dedicated to him. It was also the band’s first album with Brian Johnson. In August 2024, it was certified 27× platinum in the US by the RIAA, representing 27 million certified units.

Yes released the album Drama, on which Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes of The Buggles joined the group as replacements for Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman.

Roxy Music reached number one on the UK album chart with their seventh studio album “Flesh and Blood”. The album also reached number one in New Zealand and the Top 10 in five other countries.

Jethro Tull released the album "A", one of the albums commemorated as part of the musical anniversaries for this day.

UB40 released their debut album "Signing Off". The album reached No. 2 on the UK chart and became the first reggae album to reach such a high position. In 2010, to mark the band's 30th anniversary and the album's influence, the band performed the album in its entirety during a series of intimate concerts across the UK.

David Bowie released the album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps).

British heavy metal band Diamond Head released their debut album Lightning to the Nations. The record later became an important influence on another generation of metal bands and had a major impact on Metallica, whose members eventually covered five of the album's seven songs: “Am I Evil?,” “Helpless,” “The Prince,” “It's Electric” and “Sucking My Love.” Other NWOBHM bands, such as Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Saxon, surpassed Diamond Head in popularity, but Metallica's cover versions demonstrated their influence and secured their place in music history.

The Police released their third studio album Zenyatta Mondatta. The album reached No. 1 in Australia and the UK and No. 5 on the US Billboard 200, giving the group its first US Top 10 album. It featured the hits "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" and earned the group two Grammy Awards. The album sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.

Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album was released in the US. Among other things, it contains the “Rock Notes” section, which begins with a fictional report about Rex Stardust, the lead electric triangle player of the band Toad the Wet Sprocket. Seven years later, a real band of the same name was formed in California and had hits in the 1990s with “Walk on the Ocean” and “All I Want.”

Talking Heads released their fourth album, “Remain in Light,” the band's final album produced by Brian Eno. On the album, the group expanded on its experiments with African polyrhythms, which had begun with “I Zimbra” from the previous album Fear of Music. Producer Brian Eno worked with loops, samples, and other experimental techniques. The album sold more than one million copies worldwide and reached No. 19 on the US Billboard 200. The music video for “Once in a Lifetime,” featuring David Byrne's distinctive jerky movements, became popular on MTV.

Thin Lizzy released the album Chinatown.

The Police's third studio album, Zenyatta Mondatta, reached No. 1 on the UK album chart. It included successful songs such as "Don't Stand So Close to Me," "Canary in a Coalmine" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da."