Album Chart of 1982

← 1981

1983 →

58 tracks, runtime 4h 23m. The playlist features the highest-rated track from each album (subject to what's available on YouTube) in chart order, with a minimum individual track-rating of 6.5 required for inclusion. To view the full tracklist, access shuffle-play or avoid in-play interruption due to territorially blocked videos, it might be best playing directly via YouTube

THE ASCENSION OF THE HIP PRIEST AND KAMERADS

Like a preacher possessed, Mark E. Smith cajoled his double-drumming troops into new territories, unleashing another unorthodox Fall masterpiece, much to the great bemusement of the world at large. Although a completely different beast, much the same could be said of Laurie Anderson this year; what fun to see the avant-garde go over-ground.

Adam Ant goes solo and remains the king of this year's pop stars, with a special mention too for the innovative Dexys Midnight Runners in that smash hits department. Old 2-Tone orbiters Madness, The Beat, Fun Boy Three and UB40 continue to hit exceedingly high standards in unexpected ways.

Rising above South Africa's grim reality, la joie de vivre is palpable on Alpheus Ramavhea's glorious record, and his fellow country-women Mahotella Queens are busy this year with albums in a range of tongues. Paris-based Congolesians Kanda Bongo Man, with trusty lead-guitarist Diblo Dibala, shine brightly in my Top 10.

Many facets of the Scottish personality are displayed via two distinct debutants. The Cocteau Twins record stubbornly refuses to be lucid, preferring to exist in a smoggy grey, somehow managing to chime with the bleakness of their industrial Grangemouth hometown. Determined to escape that post-punk gloom, Glasgow's Orange Juice were described elsewhere as the “sound of young Scotland” featuring hand clapping, breezy horns and a whole lot of funky jangle. Other debutants stateside were slanting towards a new indie pop / college rock sound, including The Dream Syndicate, R.E.M. and Green On Red. Whilst the arrival of New York's Sonic Youth may not have immediately shaken rock foundations to the core, their first statement hinted at an odd group with ideas to explore.

It was the end of the road for two big Rebel favourites; Paul Weller's decision to disband The Jam was sensational, bowing out at the top of their game. It was a different story for Captain Beefheart; the beef in his heart was too much with regards to the ongoing struggle, and from hereon he gave up on serving the public via the music business, and would now devote himself entirely to his painting. John Peel thought this years “Ice Cream For Crow” one of his best LPs, and there can be no higher critical praise: “If there has ever been such a thing as a genius in the history of pop music, it’s Beefheart. There never was a greater, not even Mark E. Smith.”

The Jukebox Rebel
23-Dec-2020

HEX ENDUCTION HOUR
The Fall
Kamera Records KAM-005

“A masterpiece” Post-Punk; Trance Rock

Jukebox picks: “Iceland” (10) • “And This Day” (10) • “Hip Priest” (9.8)
11 months on from “Slates” their fifth new music statement was delivered in March, 1982, Kamera Records being their new ...more →

NDO SHAVHA TSHIKOLO
Alpheus Ramavhea
Igagasi IAL-3029

“A masterpiece” Africana

Jukebox picks: “Mufarekano” (9.7) • “Magidi Mphoa” (9.5) • “Vhuhadzi” (9.5)
Having established himself as a well-known composer, singer-guitarist and band leader in his own Venda region through ex...more →

BIG SCIENCE
Laurie Anderson
Warner Bros. Records BSK-3674

“A classic” New Wave

Jukebox picks: “O Superman (For Massenet)” (10) • “Let X=X” (9.5) • “From The Air” (8.8)
The 34-year-old visual performance artist turns her career right on its head with this seminal release, and suddenly the...more →

FRIEND OR FOE
Adam Ant
CBS CBS-25040

“Excellent” Pop; New Wave; Cerebral Pop

Jukebox picks: “Crackpot History And The Right To Lie” (9.9) • “Place In The Country” (9.4) • “Here Comes The Grump” (9.2)
“When you get a number one, The only way is down, And if you have a sticky patch, They start looking, start looking ar...more →

THE RISE AND FALL
Madness
Stiff Records SEEZ-46

“Excellent” Cerebral Pop; Reggae

Jukebox picks: “Primrose Hill” (9.2) • “Our House” (9.1) • “Rise And Fall” (8.8)
The fourth annual long-player from the super seven arrived timeously in November, 1982. They remain: Graham McPherson (l...more →

SPECIAL BEAT SERVICE
The Beat
Go-Feet Records BEAT-5

“Excellent” New Wave

Jukebox picks: “Save It For Later” (10) • “Sole Salvation” (9.8) • “Pato And Roger A Go Talk” (8.6)
The third album statement arrived in September, 1982, the line-up expanded to an octet: Dave Wakeling (vocals, guitar), ...more →

TOO-RYE-AY
Kevin Rowland and Dexys Midnight Runners
Mercury MERS-5

“Brilliant” Cerebral Pop

Jukebox picks: “Liars A To E” (9.2) • “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile)” (8.8) • “Come On Eileen” (8.3)
Dexys 1982 vintage arrives with a new sound accompanied by a new look, with the band attired in dungarees, scarves, leat...more →

DJESSY ● DYNA
Kanda Bongo Man
Afro-Rythmes ‎AR-00981

“Brilliant” Africana

Jukebox picks: “Dyna” (8.3) • “Ida” (7.8) • “Djessy” (7.7)
Doesn't quite soar to the fiery heights of last year's debut, but that's a relative complaint, and Diblo's sebenes fully...more →

A KISS IN THE DREAMHOUSE
Siouxsie and The Banshees
Polydor POLD-5064

“Brilliant” Post-Punk

Jukebox picks: “Cascade” (8.8) • “Green Fingers” (8.4) • “Circle” (8.2)
The fifth Banshees long-player arrived in November, 1982, the quartet remaining: Siouxsie Sioux (vocals), Steven Severin...more →

NEW GOLD DREAM (81-82-83-84)
Simple Minds
Virgin V-2230

“Brilliant” New Wave

Jukebox picks: “Glittering Prize” (10) • “Promised You A Miracle” (9.7) • “Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)” (9.1)
Last year's pair of “Sons And Fascination” & “Sister Feelings Call” had done well for them, but, in September '82, “New ...more →

GARLANDS
Cocteau Twins
4AD ‎CAD-211

“Brilliant” Post-Punk

Jukebox picks: “Wax And Wane” (8.8) • “Blood Bitch” (8.3) • “But I’m Not” (7.9)
As Lou Reed said, when you're growing up in a small town you say, 'No one famous ever came from here' and you think that...more →

FUN BOY THREE
Fun Boy Three
Chrysalis CHR-1383

“Really good” New Wave

Jukebox picks: “The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum)” (9.9) • “The Telephone Always Rings” (9.7) • “Way On Down” (8.2)
“Presenting the FUN BOY THREE… One of the most WONDERFUL recordings of our time. Gasp, wonder and thrill to the soun...more →

UB44
UB40
DEP International LP-DEP-3

“Really good” Reggae

Jukebox picks: “I Won’t Close My Eyes” (9.0) • “Don’t Do The Crime” (8.6) • “So Here I Am” (8.4)
After the blistering form of the last two years, it would be unrealistic to expect another major classic, but “UB44” sti...more →

PLASTIC SURGERY DISASTERS
Dead Kennedys
Alternative Tentacles VIRUS-27

“Really good” Punk

Jukebox picks: “Riot” (9.2) • “Well Paid Scientist” (8.8) • “Trust Your Mechanic” (8.7)
The punk lefties are on fine form as they continue to forge ahead onto new pathways. Passionate at every turn, Jello’s l...more →

THE BLUE MASK
Lou Reed
RCA AFL1-4221

“Really good” Songwriter; Blues Rock / Soul Rock

Jukebox picks: “Waves Of Fear” (9.2) • “The Blue Mask” (8.8) • “The Gun” (8.0)
Complementing Lou Reed (guitar, vocals) are ex-Voidoid Robert Quine (guitar), Fernando Saunders (bass, backing vocals) a...more →

PORNOGRAPHY
The Cure
Fiction Records FIXD-7

“Really good” Post-Punk

Jukebox picks: “The Hanging Garden” (8.9) • “A Strange Day” (8.4) • “Cold” (8.2)
Their fourth album in four years arrived in May, 1982, the trio lining-up: Robert Smith (vocals, guitar, keyboards, cell...more →

JUNKYARD
The Birthday Party
Missing Link LINK-21

“Really good” Post-Punk

Jukebox picks: “Dead Joe” (10) • “The Dim Locator” (8.0) • “Big Jesus Trash Can” (7.9)
In a Captain-Beefheart-meets-Teenage-Jesus-and-other-jerks-uptown style, “Junkyard” is more brutal, more dynamic, more d...more →

ROOM TO LIVE (UNDILUTABLE SLANG TRUTH)
The Fall
Kamera Records KAM-011

“Really good” Trance Rock

Jukebox picks: “Solicitor In Studio” (9.5) • “Room To Live” (7.8) • “Detective Instinct” (7.8)
Where March's “Hex” was dense, intense, lengthy and somewhat claustrophobic, September's super-quick follow-up was light...more →

NEBRASKA
Bruce Springsteen
Columbia TC-38358

“Really good” Folk

Jukebox picks: “Nebraska” (7.8) • “Mansion On The Hill” (7.5) • “Atlantic City” (7.4)
I'm no expert on the life and times of 'The Boss' but this sounds like another mighty fine effort, up there with 1975s “...more →

YOU CAN’T HIDE YOUR LOVE FOREVER
Orange Juice
Polydor POLS-1057

“Good” Indie

Jukebox picks: “Felicity” (9.8) • “Consolation Prize” (9.4) • “Falling And Laughing” (8.5)
Emerging from the post-punk gloom, this was the new “sound of young Scotland” featuring hand clapping, breezy horns and ...more →

THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES
The Dream Syndicate
Ruby Records JRR-807

“Good” New Wave

Jukebox picks: “Until Lately” (8.8) • “When You Smile” (7.5) • “The Days Of Wine And Roses” (7.5)
Debut album from the Californian quartet named after La Monte Youngs’ mid 60s experimental drone ensemble that, at one t...more →

THE GIFT
The Jam
Polydor POLD-5075

“Good” New Wave

Jukebox picks: “Just Who Is The 5 O’Clock Hero?” (9.3) • “Town Called Malice” (9.0) • “Precious” (7.4)
Being a little bit Punk, a little bit Motown has always been the Jam's style, and the sixth album in six years, released...more →

RIP IT UP
Orange Juice
Polydor POLS-1076

“Good” New Wave

Jukebox picks: “Rip It Up” (10) • “I Can’t Help Myself” (9.4) • “Louise Louise” (9.3)
Their second new music album of 1982 arrived in November. 10 months on from “You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever”, guitaris...more →

ICE CREAM FOR CROW
Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band
Virgin ARE-38274

“Good” Blues Rock / Soul Rock; Prog

Jukebox picks: “The Past Sure Is Tense” (8.8) • “The Host The Ghost The Most Holy-O” (8.4) • “Ice Cream For Crow” (8.1)
Living way out in the high Mojave desert with his wife in a trailer (“it's good for painting”), the good Captain had...more →

SULK
Associates
Beggars Banquet ASCL-1

“Good” New Wave

Jukebox picks: “Party Fears Two” (9.9) • “No” (8.8) • “Club Country” (8.6)
A 7.35 were it not for the fluffy instrumental bookends, so let that be a warning to all artists everywhere. For their t...more →

CHRONIC TOWN
R.E.M.
I.R.S. Records SP-70502

“Good” Indie

Jukebox picks: “Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)” (7.3) • “Gardening At Night” (7.1) • “Wolves, Lower” (6.9)
The debut mini-album from the Athens, Georgia 4-piece arrived in August, 1982; the first record to be released on Miles ...more →

YOUTH OF TODAY
Musical Youth
MCA Records YOULP-1

“Good” Reggae

Jukebox picks: “Youth Of Today” (8.8) • “Pass The Dutchie” (7.9) • “Children Of Zion” (7.3)
What a story they had to tell. Whilst at high school in Kingston 1962 Frederick Waite Sr. had been a founding member of ...more →

THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST
Iron Maiden
EMI EMC-3400

“Good” Rock

Jukebox picks: “The Number Of The Beast” (9.4) • “Run To The Hills” (9.3) • “The Prisoner” (7.8)
Taking the Motorhead approach to rock works for me, and some much welcome Punk motifs unexpectedly propel Iron Maiden's ...more →

