Two Landmark Albums and Two Incredible Gunslingers: Today in Rock

Duane Allman's life was tragically cut short and Axl fires Slash. Bat Out of Hell enters the album charts as Dark Side of the Moon sets a record. October 29 in rock history.

10/29/1971: Duane Allman is killed in a horrific motorcycle crash in Macon, Georgia. Just 24 years old, his most enduring work includes the just-released live album At the Fillmore East with the Allman Brothers; it was his early session work in Muscle Shoals that got him noticed.

I remember hearing Wilson Pickett's 'Hey Jude' and just being astounded by the lead break at the end. I had to know who that was immediately – right now.
-Eric Clapton on Duane Allman

10/29/1996: Axl Rose sends a fax to MTV stating Slash is no longer in Guns N' Roses. Slash's statement: "Axl and I have not been capable of seeing eye to eye on Guns N' Roses for some time. We tried to collaborate, but at this point, I'm no longer in the band."

10/29/1983: Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon spent its 491st week on the Billboard 200 Album Chart, becoming the longest listed album in the history of the chart.

10/29/1977: Bat Out of Hell is in the charts for the first of what would become 83 weeks.

Some weeks overlapped, sure, but combined, those two classic albums would occupy the charts for more than 11 years.

Notable Rock & Roll Birthdays 10/29: