75. June 27, 1966
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention release Freak Out!
Rocks first concept record.

74. September 9, 1934
Muzak is registered as a trademark
Elevators, retail stores, restaurants none would go unmusically accompanied from here on in!

73. December 18, 2005
Lazy Sunday hits YouTube
The SNL skit helps turn a fledgling videohosting site into the worlds premier time suck.

72. August 31, 1963
The Ronettes Be My Baby debuts on the charts
Producer Phil Spectors Wall of Sound changes the nature of pop records, from documents of performances to studio creations.

71. November 16, 1985
Starships We Built This City reaches No. 1
The lowwater mark of soulcrushing corporate rock delivered by the onetime tiedyed standard bearers of hippiedom.

70. August 12, 1972
Willie Nelson plays his first show at Austins Armadillo World Headquarters
Kicks off the Nashvilledefying outlaw country movement, bringing together gunrack rednecks, sunbaked hippies and maybe just maybe a weed dealer or two.

69. October 1, 1982
The first compact disc goes on sale in Japan
Billy Joels 52nd Street ushers in the new format, reaping enormous profits for the music industry but also sowing the seeds of the digital revolution that will bring the biz to its knees 20 years later.

68. July 1, 1979
The Walkman goes on sale
When your kids ask you what those clunky plastic boxes were, you can say: 0GB iPods.

67. January 13, 1969
JÄgermeister reaches the U.s.
The afterdinner digestif is eventually adopted by hardrock bands as the favored facilitator of wanton misbehavior and poor life choices.

66. December 13, 1967
Grateful Dead debut Dark Star
The live epic that spurs the birth of the jamband movement.

65. March 30, 1980
Van Halen find brown M&Ms backstage
After a show at the University of Southern Colorado, in direct contravention of the clause in the bands contract, to be precise. They trash the dressing room, immortalizing the benchmark for all absurd backstage demands.

64. September 26, 1984
Def Jam releases LL Cool Js I Need a Beat
Hiphops first powerhouse label and longestrunning star both get their starts.

63 March 2, 1984
This Is Spinal Tap released
Rock bands become selfaware and drummers tread more carefully, particularly when undertaking chores in the garden.

62 December 6, 1969
Meredith Hunter stabbed to death at Altamont
Bringing a symbolic end to the optimistic peaceandlove counterculture of the 60s.

61 June 3, 1992
Bill Clinton blows his sax on Arsenio Hall
For the first time, a member of the rock & roll generation is on his way to the White House.

60 October 1, 1957
Little Richard renounces rock & roll for the Lord
Becoming the first rock star to be born again, paving the way for everyone from Al Green to Korns Brian Head Welch.

59. June 5, 1983
U2 play Red Rocks
Despite a torrential downpour, U2 insisted that the show go on at the Colorado amphitheater, an outdoor venue formed by two sandstone megaliths. And for good reason: U2 had committed their life savings to capturing the show on tape for what would become the Under a Blood Red Sky concert video. The evenings iconic moment came as Bono waved a large white flag during the political anthem Sunday Bloody Sunday. When MTV put a clip of this in heavy rotation, it ushered in U2s quartercentury of world domination.
Unintended consequence: rock stars on Charlie Rose

58. February 17, 1976
Eagles release greatest hits
Disco may have been in ascendance, but the Eagles compilation nonetheless sold a million copies in 24 days and has been selling ever since, clocking nearly 30 million record sales in the U.S. alone, making it the mostbought album of all time. The comps success firmly established baby boomers as rocks cash cow, ensuring that artists who came of age in the 60s and 70s would have lucrative careers that far outlasted their inspiration and, in many cases, even their deaths.
Unintended consequence: The heat is on

57. June 23, 1987
Tiffany tours malls
Stumped by how to promote an album by a 15yearold whose target audience was too young to even sneak into nightclubs, a desperate record executive suggested Tiffany spend her summer vacation touring the nations malls. The Beautiful You: Celebrating the Good Life Shopping Mall Tour 87 catapulted Tiffany to quadrupleplatinum sales. In the process, it established the food court as the first stop of choice for many aspiring teen pop stars including Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne and opened the industrys eyes to the buying power of millions of tweenage girls.
Unintended consequence: High School Musical

56. February 20, 1980
Bon Scott dies
When the AC/DC singer choked on his own vomit in a parked car after a London drinking session, the bands Highway to Hell had just grazed the Top 20 and they were really only appreciated by serious headbangers. After recruiting new singer Brian Johnson and releasing Back in Black as a tribute to Scott five months later, they were the biggest rock band in the world. They never came close to recapturing this crunching Matt Langeproduced manifesto of booze and womanizing, but at 42 million copies sold, this is the hardrock album that everyone owns.
Unintended consequence: power chords in strip clubs

55. January 1, 1953
Hank Williams found dead in his Cadillac
The ultimate countrymusic death also provides the archetype for rockstar martyrs to come, from Jimi to Kurt to Tupac.

