This Day in Rock History: September 29

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1973: Grand Funk Railroad's hit song, "We're An American Band," reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It took some time to get there, as the single was released a few months earlier, on July 2.
• 1979: The Police secured the top spot on the Official U.K. Singles Chart for the first time with "Message in A Bottle." It was the lead single of their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, and introduced the world to the band's unique reggae-inspired sound.
• 1984: Prince and The Revolution started a two-week run at the top of the U.S. singles chart with their song "Let's Go Crazy." The opening track on the band's "Purple Rain" album briefly returned to the chart in 2016, following the artist's death.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1986: Iron Maiden released Somewhere in Time, their sixth studio album, via EMI Records in the U.K. and Capitol Records in the United States. It was a significant turning point for the band, as it was the first album where they used guitar synthesizers to experiment with new sounds.
• 1997: The Rolling Stones released Bridges to Babylon, their 21st studio album. It went platinum in the United States, supported by the highly successful Bridges to Babylon Tour, which included 108 shows.