1982

In December, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” is released. All hell breaks loose. (Check out Michael's "Billie Jean" demo.)


Adam & The Ants disband after singer Adam Ant decides to pursue a solo career. In June, he scores his first #1 single in the UK with “Goody Two Shoes”.

In April, Toto release their fourth album, entitled “IV”. Singles “Rosanna” (#2), “Africa” (#1), and “I Won’t Stand In Your Way” (#10) all garner heavy radio airplay and help keep the album firmly lodged in the Top 10 and, later, to win six Grammy awards.


With new singer Bruce Dickinson taking over for original vocalist Paul Di'Anno, Iron Maiden release "Number of The Beast". The album vaulted them from up-and-comers to chart-toppers in the UK and the single "Run To The Hills" vaulted to #7. In the U.S., where heavy metal had yet to penetrate the mainstream, the album peaked at #33, but the band was well on their way to developing a rabid Stateside fan-base.


After the debacle that was “The Hunter”, Blondie call it a day. (Check out this live version of “Island of Lost Souls” from their ’82 tour).

With Don Henley and Glenn Frey eager to devote full efforts to their respective solo careers, the Eagles officially disband.


The Motels release their third album “All Four One” and score a Top 10 single with “Only The Lonely”. The follow-up single “Take The L” also enjoyed heavy radio airplay, helping the album reach gold status for sales over 500,000 units.

The Birthday Party (led by Nick Cave) release the amazing "Junkyard" album, which features ex-Magazine bassist Barry Adamson. (Check out this live version of "Release The Bats".)


In November, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers release "Long After Dark", which goes Top 10 on the strength of the single "You Got Lucky", which is notable for being the first Petty track to include a synthesizer.

Here are some more tracks from Petty's '82 tour:

Refugee
A Woman In Love
Even The Losers
A One Story Town
Straight Into Darkness
Change Of Heart


Metallica self-release "No Life Til Leather", leading to heavy word-of-mouth and underground tape-swapping throughout the metal underground that would eventually lead to a record deal with Metal Blade Records. (Check out his live version of "Hit The Lights" that features both Dave Mustaine and Cliff Burton.)

Santana release "Shango!", marking the return of Gregg Rolie, who left the band to join Journey. The album went to #22 and featured the Top 20 hit, "Hold On". (Check out this live version of "Nowhere To Run".)

Willie Nelson scores a #1 Country single (and #5 Pop single) with "Always On My Mind".

In September, Simple Minds release "New Gold Dream (81 82 83 84)". It was their first album to enjoy Top 10 success in the UK, establishing them as part of the blossoming New Romantics movement. It broke the Top 100 in America, as did the single "Promised You A Miracle".

John Cougar’s sixth album, “American Fool” rockets to #1 on the U.S charts on the radio success of singles “Hurts So Good” (#2), “Jack & Diane” (#1) and “Hand To Hold Onto” (#19).

The Stray Cats release "Built For Speed", a collection of tracks gathered from their first two albums (along with one new song, the title cut), and unleash a moderate rockabilly revival as the album skyrockets to #2 on the U.S. charts on the success of such hit singles as "Rock This Town" (#9) and "Stray Cat Strut" (#3).

Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder’s duet “Ebony & Ivory” goes to #1 in the UK for three weeks, also spending six weeks at #1 in the States.


August brings the release of "Business As Usual", the debut album by Australian rockers Men At Work, which would go on to spend 15 weeks at #1. "Who Can It Be Now?" would jump to #1 on the singles chart, with "Land Down Under" doing the same and shining the spotlight on the Aussie delicacy known as the "vegemite sandwich".


In March, Sonic Youth release their self-titled debut EP on Neutral Records. (Check out this cool live version of “Shaking Hell”.)


Despite being released in August, Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen” still manages to become the biggest selling single of the 1982 in Britain, spending four weeks at #1.


Prog-rock super-group Asia, featuring ex-members of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes and King Crimson, releases their self-titled debut album in March. First single “Heat Of The Moment” is an immediate radio hit that climbs to #4 on the charts and propels the album to #1.

In August, Motley Crue’s independently-released debut album, “Too Fast For Love”, is re-mixed by producer Roy Thomas Baker and re-released in August on Elektra Records. It would peak at #77 on the Top 200 Albums chart, eventually going platinum. (Check out this live cut of “Toast of The Town” from an ’82 gig. The tune had been included on the indie version of the album, but dropped from the track listing on the Elektra version.)


Led by gender-bending singer Boy George, Culture Club release their debut album, “Kissing To Be Clever”, scoring three Top 10 singles in the U.S.; “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me”, “Time (Clock of The Heart”), and “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya”. Despite such success, and perhaps proving their status as a singles band, the album fails to make the Top 10, peaking at #14 in the States.


The Who release “It’s Hard”, their second album since Keith Moon’s death and final studio album before choosing to “retire”. It would peak at #8 despite the lackluster performance of its two singles “Athena” (#28) and “Eminence Front” (#68).


R.E.M. release their debut EP, Chronic Town, in August. (Check out these outtakes from the Chron Town sessions: "Ages Of You" and a faster version of "Wolves, Lower"

In April, German hard rock band Scorpions release “Blackout” and score their first Top 10 album, which is best known for the power ballad “No One Like You”. Of note is that then-unknown Don Dokken sang lead vocals on the original album demos due to singer Klaus Meine recovering from vocal surgery.

Ex-Damned singer/guitarist Captain Sensible scores a UK #1 single in June with a cover of the Rogers & Hammerstein “Happy Talk” (from South Pacific).

In October, KISS release “Creatures Of The Night”, the last album to be released before they would stop wearing the face make-up for which they were famous. By then, they had fallen very much out-of-favor with fans for the more pop-oriented material of their past couple albums. Heralded as a dramatic return to form, “Creatures” would fail to hit the U.S. Top 40.

Survivor’s “Eye of The Tiger”, a song they recorded (at Sylvester Stallone’s request no less) for the Rocky III film and soundtrack, spends six weeks at #1 on the U.S. singles chart. It would also spend four weeks at #1 in Britain.

Orange County punk band Social Distortion record the entirety of material for their debut album, “Mommy’s Little Monster”, in a single session on Christmas Eve 1982.

Bob Seger releases the Jimmy Iovine-produced studio album, “The Distance”, which rises to #5 on the Top 200 Albums chart on the success of such singles as “Even Now” (#12), “Roll Me Away (#27), and “Shame On The Moon” (#2). The album marked a departure for Seger by featuring a lengthy list of special guests that included Glenn Frey and Don Flder from the Eagles, Roy Bittan from the E Street Band, Bonnie Raitt, and Waddy Wachtel among others.

In June, Joe Jackson releases “Night & Day”, an album that shifts gears from the jittery new wave style of earlier efforts to a sophisticated piano-driven style that recalls the style of Cole Porter (whose song “Night & Day” would become the album’s title). First single “Steppin’ Out” would peak at #6, with follow-up single “Breaking Us In Two” landing at #18 and helping push the album to a peak position of #4.

July brings the release of “Screaming For Vengeance”, Judas Priest’s eighth studio album. Driven by heavy AOR radio airplay of the single “You’ve Got Another thing Coming” (which would peak at a lowly #67 on the Singles chart), the album becomes the band’s first appearance in the U..S. Top 20.


In May, Duran Duran release their second album, “Rio”. After getting off to a slow start, the album is remixed and re-released, as is the single “Hungry Like The Wolf”, which is released in early December and peaks at #3 on Christmas Day on the U.S. singles chart. By then, MTV’s heavy rotation of videos for “Hungry Like The Wolf” and “Rio” is seen as being more effective than traditional radio airplay.

Tears For Fears score their first Top 5 single in the UK with “Mad World”. It was initially recorded by Martin Howlett and intended to be a B-side to the single “Pale Shelter (You Don’t Give Me Love)”. Having thoughts about its strength as an A-side, they re-recorded it with Chris Hughes (who’d produced Adam & The Ants’ “Dirk Wears White Sox”, “Kings of The Wild Frontier”, and “Prince Charming”).