Adam and the Ants, Challenger, Metallica, We Are the World

January 28th was a busy day in the 80's.

ADAM AND THE ANTS found success in the late 70's blurring the line between the punk and post-punk / new wave eras....In 1980 band members Dave Barbarossa, Matthew Ashman and Leigh Gorman – left the band, to form the instrumentalist personnel of the controversial Bow Wow Wow.

The next incarnation of Adam and the Ants featured guitarist Marco Pirroni and drummer/record producer Chris Hughes and lasted from February 1980 to March 1982 and achieved major commercial success in the UK and abroad.

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The song WE ARE THE WORLD was recorded on this day in 1985. More than 40 artists were involved. The proceeds went toward worldwide hunger prevention. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than 30 all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide. 

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The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger (mission STS-51-L) broke apart only 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida at 11:38 EST ...Americans watched the event live from homes, classrooms, and business across the nation and the disaster unfolded.

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In 1988, legendary band Metallica began recording "...And Justice for All". It was the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on August 25, 1988, by Elektra Records. It was their first album to feature bassist Jason Newsted, following the death of Cliff Burton in 1986. ...And Justice for All is musically progressive, featuring long and complex songs, fast tempos, and few verse-chorus structures. It was noted for its dry, sterile production, which producer Flemming Rasmussen attributed to his absence during the album's mixing process. The songs' dark lyrics have themes of political and legal injustice, as seen through the prism of war, censored speech, and nuclear brinkmanship. 

The front cover depicts a statue of Lady Justice cracked, blindfolded, and bound by ropes with her breasts exposed and both of her scales filled with dollars. The words "…And Justice for All" are written in graffiti-like lettering to the right. The cover art was created by Stephen Gorman, based on a concept developed by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. The album was initially released on one vinyl disc, but soon after re-released (without additional tracks) as a double-album. 

...And Justice for All was acclaimed by music critics. It was included in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll of the year's best albums, while the single "One" earned Metallica their first Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1990. It was also their best-selling album at that point and became the first underground metal album to achieve chart success in the United States. The album was certified 8× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 9, 2003, having shipped eight million copies in the US.

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