This video has everything: weird hats, good music, and no apparent point. All of which earn it 4 guitars in our book. I getting my haircut once and the stylist said that she was convinced Ian Astbury of the Cult was actually Jim Morrison of the Doors reincarnated.  I gave her an extra large tip so she could visit a therapist. Ironically, years later Astbury toured with the remaining members of the Doors.

One of the funniest things about the Cult in this video is if you turn off the sound and look at each member individually, you would think they were all playing a completely different genre of music. This might have been the first clue that the next three Cult albums would sound very different from each other.

WATN? The Cult are recording and plan a new release for Summer 2009.

Trivia: Ian Astbury’s “Gathering of Tribes” was the inspiration for Lollapalooza a year later. One former bass player went by the name Haggis.

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Is it me or was every 3rd Toto song the name of a girl? Toto had a revolving door of lead singers, so that might explain it. Pamela reached number 22 on the charts and the video was helped by a parade of models. I guess when you throw some jazz horns behind the guitars, the sexy models become art. When the models do the same thing in a heavy metal video, their called tramps. You say tomato, I say…

WATN? Toto officially called it quits on June 5, 2008.

Trivia? Paula Abdul (then unknown) made her video debut in the Toto video Till The End.

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Sure it took Axl 14 years to release Chinese Democracy, but it only took Pound Note 2 months to throw up a GNR video.  Slash once said he was trying to mimic a circus tune when he came up with the guitar intro to the song. Released in 1987, Sweet Child 0′ Mine was the band’s only #1 single.

WATN? After 14 years, they finally released their new album.

Trivia: The song was originally a poem written to Rose’s then girlfriend Erin Everly.

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The Hooters released their album of the eighties on this date in 1989. I’ve always felt this band was horribly underrated. Although they had other songs that were bigger hits (and we will get to them, Ket), this song is one of my favs. It’s a tune that dates back to the civil war that they remade and added lyrics that were relevant at the time (including a reference to Tienanmen Square). Sixties folk icons Peter, Paul, and Mary sing back up on the song.

WATN? The Hooters are still going strong, after a six year hiatus from 1995 to 2001. Mostly successful in Europe, they released another studio album (Time Stand Still) in 2007.

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Exactly 20 years ago today, The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 was released. This video isn’t all that remarkable until the shear talent assembled sinks into your brain. Usually, a collection of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers forming a group turns out to be something less than memorable. But the Wilbury’s managed to turn out two pretty good albums with an all star lineup.  Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Geoff Lynn made up the group.  The song Handle With Care was originally supposed to be a b-side to a Harrison single. The result was so good, they decided to record a whole album together. They wrote and recorded Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 in only 10 days!

WATN? Petty continues to tour and Lynn has done more producing lately than actual recording. Orbison passed shortly after the release of Wilburys Vol. 1.  Harrison passed in 2001. Dylan is still performing on the “Never Ending Tour.”

Trivia: Petty was added to the group because Harrison left his guitar at Petty’s house.

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