 "Rock Is the Focus, But This Is Actually Pretty Accurate" | 2002-09-24 |
| - Reviewed By humancalculator |
| 1982 was a year where MTV was on the rise, rockers from the 1970s were dropping out of the public's limelight faster than flies, and a number of faceless new wave artists were emerging. But mainstream rock still had a fair stronghold in the music industry in 1982, and the BILLBOARD TOP HITS-1982 collection represents that pretty well. During this year, it was generally pop/rock artists instead of new wavers that were getting the top positions on the Billboard charts. And even though only four of these songs in this collection actually reached #1 on the Hot 100, all of the ten songs here placed very high on the charts. Also, the artists represented here were artists that were receiving pretty good publicity for their hits in 1982. You get to hear the J. Geils Band's breakthrough hit "Centrefold," which went to become one of the biggest hits of the 1980s. Hall & Oates also receives representation with "Maneater"; Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes are shown together in their classic pop duet "Up Where We Belong"; Journey is represented with their biggest hit, the stirring "Open Arms"; and Australian import Men at Work created quite a stir with their first hit, the silly "Who Can It Be Now?" When these five songs are put together with Laura Branigan's "Gloria"; Toto's "Rosanna"; Rick Springfield's "Don't Talk to Strangers"; Alan Parsons Project's "Eye in the Sky"; and Quarterflash's "Harden My Heart"; the set makes up a very good collection representing its year, even if it is still actually missing big hits like Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" and the Stevie Wonder-Paul McCartney duet "Ebony and Ivory", possibly due to licensing reasons. With that in mind, some people will probably find a personal favorite or two missing from BILLBOARD TOP HITS-1982, but this is still a worthy collection to pick up. |
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 "1982: Heading more in a rock/MTV direction." | 2002-08-09 |
| - Reviewed By uncle_jesse_tanner |
NOTES: Rhino's Billboard Top Hits series features ten popular songs from a given year. They may not be the exact biggest hits of the year (due to licensing restrictions from some major artists, etc.) but, more or less, provide an accurate snapshot of the year in pop music.
THIS REVIEW IS FOR 1982:
1982 and to a lesser extent '83 were probably the most varied musical years of the '80s simply because we were now in the MTV era of visual bands, but still retained a tiny bit of the past. This particular series again improves on the previous one, featuring much more on the rock side.
1. "Harden My Heart" Quarterflash -- The opener was also their biggest hit, featuring an immediately memorable sax solo as well as confident "I'm gonna get over you"-type lyrics set to a pop/rock beat.
2. "Rosanna" Toto -- The lite arena rock band's first major hit (after 1978's "Hold the Line") mines a similar territory, in the form of an uptempo, rocking love song, only with more synths and keyboards.
3. "Eye in the Sky" Alan Parsons Project -- One of the first songs from the progressive rockers to foray into pop. With its melodic and slightly hypnotic mid tempo sound, I'd call it classic rock lite. At first, I thought it was a love song, but upon closer listen, appears to be about big brother.
4. "Gloria" Laura Branigan -- Her debut (and biggest) hit (although I slightly prefer later hits like "Self Control"). An impossibly catchy dance tune with background guitar and synths about a woman who appears to be on the run. If disco had gone into the 80's, it would most likely sound like this.
5. "Who Can it Be Now" Men at Work -- Yet another breakout hit (I'm seeing a theme here, LOL) from the Aussies. A somewhat Police-esque, unique new wave rocker, about mental illness (although that's disguised by its fun, happy sound).
6. "Open Arms" Journey -- This is not only the premiere arena rock band's biggest hit, but one of the defining power ballad love songs of all time with its yearing sound.
7. "Don't Talk to Strangers" Rick Springfield -- Though this mid tempo keyboard pop/rock song isn't nearly as well-known as "Jessie's Girl" (from the previous year), I actually think it's just as good. The relationship theme comes into play again.
8. "Maneater" Hall & Oates -- Another one of the duo's biggest and best hits, with the semi Motown inspired pop/rocking dance beat.
9. "Up Where we Belong" Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes -- This theatrical and touching duet pop ballad is a definite throwback to the singer-songwriter era, but still is a beautiful song and fits in nicely.
