News
Pigs Will Fly - the ten greatest rock promo stunts with Jacko, Queen, KLF, John Lennon & more
Today (26 September), Pink Floyd's record label are replicating the cover of classic album Animals by flying a giant pig above London's imposing Battersea Power Station. It marks the release of a set of 14 remastered albums and the six-disc Immersion version of Dark Side Of The Moon. Pink Floyd aren't the first band to pull off a natty promotional stunt. Here are ten of the best...
1. Michael Jackson's waterborne Golem
In 1995, the King Of Pop displayed eight 33ft statues of himself in cities across Europe to promote his HIStory album. London's statue was floated down the Thames on a barge, stopping traffic as Tower Bridge was specially opened.
2. Queen's nude bicycle race
The single was Fat Bottomed Girls/Bicycle Race. The 1978 stunt tied the two together: 50 nude women on two wheels raced around Wimbledon Stadium. "We lost some of our audience with that," Brian May has said.
3. John and Yoko have a lie-in
In 1969, newlywed John Lennon and Yoko Ono invited the world's press to observe their "bed-in for peace" in the Amsterdam Hilton.
4. The KLF slay a sheep
At 1992's Brit Awards, seasoned pranksters The KLF fired blanks from a
machine gun into the audience before dumping a dead sheep on the steps of the aftershow party.
5. The Sex Pistols mess about on the river
The punk provocateurs celebrated 1977's Silver Jubilee playing a gig on a barge - the Queen Elizabeth - on the Thames. Their anti-monarchy anthem, God Save The Queen, hit number 2 that week.
6. Madonna hearts Britney
Britney Spears and Madonna locked lips at 2003's MTV Video Music Awards, ensuring worldwide front covers the following morning.
7. Prince drops his name
Frustrated with his record company, Prince denounced his own name in 1993, going by an unpronounceable symbol instead.
8. Robbie's funeral wreath
The long-running feud between Oasis and Robbie Williams took a comical turn in 2000, when Williams sent a funeral wreath to the band - via The Sun newspaper - with a note reading, "R.I.P. Heard your latest album - with deepest sympathy, Robbie Williams."
9. Radiohead take on Fleet Street
To promote new album The King Of Limbs, Radiohead gave away copies of a newspaper at 62 locations around the world, leading to phenomenally long queues outside record stores. Its name? The Universal Sigh.
10. Ian Dury & The Blockheads redecorate music mag offices
To promote latest album Do It Yourself in 1979, Ian Dury's label Stiff sent a team out to wallpaper buildings, lamp-posts and the interior of music magazine offices - including desks, phones and typewriters.
12:20 PM | 26/09/2011
More Photos Of:
Latest News
-
Arctic Monkeys unveil new single & possible Glasto opener, Kings Of Leon & more join iTunes Fest, dealing with hecklers the Patti Smith way... Music News Daily
A round-up of all the news, views, interviews and cool music things online today (19 June)
-
Q&a Jake Bugg - "I'm cynically open-minded" Rick Rubin, Glastonbury, his second LP & more
Plus the singer-songwriter discusses his rebooted new single Broken out next month (29 July)
-
Guest Column - Block party: East London's musicians on organising their own festival
Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs' Samir Eskanda explains what it's like to step out from behind the drums to curate the brand new East End Live (13 Jul)
-
East End Live 2013 the final line-up with Toy, Pere Ubu, Charlie Boyer & more
Exclusive - here's who is playing where at London's newest festival on 13 July
-
MIA returns with new track, Glastonbury set times announced, Daft Punk say JJ Abrams' Star Wars will "keep the Force alive"... Music News Daily
A round-up of all the news, views, interviews and cool music things online today (18 June)
-
Column - High-speed dubbing: the making of Speedy Wunderground's Bat For Lashes & Toy single
Natasha Khan and producer Dan Carey on the making of new collaborative track The Bride, recorded in just six hours...
Advertisement
User Comments
Post A Comment
Post A Comment