Anniversaries

There was a noticeable difference on his country-inspired eighth album.

It was Kit Lambert, who died on April 7, 1981 at 45 years old from a luckless accident, who first encouraged Pete Townshend to write his own songs in the early '60s.

This LP arrived during a low ebb in the relationship between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

The guitarist's untimely death cut short one of rock's greatest partnerships.

Watch the video closely and you'll notice something off...

His infamous statement about the Beatles' success wasn't even the strangest thing he said.

The first thing you heard on 'Master of Puppets' was almost Bobcat Goldthwait's voice.

This was one of the few times in the early '80s when Pete Townshend shared a truly great track with the band.

Before they could release their first hit single, the new-look band had to convince their labels and managers they weren't crazy.

Anyone looking for the match-light moment when they exploded onto the national scene needs to search no further.

The 1981 album marked several crucial turning points for the band.

Despite being one of the singer's five highest-charting songs, it is routinely left off Osbourne's career-spanning compilations.