Rock Lab Radio: a day like today ... September 18th

September 18th

1968 ... The Who's single "Magic Bus" was released in the U.K.

1970 ... Jimi Hendrix passed away from choking on his own vomit after overdosing on sleeping pills. The guitar legend, one of the many rockers who died at the age of 27, was discovered by his girlfriend in her London apartment.

1970... Black Sabbath put out their second album, Paranoid, but only in the U.K. The record, which contained classics like “War Pigs,” “Iron Man” and the title track, wouldn’t get a U.S. release until early 1971.

1979 ... "Heartache Tonight" by the Eagles was released.

1981.... The Doors’ Greatest Hits released the prior year was certified Platinum in the U.S. & later went on to sell three million copies.

1983... to coincide with the release of their newest album, Lick It Up, Kiss did something new: They appeared on MTV without their famous makeup. They would stay “unmasked” until the reunion of the original lineup in 1996. Four years later, coincidentally, they gave us Crazy Nights. It featured a synth-heavy production that fit in with what was on the radio at the times, and “Crazy Crazy Nights” became their highest-charting single in Britain, topping out at No. 4.

2002... Bon Jovi performed at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. More than 375,000 people viewed the live Web cast of the show.