COMBAT ROCK
The Clash
CBS FMLN-2

“Good” Dubbeat; New Wave

Jukebox picks: “Straight To Hell” (10) • “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” (8.2) • “Rock The Casbah” (7.9)
The fifth Clash album, released in May 1982, was dominated by it’s 4 singles. The rockabilly opener “Know Your Rights...more →

GREEN ON RED
Green On Red
Down There Records DT-3

“Good” New Wave; Indie

Jukebox picks: “Illustrated Crawling” (8.6) • “Death And Angels” (7.2) • “Apartment 6” (6.9)
Green On Red's first (mini) album was released on Steve Wynn's Down There label in the summer of '82. Whilst the woozy k...more →

I, ASSASSIN
Gary Numan
Beggars Banquet BEGA-40

“Decent enough” New Wave; Electronica

Jukebox picks: “Music For Chameleons” (9.2) • “The 1930's Rust” (7.3) • “We Take Mystery (To Bed)” (6.7)
The fourth album in four years from the hard-working 24-year-old maintains his consistent form, and continues his fascin...more →

HOMOSAPIEN
Pete Shelley
Genetic Records ILPS-9676

“Decent enough” New Wave; Pop

Jukebox picks: “It’s Hard Enough Knowing” (8.5) • “Homosapien” (8.1) • “I Generate A Feeling” (7.1)
The second solo LP from Pete Shelley finally saw release in January, 1982, having been re-scheduled two or three times i...more →

WASN’T TOMORROW WONDERFUL
The Waitresses
Polydor PD-1-6346

“Decent enough” New Wave

Jukebox picks: “Jimmy Tomorrow” (8.7) • “I Know What Boys Like” (7.9) • “No Guilt” (7.6)
The B-52s meet Blondie via The Bodysnatchers in 22-year-old Chris Butler's vision, captured here on The Waitresses Janua...more →

THE DREAMING
Kate Bush
EMI EMC-3419

“Decent enough” Cerebral Pop

Jukebox picks: “The Dreaming” (8.9) • “Sat In Your Lap” (7.7) • “Night Of The Swallow” (7.2)
Kate Bush's artful brand of songwriting is hard to categorize, and folk motifs from mandolins, uilleann pipes, and didge...more →

PITSA TSE KGOLO
Mahotella Queens
Hit Special HIL-2004

“Decent enough” Africana

Jukebox picks: “Tate Nswarele” (7.4) • “Ditaba Tse Monate” (7.2) • “Lebowa Le Legolo” (7.2)
“Pitsa Tse Kgolo” (“The Big Pot”) is the title of the LP, intended as a tribute to team Gallo-Mavuthela and their big me...more →

EZESIMANJE
Mahotella Queens
Hit Special ‎IAL-3034

“Decent enough” Africana

Jukebox picks: “Bongani Mntanami” (8.0) • “Malume” (7.5) • “Abelusi” (7.5)
Following on from their Northern Sotho / Pedi language album, “Pitsa Tse Kgolo”, ...more →

ONE, TWO
Sister Nancy
Techniques ‎WR-1990

“Decent enough” Reggae

Jukebox picks: “Bam Bam” (7.4) • “Roof Over My Head” (6.8) • “Only Woman DJ With Degree” (6.4)
Nancy was coming through at the same time as her big brother, Brigadier Jerry, and the talent clearly runs in the Russel...more →

SONIC YOUTH
Sonic Youth
Neutral Records N-ONE

“Decent enough” New Wave; Post-Punk; Prog; Moodcore; Trance Rock

Jukebox picks: “I Dreamed I Dream” (7.2) • “She Is Not Alone” (6.6) • “I Don’t Want To Push It” (6.0)
Their first (mini) album statement arrived via Glenn Branca's Neutral label in March, 1982. They lined-up: Thurston Moor...more →

NOTHING CAN STOP US
Robert Wyatt
Rough Trade ROUGH-35

“Decent enough” Alternative Folk

Jukebox picks: “Red Flag” (7.7) • “Trade Union” (7.0) • “Stalin Wasn’t Stallin’” (6.8)
Any Robert Wyatt fans desperate for an all-new solo album (there hadn't been such a thing since 1975) would have to wait...more →