54. March 30, 1965
Owsley receives his first shipment of lysergic monohydrate
With 800 grams of the raw materials for LSD, Augustus Owsley Stanley III manufactures 300,000 capsules of White Lightning acid legal in California at the time and turns on the entire West Coast. Hello, psychedelia!

53. January 22, 1972
David Bowie reveals his bisexuality in Melody Maker
Ziggy Stardust tells a reporter, Yes, of course Im gay, and always have been, becoming the first rock star to come out of the closet.

52. January 20, 1982
Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a live bat
Onstage at a solo show in Des Moines, Iowa, Ozzys ghoulish nosh establishes him as rocks alpha nutcase a title yet to be wrested from his trembling grasp.

51. May 19, 1965
Pete Townshend writes My Generation
Forced to take the train after the queen has his Packard hearse towed, the Who guitarist uses his commute to author rocks first and greatest endorsement of voluntary euthanasia.

25. September 18, 1979
The Sugarhill Gang release Rappers Delight
Hiphops first classic is also its first gold record, proving the genres commercial viability and paving the way for the Rappin Granny.

24. May 15, 1954
The first Fender Stratocaster is shipped
Among rock guitars, this is the O.G. the one Hendrix used to play Woodstock, the one George Harrison used on Rubber Soul and the one that adorns Buddy Hollys grave

23. July 26, 1979
Congress hears of an impending cocainesmoking epidemic
In a few years, urban America will be ravaged by crack offering rappers nationwide their tragic muse.

22. December 8, 1980
John Lennon murdered
Never mind what the calendar says: This is the day the 60s died.

21. May 25, 1991
SoundScan Debuts
In mid1991, Billboard began using barcodebased data from SoundScan to track CD sales, rather than relying on retailers own oftenfaulty, sometimesfraudulent tally. The week of the change, 15 more country albums appeared in the Top 200 than the previous week; four months later, Garth Brookss Ropin the Wind became the first country album to debut at No. 1. The more democratic chart system opened the industrys eyes to the widespread popularity of not only country but also hiphop, which had been considered little more than a niche genre. In turn, country and urban artists were lavished with more attention and dollars, fueling the commercial ascent of both.
Unintended consequence: The Life of Chris Gaines

20. November 20, 1969
Clyde Stubblefield plays on Funky Drummer
Beginning with Stubblefields first single with James Brown, 1967s Cold Sweat, the Godfather made room for his mindbending drummer to solo whenever possible. Five minutes and 22 seconds into the final hit recorded by Browns classic 60s band, at a session at King Records in Cincinnati, Stubblefield got his defining moment: an entire song built around his eightbar break. When DJs a decade later discovered that they could loop two copies of it endlessly, Stubblefields beat became arguably the mostsampled rhythm in hiphop history, appearing on well over 150 records.
Unintended consequence: cratedigging nerds

19. September 14, 1984
Madonna sings Like a Virgin at the VMAs
Before the Sex book, the burning crosses, the BritneyChristina threeway and African adoptions, Madge was just a 26yearold girl in a wedding dress. Performing her first No. 1 hit at MTVs inaugural Video Music Awards, she danced on a 10foot wedding cake in a veil, garters and her infamous Boy Toy belt, then descended to the stage for a bout of simulated masturbation. The ensuing media firestorm taught her valuable careerdefining lessons: Sex sells, and controversy is fun. It also cemented her relationship with MTV and set the bar for countless outrageous VMA moments to follow not a few of which also involved Madonna.
Unintended consequence: Diana Ross boobjiggles Lil Kim

18. August 21, 1993
Police raid Neverland Ranch
Investigating allegations of child molestation, the LAPD search Michael Jacksons home in the Santa Ynez Valley, California, precipitating the superstars slide from King of Pop to Wacko Jacko.

