Musical #tbt: May 23

Today’s musical walk through time feels inventive. Rebellious. The stories we found show artists breaking new ground, testing old norms, and fighting flawed systems, whatever the cost. Their actions, creations and inventions reshaped the world of music as we know it, paving the way for generations of artists to come.

1973

Jefferson Airplane loved San Francisco. However, just four years after releasing At Golden Gate Park, the band was barred from performing a free show at, you guessed it, Golden Gate Park. San Francisco city officials, in all their wisdom, passed a resolution banning electronic instruments. The officials reportedly told the group, “As you know, we built this city on orchestral music. The group was devastated. Along with artists like The 13th Floor Elevators and Carlos Santana, Jefferson Airplane helped make San Francisco a center point in the counterculture movement so critical to the city’s identity. The move was a slap in the face.

Jefferson Airplane in one of their many permutations.

Fast forward 11 years and two names (Snoop? Puff?), and the group, now just Starship, had their revenge. Say what you will about it’s cringe-worthy, kitschy radio appeal, “We Built This City” took the words of a bureaucratic slight and topped the charts in 1984. In 1986, the song earned Starship a grammy nod for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. That’s a slow burn, but Jefferson Airplane Starship Starship had its say in the end.

1979

Tom Petty’s label, Shelter Records, had him by the balls. The commercial success of his first two albums and singles like “American Girl” and “Breakdown,” didn’t translate financially for the rising star. When MCA bought the label, Petty voiced his complaints to deaf ears. Reminiscent of Ray and foreshadowing Frank, Petty made his own moves.

Tom Petty showed artists how to hold their own against major labels.

Petty the pioneer held the label hostage, recording his own album at personal cost and then refusing to release it. Citing his studio debts, Petty filed for bankruptcy, forcing MCA to void his contract. Once the tables were turned, he resigned with MCA under significantly more favorable terms. This wasn’t the only time Tom Petty went head to head with hydra-label corporations, but it was the first, and he showed the way. You gotta pay for this shit.

2000

After pissing of the world and fighting lawsuits from everyone and his mother in the wake of his multi-platinum record The Slim Shady LP, Eminem refused to take his foot off of the gas. The Dr. Dre dandy dug in deep and brought the heat with his third studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP. Em wasn’t just flying his middle finger higher, he was stepping into his own. He rose to the noise from critics in and outside the industry by standing on his own name for the first time in his career and screaming even louder.

Eminem stood on his own name to make The Marshall Mathers LP.

Fueled by standout singles like, “Kim,” “Stan,” and “The Real Slim Shady,” the comprehensive album certified Em’s place in the game. The Marshall Mathers LP sold 1.78 million copies in the first week, won the Grammy for Best Rap Album, and went on to sell 35 million copies worldwide.