Tommy’s Coffee Break Calendar for July 24th

Today, what band was first known as The Iveys?; plus, a big early '70's hit that we didn't know was a cover version; and a great rock band gets to No. 1 with a really strange album...

7/24/1969 (46 years ago today) - Abbey Road studios, London: Paul McCartney records a demo version of his new song "Come And Get It", but it doesn't feel quite like it would fit in with the other tracks The Beatles worked on this day, "Sun King" and "Mean Mr. Mustard", so he passes the song along to a newly signed group on their Apple record label called The Iveys. Soon after the band changes their name to Badfinger.

7/24/1971 (44 years ago today) - Dropping the "Paul Revere And..." from their name this-go-round pays off with The Raiders classic single "Indian Reservation" hitting the No. 1 spot on the U.S. singles chart. We did not know it was a cover version: the song was written by folk legend John D. Loudermilk and originally recorded by Marvin Rainwater (not kidding) in 1959 under the title "The Pale Faced Indian", which, thankfully, went unnoticed.

7/24/1993 (22 years ago today) - One of U2's most-experimental-but-still-cool albums goes to No. 1 -- "Zooropa" tops the U.S. album chart for two weeks in a row and wins a Grammy Award in 1994 for "Best Alternative Music Album". Some excellent songs on here: "Numb", "Lemon", "Some Days Are Better Than Others", "Stay (Faraway So Close)" and "The Wanderer" featuring Johnny Cash! The album may have confused fans a bit upon release, but years later, as always with U2, it sounds fantastic (of course).

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"And all the beads we made by hand/Are nowadays made in Japan...", xoxo.