17. April 16, 1956
Chuck Berry nails down his guitar sound
With the chord barrage that opens Roll Over Beethoven, recorded at Chess Studios in Chicago, Berry perfects the sound of rock & roll lead guitar.

16. August 16, 1977
Elvis Presley dies
The King is found slumped in the bathroom of Graceland, launching a stillthriving multimillion dollar industry and a wave of implausible legends and posthumous sightings.

15. July 25, 1965
Bob Dylan goes electric at Newport
Backed up by members of Paul Butterfields Blues Band, he makes it through only three electric songs before getting booed offstage by the folkfestival crowd; but thats enough to slam the door shut on the 60s folk revival. Acoustic guitars never get anyone laid again.

14. October 8, 1980
Prince poses in black undies
Until this point, Prince had been just another upstart R&B singer. With the cover of his third album, Dirty Mind a blackandwhite shot of him giving the camera a comehither look, wearing bikini briefs, a jacket, a bandanna and nothing else, and standing in front of an abstract design that looks a lot like bedsprings he became something else. It looked (and the album sounded) like a newwave record, and it delivered two clear messages. One was I dont fit into any category anybody wants to put me in. The other was I am coming to **** you, right now. The combination worked well for Prince for the better part of 20 years.
Unintended consequence: Carmen Electras career

13. March 25, 2002
Justin and Britney split
When they split, Britney Spears was pops reigning princess and Justin Timberlake was a singer for a boy band with little musical credibility and plummeting commercial prospects. Maybe Brit was weighing JT down? Hes since released two monster solo albums, establishing him as a credible superstar on speed dial for rappers hunting for pop crossover. Shes released one album of new material a relative flop and spent her time getting married (twice), having kids (twice), entering and ditching rehab, shaving her head and, for a while, carrying on a public campaign against wearing underwear.
Unintended consequence: Popozão!

12. February 2, 1976
Ramones make a record
It is a tale told by four idiots, full of sound and fury, recorded for $6,000. It was real rushed, Tommy (Ramone) Erdelyi says of recording at Radio City Music Halls studio. Very lowbudget and quick. Each song got one take: guitarist Johnny played in a gym the Rockettes used for dance rehearsal; bassist Dee Dee in the control room; and in another room on drums, Tommy a guitarist whod never sat behind a kit in his life.

Not that Erdelyi and the Queens, New York, band fronted by singer Jeffrey Hyman (Joey Ramone) were idiots. But if anyone was in touch with their inner idiot it was the authors of Blitzkrieg Bop, Beat on the Brat and the other minisongs they put to vinyl.

Their shows at CBGB were 20minute sets of twominute songs played in what appeared to be a frantic attempt to get offstage as soon as possible. After signing to Sire Records, they lugged their gear to Radio City, where the guard took one look at us and called up to make sure we were really booked, says Erdelyi. The result? Fourteen tracks and 29 minutes of nearly identical threechord ditties about the CIA, Nazis and the Ice Capades sung with a fauxBritish accent. Genius or moronic?

Most Americans assumed the latter. But many Londoners saw that while one or two such songs may signify incompetence, an albums worth shows true artistic intent a manifesto of a strippeddown rock & roll atavism and began forming bands: the Sex Pistols, the Clash and other shapers of rocks next 20 years. Recording budget: six grand. Launching punk: priceless. The Ramones first album is the blueprint for punk rock, the Clashs Joe Strummer once said. So, any other group from the release of that album onward is really copping to the Ramones.
Chris Norris

11. October 12, 1995
Suge Knight bails out Tupac
Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. started out friends, but their relationship began to crumble when Shakur was shot in late 1994. One day before, Shakur was found guilty of sexual assault and later imprisoned at NYCs Clinton Correctional Facility, where he heard rumors that Biggie had arranged the shooting. Death Row honcho Suge Knight, who had a longtime rivalry with Biggies mentor P. Diddy, stoked Tupacs antiB.I.G. rage and in exchange for signing a contract with Death Row posted Pacs $1.4 million bail. It would prove a Faustian bargain: With Shakur under Knights wing, the Death Row/Bad Boy feud escalated, diss tracks led to assaults and by 1997, Pac and Biggie had been murdered set up, some close to the case contend, by Knight himself.
Unintended consequence: 1,376 posthumous tuPac albums (and counting)

