Rock and Culture Anniversaries

Two legends grew up around this 1974 appearance with Elton John. One was true, but the other was not.

This was their last album of the '70s – and in more ways than one.

Hopes for a global resurgence ended in Arizona after 80 tense concerts.

All four members left the band at some point in the last 18 months of their existence.

The tragedy cast a long shadow on the rock world and, in the days that followed, that shadow only lengthened.

‘Ride the Lightning’ track was inspired by vision of the Biblical 10th plague on Egypt.

They topped the charts for a final time with this jigsaw puzzle of a song.

It’s about a car, perhaps a stripper or both – but this marked the pinnacle of their world dominance.

He didn't roll over and play dead when the famous advice columnist criticized "Cold Ethyl."

There's no escaping the apocalyptic nature of one of the band's best albums.

This falls somewhere between the band's synth-driven era and their guitar-heavy sound in the late '90s.

He’d exhibited somewhat erratic behavior in prior months, but no one expected that he’d leave so soon.