Pick a Day

Music History Events: Releases

March 21, 1983 Pink Floyd's last album with Roger Waters, The Final Cut, is released in the UK.

March 12, 1983 Run-DMC release their debut single, "It's Like That."

March 7, 1983 New Order release "Blue Monday," which becomes the biggest-selling 12-inch single of all time. The track is reissued twice by the band: in 1988 and 1995. Despite massive success in Europe and on the specialist dance chart, only the 1988 Quincy Jones remix makes it to the mainstream Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #68.

February 28, 1983 U2 release their third album, War, with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day." It's their first album to sell a million copies in America.

December 29, 1982 Unexpectedly (and some say inexplicably) delving into electronic music, Neil Young releases his 12th studio album, Trans. This album, along with the one that follows it (Everybody's Rockin'), causes Geffen Records to sue Young for intentionally creating music that won't sell.

October 2, 1982 Accept's fourth studio album, Restless and Wild, is released. Self-produced by the band, the album would include two different front covers (one of two Flying V's aflame, the other a live shot of the band) and spawn a track which many consider the birth of speed metal, "Fast as a Shark."

September 9, 1982 Coming off the monstrous success of Moving Pictures, Rush releases Signals, their ninth studio album. It features "Subdivisions," a song that becomes a regular part of their live repertoire. The album hits platinum status only two months after release.

September 3, 1982 Culture Club's "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" is released in the UK. The critics are not kind; Smash Hits calls it "fourth division reggae."

July 1, 1982 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five release the early rap classic "The Message." It's the first hip-hop hit with lyrics about struggle in the inner city.

May 7, 1982 The first Men at Work album, Business as Usual, already a #1 hit in their native Australia, is finally released in America. In November, it rises to the top in the US.

April 15, 1982 Anvil release their sophomore album, Metal on Metal. Produced by Chris Tsangarides, the album spawns the anthemic title track, which instantly becomes an Anvil concert standard.

February 25, 1982 Alabama release their sixth studio album, Mountain Music.

January 22, 1982 Alabama releases "Mountain Music."

January 19, 1982 Bad Religion release their first full-length studio album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?

November 23, 1981 AC/DC release the album For Those About to Rock We Salute You, their follow-up to Back In Black. The title track, complete with custom cannons, becomes their regular encore.

November 2, 1981 Neil Young releases Re-ac-tor, his 11th studio album. It marks the first time Young uses an instrument called the Synclavier and signals the coming electronic sound of Trans. Made at a time when Young's attention is primarily focused on caring for his disabled son, the album feels slopped together and is not well received by critics or fans.

October 12, 1981 U2 release their second album, October. Reflecting their Christian faith, it's filled with allusions to the Bible, notably on the song "Gloria."

October 2, 1981 The Police's fourth album is the last in a sequence of four annual autumn releases. The title, Ghost in the Machine, is taken from a psychology book by Arthur Koestler and breaks their erstwhile tradition of giving their records French-sounding titles. It is a #2 hit in the US, led by the hit single "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic."

September 18, 1981 Genesis release their "abstract" album, Abacab, in the UK.More

April 7, 1981 Rick James releases his most successful album, Street Songs, with "Fire And Desire" and "Super Freak."

February 20, 1981 Rick James releases "Give It To Me Baby," a #1 R&B hit filled with that funk, that sweet, that funky stuff.

February 19, 1981 Phil Collins releases his debut solo album, Face Value.

February 17, 1981 Eric Clapton releases his seventh solo album, Another Ticket. The first version was rejected by his record company so Clapton started over with a new producer (Tom Dowd) and wrote new songs, including the hit single "I Can't Stand It."

November 21, 1980 Steely Dan releases Gaucho. The album is meticulously produced and features contributions from Rick Derringer and Mark Knopfler.

November 3, 1980 Neil Young releases his 10th studio album, Hawks & Doves.

October 20, 1980 U2 release their debut album, Boy, produced by Steve Lillywhite. It doesn't yield any hits but "I Will Follow" becomes one of their most popular songs.

October 8, 1980 Talking Heads release their fourth album, Remain In Light, their last produced by Brian Eno. The song "Once In A Lifetime" gets a video showing David Byrne's herky-jerky stage moves; it becomes an MTV favorite, aired the first day the network goes on the air.

October 8, 1980 Prince releases his third album, Dirty Mind. The title hints at the lascivious songs within, including "Head" and "Sister." The biggest hit from the set is the modest "Uptown," which goes to #5 on the R&B chart.

October 3, 1980 The Police's third album release, Zenyatta Mondatta, continues their theme of giving their records French-sounding titles. This time, the title has no clear translation, although it is suggested that it is a stylized combination of "zenith" and "monde" (Top of the World). It becomes their most successful album so far in America, reaching a peak of #5 and winning the band a pair of Grammy awards.

October 3, 1980 Diamond Head, one of the leading bands of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, issue their debut album, Lightning To The Nations. Mega-DH fans Metallica cover five of the album's seven songs over the years: "Am I Evil?", "Helpless," "The Prince," "It's Electric," and "Sucking My Love." Other NWOBHM bands like Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Saxon eclipse Diamond Head in terms of popularity, but the Metallica covers speak to their influence and ensure their place in history.