10. "Centerfold" J. Geils Band -- There could hardly be a better way to close the album than with the bluesy band's party rock tribute to, err, centerfolds, which is pop and hard rock based at the same time.
Overall: Even though the majority of these songs are easily available elsewhere, it's a good a place as any to start if you're just building an 80's collection, especially since it gives a better sampling of different styles than many other years.
Since there were so many great songs to come out of '82, it's hard to pinpoint any glaring ommissions, but "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," "Jack & Diane," "Ebony & Ivory," "White Wedding" and "Somebody's Baby" all come to mind. |
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 "Top 40 radio's last "hurrah"." | 2001-07-08 |
| - Reviewed By davidkenner |
| I consider 1982 to be the last year of real honest to goodness Top 40 radio. Once we began to slink into the middle of the decade, the quality of your average pop single seemed to begin to slip. This is only an opinion but I think if you'll compare 1981 to 1987 you'll see what I mean. Once we got to the point where half the songs played on the radio belonged to the same "superstar" artists over and over and over (Steve Winwood, Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, Whitney Houston) it was just so boring to listen to a top 40 station. The diversity was gone and so was the life that pop music had possessed since the early 1960s. I will admit that I think things started to improve again around 89-90 but since that time, radio station program directors are so strict in their respective formats that you have to keep punching the dial from one station to another to hear any kind of variety. But variety still has its' last gasping breaths on this CD which features some of the more popular singles of 1982. Toto, Alan Parsons, Laura Branigan and Men At Work have the highlights. |
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| "'82 Revisited" | 2000-07-11 |
| - Reviewed By tommagnum |
| This is an average collection of songs from '82. "Centerfold" by the J. Geils Band is a classic and is welcome on any album. Songs like "Gloria", "Harden My Heart" & "Eye In The Sky" are nice additions as they are good songs and you'd never want to purchase complete Laura Branigan, Quarterflash or Alan Parsons to get them. "Maneater" is not one of Hall & Oates better efforts and "Up Where We Belong" is still sappy as ever. |
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| "1982 was a great mixture" | |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| 1982 and to a lesser extent '83 were probably the best musical years of the '80s simply because we were now in the MTV era of visual bands, but still retained a tiny bit of the past. You can't go wrong with the upbeat confident fun of Quarterflash's "Harden My Heart" in it's shorter version. Even though I have it a million places, Daryl Hall & John Oates great, funny but real-life inspired "Maneater" is welcome. I feel the same about the sax-driven "Who Can It Be Now". I love the song, but what '80s compilation DOESN'T include it!? Who can forget the party-on rock of the J. Geils' Playboy tribute "Centerfold?" There's plenty medium rock like Rick Springfield's mildly cautios "Don't Talk to Strangers." I also iove Alan Parson's melodic, slighly synth-laden Pop/Rocker "Eye In the Sky." With a similar style, Toto's huge "Rosanna" is here, again in its single version. The attractive Laura Branigan's surging dance-pop hit "Gloria" is another favorite, even if it's a little silly. The two ballads are Journey's "Open Arms", (a pretty song and their biggerst hit) and Joe Cocker's "Up Where We Belong." This is a big throwback to the singer-songwriter era, but still is a beautiful song and fits in nicely. |
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| "Top 40 radio's last "hurrah"." | |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| I consider 1982 to be the last year of real honest to goodness Top 40 radio. Once we began to slink into the middle of the decade, the quality of your average pop single seemed to begin to slip. This is only an opinion but I think if you'll compare 1981 to 1987 you'll see what I mean. Once we got to the point where half the songs played on the radio belonged to the same "superstar" artists over and over and over (Steve Winwood, Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, Whitney Houston) it was just so boring to listen to a top 40 station. The diversity was gone and so was the life that pop music had possessed since the early 1960s. I will admit that I think things started to improve again around 89-90 but since that time, radio station program directors are so strict in their respective formats that you have to keep punching the dial from one station to another to hear any kind of variety. But variety still has its' last gasping breaths on this CD which features some of the more popular singles of 1982. Toto, Alan Parsons, Laura Branigan and Men At Work have the highlights. |
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