MUMMY, YOUR NOT WATCHING ME
Television Personalities
Whaam! Records WHAAM-3

“Decent enough” Indie

Jukebox picks: “David Hockney’s Diaries” (7.3) • “Painting By Numbers” (6.9) • “Scream Quietly” (6.8)
Second album from Dan Treacy's group, released in January, 1982. Echoing some of that “Metal Box” bass n drum sparsity o...more →

UPSTAIRS AT ERIC’S
Yazoo
Mute STUMM-7

“Average” Pop; Electronica

Jukebox picks: “Only You” (9.4) • “Bad Connection” (7.4) • “Don’t Go” (6.6)
Following two smash hits, the debut album from the duo was released in August, 1982, by which time they lined-up: Vince ...more →

A BROKEN FRAME
Depeche Mode
Mute STUMM-9

“Average” Pop

Jukebox picks: “Leave In Silence” (9.0) • “See You” (6.6) • “Shouldn’t Have Done That” (6.4)
With the departure of Vince Clarke, the band are now a core trio of Dave Gahan (vocals) with Martin Gore and Andy Fletch...more →

SIX PLUS ONE
Black Slate
Top Ranking Records TRY-IT-1

“Average” Reggae

Jukebox picks: “Six Plus One” (8.6) • “Rasta Reggae” (7.0) • “They Can’t Make Us” (6.4)
The fourth album from the 10-year-old London group, still basking in the glow of their national breakthrough hit, “Amigo...more →

KILLER ON THE RAMPAGE
Eddy Grant
ICE ICELP-3023

“Average” Pop

Jukebox picks: “War Party” (7.8) • “I Don’t Wanna Dance” (7.1) • “Electric Avenue” (6.7)
14 years after The Equals had made #1 with “Baby Come Back”, 34-year-old Eddy Grant repeated the feat as a solo artist w...more →

A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS
A Flock Of Seagulls
Jive HOP-201

“Average” New Wave; Pop

Jukebox picks: “Space Age Love Song” (8.7) • “I Ran (So Far Away)” (8.0) • “Messages” (6.4)
In some ways the youth of the 30s and 40s were better off by virtue of the fact that they could only listen intently to ...more →

THE LEXICON OF LOVE
ABC
Neutron Records NTRS-1

“Average” Pop

Jukebox picks: “The Look Of Love, part 1” (8.2) • “All Of My Heart” (7.3) • “The Look Of Love, part 4” (7.0)
For their debut album in June, 1982, the Sheffield 4-piece lined-up: Martin Fry (24, vocals); Mark White (21, guitars, k...more →

SONG OF THE BAILING MAN
Pere Ubu
Rough Trade ROUGH-33

“Average” Prog; Post-Punk

Jukebox picks: “Use Of A Dog” (7.0) • “The Long Walk Home” (6.4) • “Horns Are A Dilemma” (6.0)
The downward spiral continues on the fifth album, released in April, 1982. Since “The Art Of Walking” almost 2 years ear...more →

JOURNEY THROUGH A BODY
Throbbing Gristle
Walter Ulbricht Schallfolien WULP-001

“Below average” Avant-Garde

Jukebox picks: “Oltre La Morte, Birth And Death” (6.8) • “Violencia (The Bullet)” (6.7) • “Exotic Functions” (4.8)
Recorded in March 1981, over the course of five days, one day per body section! Released in 1982. Cosey Fani Tutti: “I...more →

PISSED AND PROUD
Peter and The Test Tube Babies
No Future Records PUNK-3

“Below average” Punk

Jukebox picks: “Banned From The Pubs [live]” (7.2) • “Keep Britain Untidy [live]” (6.4) • “Intensive Care [live]” (6.2)
Debut album from the Peacehaven wild kids, unusually recorded live over the course of the bank holiday weekend in August...more →

LIVING MY LIFE
Grace Jones
Island Records ILPS-9722

“Below average” Cerebral Pop; Club; Dubbeat

Jukebox picks: “My Jamaican Guy” (8.8) • “Nipple To The Bottle” (6.1) • “The Apple Stretching” (5.7)
After last years “Nightclubbing” I had kinda thought she was coming 'round to my way of thinking, but perhaps that was a...more →

V DEEP
The Boomtown Rats
Mercury 6359-082

“Below average” New Wave; Pop

Jukebox picks: “House On Fire” (7.9) • “House Burned Down” (5.7) • “He Watches It All” (5.6)
On “Five Deep”, their fifth album, they're now a five-piece, guitarist Gerry Cott having dropped out since “Mondo Bongo”...more →

