Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for July 17th

Two of the '60's greatest ever singles, plus props for a true punk legend...

(Courtesy of Capitol Records)

7/17/1965 (52 years ago today) - The based in Cincinnati, Ohio, independent King record label released the mother of funk bombs, and at just 1-minute-55-seconds(!) its ability to amaze remains powerfully intact: "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" by James Brown is unleashed and proceeds to sell over 2 million copies -- It's the de-facto definition of "wicked", and one of the tightest records ever made, no question...

7/17/1967 (50 years ago today) - Remember, just four years earlier, no one in America had any idea who they were...: The Beatles release "All You Need Is Love", which quickly becomes their 14th consecutive No. 1 single in the U.S. -- The B-side, "Baby, You're A Rich Man", was originally titled "One Of The Beautiful People". The boundary pushing continues...

7/17/1948 - Born on this day, Ron Asheton, guitarist for the Iggy Pop-fronted punk rock pioneers The Stooges -- While I didn't understand albums like "Funhouse" (1970) and "Raw Power" (1973) when they were first released, today they sound like freshly-recorded dynamite, really invigorating stuff and absolutely mind-boggling when you realize that they were recorded over 40 years ago! No Stooges, no "Appetite For Destruction", look it up -- Ron was ranked at number 29 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time; he passed away from a heart attack at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on January 9, 2009, at age 60.