Zep caught "borrowing" again... -- A Supreme tragedy... -- Best metal album ever? Just may be...

Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin, June 1973. (Evening Standard/Getty Images)
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2/21/1971 (47 years ago today) - They only issued a few of 'em you know: Led Zeppelin released "Rock And Roll" as a single (b/w "Four Sticks") here in the U.S. where it would top out at No. 47 on the chart -- The song was the result of a spontaneous jam while they were trying to finish up the "Four Sticks" sessions; apparently, while John Bonham banged out the intro to Little Richard's "You Keep A-Knockin'", Jimmy Page picked up on it, added the legendary riff, and with the tapes rolling, Zep finished the song fifteen minutes later! Magic!

2/21/1976 (42 years ago today) - They had such a fantastic history, it's hard to believe it ended this way for one of The Supremes: singer Florence Ballard passed away on this date from cardiac arrest; she was only 32 years old!!! Flo was one of the founding members of (quite possibly, according to all stats) the most successful girl group of all-time, having sung on sixteen Top 40 singles, including ten Number One hits! The debate continues to this day...back in 1967, did she leave The Supremes of her own accord or was she "removed" (per order of Diana Ross or Motown head-honcho Berry Gordy)? After losing an $8 million lawsuit against Motown records, she struggled with alcoholism and depression and was living on welfare when she died. Tragic.

2/21/1986 (32 years ago today) - Metallica released their third album, the highly influential "Master Of Puppets", considered by many in the metal community to be the best metal album ever made!!! Unfortunately it was also the last Metallica album featuring bassist Cliff Burton -- He was the band's second bassist (having joined in 1983) and he played on Metallica's first three now-legendary LP's (the first two being "Kill 'Em All" and "Ride The Lightning", both also serving as pretty damn good lessons in how to do metal) -- Cliff died in an accident when the band's tour bus overturned in Sweden while on the road to promote "Puppets"; he was just 24.

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"I can't count the tears of a life with no love...", xoxo!

 

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