IMPERIAL BEDROOM
Elvis Costello and The Attractions
F-Beat XXLP-17

“Below average” Cerebral Pop; Pop Ballad

Jukebox picks: “Man Out Of Time” (8.7) • “…And In Every Home” (6.2) • “Beyond Belief” (6.1)
The seventh Costello is widely regarded as a masterpiece, his absolute peak according to many. Sure, it's well crafted, ...more →

PØLITICZ
Kevin Coyne
Cherry Red BRED-30

“Below average” New Wave; Songwriter

Jukebox picks: “Fun Flesh” (6.0) • “Your Holiness” (5.9) • “Flashing Back” (5.3)
Following 1981’s “Pointing The Finger”, this was Kevin Coyne’s second LP for Cherry Red Records. Despite personal battle...more →

AND YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE NORMAL
Nash The Slash
Cut-Throat Records CUT-6

“Below average” Electronica

Jukebox picks: “Dance After Curfew” (6.1) • “Animal Jamboree” (5.6) • “Citizen” (5.3)
Third album in four years from the Torontonian, with the 'radio hit' “Dance After Curfew” being the best on offer. T...more →

NOT SATISFIED
Aswad
CBS CBS 32564

“Below average” Reggae

Jukebox picks: “Drum And Bass Line” (6.8) • “Not Satisfied” (6.3) • “No More Living A Lie” (6.0)
Their fourth long-player, second for CBS, arrived in July, 1982, and whilst the rhythms are nice and rootsy, and the nea...more →

MORNING GLORY
Lacksley Castell
Negus Roots NERLP-002

“Poor” Reggae

Jukebox picks: “Government Man” (5.5) • “Cold Winter Night” (5.4) • “Bound In Bondage” (5.1)
Debut album from the 23-year-old singer from Kingston, now 4/5 years in the business. Released on the Negus Roots label,...more →

RIO
Duran Duran
EMI EMC-3411

“Poor” New Wave; Pop

Jukebox picks: “Save A Prayer” (8.0) • “Hungry Like The Wolf” (6.6) • “Rio” (5.2)
For their second album in May, 1982, the Birmingham quintet were: Simon Le Bon (23, vocals); Nick Rhodes (19, keyboards,...more →

IRON FIST
Motörhead
Bronze BRON-539

“Poor” Rock

Jukebox picks: “Iron Fist” (6.7) • “Heart Of Stone” (5.5) • “Speedfreak” (5.3)
The fifth album in six years from the hard-hitting fast-living London 3-piece arrived in April, 1982. They remain: Lemmy...more →

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Midnight Oil
CBS SBP-237868

“Poor” New Wave

Jukebox picks: “Maralinga” (5.8) • “Outside World (James Moginie)” (5.6) • “Only The Strong” (5.4)
As they did with 1981s “Place Without A Postcard”, the Sydney 5-piece decamped to London to create and record “10 to 1”....more →

MOVING TARGET
Gil Scott-Heron
Arista AL-9606

“Lame” Disco / Funk

Jukebox picks: “Black History / The World” (6.4) • “Washington D.C.” (5.2) • “No Exit” (4.8)
It's always worth lending an ear to Gil Scott-Heron, although he's never fully really done it for me over the course of ...more →

BLACK METAL
Venom
Neat Records NEAT-1005

“Lame” Rock

Jukebox picks: “Countess Bathory” (6.0) • “Heaven's On Fire” (5.3) • “Don't Burn The Witch” (4.5)
Second album from the Newcastle trio, released in November, 1982. They line-up: Conrad 'Cronos' Lant (19, vocals, bass);...more →

THE MESSAGE
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Sugar Hill Records SH-268

“Lame” Disco / Funk; Hip Hop / Rap; R n B

Jukebox picks: “The Message” (10) • “It’s Nasty” (6.7) • “Scorpio” (4.8)
24-year-old Grandmaster Flash takes the group's headline, but receives no songwriting credits. Indeed, the only member o...more →