10. April 26, 1977
Studio 54 opens
It was the hottest spot of the disco era, a destination where glamorous people, groovy music and tons of white powder joined forces to change celebrity culture forever. Bianca Jagger, Donald Trump and 11yearold Brooke Shields hustled across the converted TV studios parquet floor on its opening night, while Biancas thenhusband Mick and Frank Sinatra were among the hundreds stranded outside. Studio 54 made the partys exclusivity more important than the party itself though the party was still awesome. It was the only club where you could have sex, said Prince Egon von Furstenberg.
Unintended consequence: Paris Hilton

9. May 6, 1965
Keith Richards writes the (I Cant Get No) Satisfaction riff
One night on the Rolling Stones third U.S. tour, Richards awoke in his room at the Gulf Motel in Clearwater, Florida, with a riff in his head: He played it into a tape recorder beside the bed and went back to sleep. The next day, Keith explained to Mick Jagger that the words hed thought up were I cant get no satisfaction; neither Keith nor Mick wanted the finished song released as a single, but they were outvoted it became the Stones first No. 1, and the ascent of the Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World began.
Unintended consequence: Pirates of the Caribbean, 13

8. December 21, 1960
Bob Dylan leaves Minnesota
Hed been talking for ages about hitting the road like his idol Woody Guthrie, and a few days before Christmas, 19yearold folkmusic buff Bobby Zimmerman finally made his move: He packed up his guitar and harmonica, walked out to Highway 61 and hitched a ride away from the Twin Cities. (As he later put it: I had to get out of there and not come back.) Thirtyfour days later, Bob Dylan, as he was now calling himself, arrived in New York and played his first gig there, an open mike at Cafe Wha?, beginning his career as the king of the New York folkies.
Unintended consequence: Jews get cool

7. March 2, 1983
MTV airs Billie Jean video
Formerly all but offlimits to black artists, the fledgling music video channel is finally strongarmed into featuring Michael Jackson. Everyone gets richer and cooler.

6. October 25, 1997
Dr. Dre hears Eminem freestyling on KPWRs Wake Up Show in L.A.
Afterward, Dre tracks down Marshall Mathers, signs him, and white hiphop goes from lowmelanin punch line to a multimilliondollar oneman art form.

5. August 1, 1981
MTV debuts
In a banner day for lipsynching, outrageous fashion and rebellious teens, music hops mediums, making walking, talking 2D video stars accessible 24 hours a day.

4. March 30, 1994
Kurt Cobain buys a Remington M11 20gauge shotgun and a box of ammunition
Six days later, grunge and its reluctant poster boy are dead.

3. June 1, 1999
Napster released
Early in 1999, after his roommate at Northeastern University complained about the unreliability of MP3 download sites, Shawn Fanning became obsessed with devising software to make music file sharing easier. Fanning dropped out of college and, after three months in front of a laptop in his uncles office, completed coding Napster, sent it to 30 chatroom friends and asked them to keep it to themselves. By February 2001, 26.4 million people were using it to trade songs. Five months later, an RIAA suit shut them down but by then, people were used to getting music for free; CD sales began their downward spiral.
Unintended consequence: Lars Ulrich has one less Basquiat in his collection

2. August 11, 1973
Kool DJ Herc invents hiphop
Aiming to use his budding local rep as a DJ to raise money for backtoschool clothes, the 18yearold born in Kingston, Jamaica, crammed the rec room of a Bronx apartment complex with paying customers. He earned $500, but Hercs real achievement was in noticing that people most enjoyed songs instrumental breakdowns: He started looping one break endlessly into itself, while rapping friends nicknames into a mic. Hiphop as we know it would flow from that moment: After that, Herc tells Blender, You couldnt put a cap on it. It was like The Beverly Hillbillies: black gold. And its still gushing.
Unintended consequence: Skyrocketing sales of Cristal, Versace and Escalades

91. September 8, 1965
Classified ad runs to form the Monkees
The first fictional band was born, presaging Josie and the Pussycats, Gorillaz and the current incarnation of Guns N Roses.

  Great dig to Axl!

79. April 1, 2032
Guns N Roses Chinese Democracy released
Weeks after Axls death in a tragic tanningbed accident.

The album has been slated to be released for years now!

101.  May 17, 2003.  Freeze Frame Radio hits the internet.