Pick a Day

Music History Events: Releases

August 27, 1996 Pearl Jam release their fourth album, No Code, which debuts at #1 in the US.

July 23, 1996 Fiona Apple, 18, releases her debut album, Tidal, featuring "Shadowboxer" and "Criminal." It sells over 3 million copies in America.More

July 9, 1996 Thirteen-year-old LeAnn Rimes releases her debut album, Blue, and wows critics with the hits "Blue" and "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)."More

June 4, 1996 Metallica release Load, their first album in five years.More

May 21, 1996 Soundgarden's fifth album, Down On The Upside, is released. It debuts at #2 in America, behind Fugees' The Score.

May 6, 1996 Backstreet Boys release their self-titled debut album to international markets, aiming to tap into Europe's fascination with boy bands. A US release comes the following year.

April 23, 1996 Hootie & the Blowfish release their second album, Fairweather Johnson. It doesn't approach the 21 million in sales of their debut (Cracked Rear View), but still sells an impressive 3 million.

March 19, 1996 Barenaked Ladies release their third studio album, Born On A Pirate Ship.

March 8, 1996 Sting releases his fifth solo album, Mercury Falling.

February 27, 1996 Bad Religion release their ninth full-length studio album, The Gray Race. This is the first Bad Religion album to feature Brian Baker on guitar, replacing Brett Gurewitz, who left the band two years earlier.

January 30, 1996 Eazy-E's posthumous album Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton is released. It debuts at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

January 23, 1996 In America, Tori Amos releases her third album, Boys For Pele, with 18 tracks she wrote and produced herself. Pele is the Hawaiian volcano goddess; the "boys" represent the men in Amos' life whose fire she has stolen.

November 21, 1995 DC Talk release Jesus Freak, an album that breaks new ground in contemporary Christian music by blending alternative rock and hip-hop. It sells over 2 million copies and influences artists like Lecrae who keep pushing the boundaries.

September 12, 1995 Lenny Kravitz releases his fourth studio album, Circus. The lead single, "Rock and Roll Is Dead," is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.

July 3, 1995 D'Angelo, just 21, releases his debut album, Brown Sugar. With the hits "Lady" and "Brown Sugar," it brings R&B into new territory with a smooth, funky sound that influences artists like Jill Scott, John Mayer and Tyler, the Creator.

June 27, 1995 Neil Young releases Mirror Ball, an album featuring members of Pearl Jam. His 21st studio album, it features the hit single "Downtown."

June 27, 1995 Circle Jerks release their sixth and final studio album, Oddities, Abnormalities, & Curiosities. It is the band's first release on a major label, although Mercury Records will go on to drop Circle Jerks after they fail to reach mainstream success.

June 15, 1995 Five years after their successful debut After the Rain, Nelson release their second album, Because They Can, which tanks.More

March 28, 1995 Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard releases his first solo album, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version. His food stamp ID card is on the cover.

March 28, 1995 Wilco release their debut album, A.M. It is the first and last album to feature Brian Henneman on lead guitar.

March 27, 1995 The British boy band Take That release their most successful single, "Back For Good," which lands at #1 on several charts around the world and secures the #7 spot in America.

March 14, 1995 Grunge supergroup Mad Season release their only album, Above. The group includes Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees.

March 14, 1995 The Goo Goo Dolls release their breakthrough fifth studio album, A Boy Named Goo, featuring their first major hit, "Name."More

March 6, 1995 Annie Lennox issues her second solo album, Medusa, a collection of covers. The first single is "No More I Love You's," originally recorded by the English group The Lover Speaks.

February 27, 1995 PJ Harvey releases her first solo album, To Bring You My Love, after the demise of her eponymous trio. The album includes her mainstream US breakthrough, "Down By The Water."

November 29, 1994 Mary J. Blige releases her breakthrough second album, My Life. Many of the songs deal with her tempestuous relationship with Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey of Jodeci.

November 22, 1994 Pearl Jam's third album, Vitalogy, is released, but only on vinyl. Two weeks later it is issued on CD.

November 8, 1994 A&M Records releases Woodstock 1994, an album documenting the Woodstock '94 festival that took place in Saugerties, New York, three months earlier. The two-disc set includes live performances from 27 artists, including Joe Cocker ("Feelin' Alright"), The Cranberries ("Dreams"), Green Day ("When I Come Around") and Bob Dylan ("Highway 61 Revisited").

September 27, 1994 Egyptian-Canadian singer-songwriter Raffi releases Bananaphone, an album of children's music. Nothing very notable at the time seems apparent; however, the title song becomes a viral Internet craze in 2004 when a Flash animation featuring the song is posted on the website Newgrounds. After this, Raffi becomes internationally famous, and "Bananaphone" makes it onto the radio and later radio and TV shows including The Opie & Anthony Show, The Colbert Report, and Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

September 27, 1994 The Dave Matthews Band release their first major-label album, Under The Table and Dreaming. The band is road-tested, with a huge fanbase in the Virginia area, where they have been playing live since 1991. They earn a legion of new fans when the tracks "What Would You Say" and "Ants Marching" get airplay across America, helping the album sell over 6 million copies.