PELICAN WEST
Haircut One Hundred
Arista HCC-100

“Lame” Pop

Jukebox picks: “Love Plus One” (6.3) • “Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)” (5.4) • “Snow Girl” (5.2)
The debut album from the London sextet arrived in February, 1982, produced by Bob Sargeant. They lined-up: Nick Heyward ...more →

AVALON
Roxy Music
EG EGHP-50

“Terrible” Cerebral Pop

Jukebox picks: “More Than This” (5.1) • “The Main Thing” (4.8) • “Avalon” (4.6)
For me, they've had no decent albums since the mid-1970s, but none were nearly so poor as this lame finale, as the MOR-s...more →

ONE FROM THE HEART
Tom Waits with Crystal Gayle
Columbia FC-37703

“Terrible” Jazz

Jukebox picks: “You Can’t Unring A Bell” (6.6) • “Little Boy Blue” (6.0) • “Opening Montage (Tom’s Piano Intro: Once Upon A Town, The Wages Of Love)” (4.5)
The soundtrack album to the Francis Ford Coppola film of the same name, both released in February, 1982. Synopsis: The s...more →

1999
Prince
Warner Bros. Records 9-23720-1-F

“Terrible” Pop; Disco / Funk

Jukebox picks: “1999” (5.8) • “All The Critics Love U In New York” (5.7) • “Lady Cab Driver” (5.0)
Fifth album in five consecutive years from the hard-working entertainer, now aged 24. He's got material galore in store ...more →

FIGVRES
Zaine Griff
Polydor POLD-5061

“Terrible” Pop; New Wave

Jukebox picks: “Hot” (4.0) • “Fahrenheit 451” (4.0) • “Time Stands Still” (3.9)
The second album from the 25-year-old London-based New Zealander, released in October, 1982. Hans Zimmer, who had played...more →

GIVE ME YOUR HEART TONIGHT
Shakin’ Stevens
Epic EPC-10035

“Terrible” Rock n Roll / Rockabilly; Blues / Rhythm n Blues

Jukebox picks: “Too Too Much” (5.1) • “I’ll Be Satisfied” (4.6) • “Oh Julie” (4.3)
The third consecutive Top 3 album for the cheery Elvis wannabe, who was having a wail of a time around about now. Amazin...more →

THRILLER
Michael Jackson
Epic QE-38112

“Terrible” Disco / Funk; Pop Ballad

Jukebox picks: “Thriller” (8.0) • “Billie Jean” (5.3) • “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” (5.2)
The seventh album from the 24-year-old was delivered in November, 1982, and it'd be fair to say it was a game changer fo...more →

THE NIGHTFLY
Donald Fagen
Warner Bros. Records 9-23696-1

“An embarrassment” Jazz; Pop

Jukebox picks: “I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year)” (2.1) • “Walk Between Raindrops” (2.0) • “New Frontier” (1.9)
His nostalgic debut solo album was released in October, 1982, one year on from the break-up of Steely Dan. With the cove...more →

THE KIDS FROM FAME
The Kids From Fame
RCA Victor ‎AFL1-4259

“An embarrassment” Pop; Pop Ballad

Jukebox picks: “Life Is A Celebration” (3.8) • “Starmaker” (2.4) • “Hi-Fidelity” (1.3)
Following on from the 1980 movie of the same name, the Fame TV series, fictional but loosely based on New York's real Hi...more →

THE KIDS FROM FAME AGAIN
The Kids From Fame
RCA RCALP-6057

“An embarrassment” Pop; Pop Ballad

Jukebox picks: “Its Sonata Mozart” (4.0) • “Do The Gimme That” (2.3) • “Sho Sho Sho Shorofsky” (1.7)
Two albums in one year from the Kids From Fame. They’re really spoiling us. They shouldn’t have. No really....more →

FOREVER, FOR ALWAYS, FOR LOVE
Luther Vandross
Epic FE-38235

“An embarrassment” R n B; Pop Ballad

Jukebox picks: “She Loves Me Back” (2.5) • “Bad Boy / Having A Party” (1.7) • “Better Love” (1.5)
The words 'Contemporary R n B' alone are enough to contort my face and fill me with dread, and Vandross is one of the wo...more →

see also: (B-list) Album Chart of 1982

Album Charts by year

“A-list”

1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

“B-list”

1943 1945 1946 1950 1951 1952 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Album Charts by decade

“A-list”

1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s

“B-list”

1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s