Run DMC “Raising Hell” released on yesterday’s date, May 15th, 1986. Profile Records. This LP, Run DMC’s third studio album, is a new acquisition: I received it for Mother’s Day on Sunday but I’ve had a cassette of Raising Hell since the fall of ‘86 (and it’s further evidence of a lifetime of odd musical pairings as apparently I thought Charlie Sexton’s Pictures for Pleasure would make a good B-side).

Raising Hell was, of course, a significant development in popular music history. Run DMC’s collaboration with Aerosmith on “Walk This Way” on the recommendation of album producer Rick Rubin was brilliant and ridiculously popular, becoming the first rap song to crack the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and helped resurrect Aerosmith. Raising Hell was the first rap album to hit #1 on Billboard’s Top R&B album chart and it peaked at #6 on the Billboard album chart. Run DMC released three other singles from the LP besides “Walk This Way” – “You Be Illin’” which hit #29, “It’s Tricky” went to #57 (and still one of my faves) and “My Adidas” which failed to chart on the main US charts but did manage to teach a generation how to incorrectly pronounce Adidas – it isn’t pronounced ah-DEE-duhs; it’s AH-dih-dahs.