Billboard Top Hits: 1982

1. Harden My Heart - Quarterflash

2. Rosanna - Toto

3. Eye in the Sky - The Alan Parsons Project

4. Gloria - Laura Branigan

5. Who Can It Be Now? - Men at Work

6. Open Arms - Journey

7. Don't Talk to Strangers - Rick Springfield

8. Maneater - Hall & Oates

9. Up Where We Belong - Joe Cocker, Jennifer Warnes

10. Centerfold - J. Geils Band

Billboard Top Hits: 1982,Various Artists,Rhino / Wea,80's,Adult Contemporary,Album Rock,Arena Rock,Blue-Eyed Soul,Blues-Rock,Hard Rock,Pop,Pop/Rock,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Rock,Soft Rock

Average customer rating:

1982: Heading more in a rock/MTV direction.
Top 40 radio's last "hurrah".
'82 Revisited

Billboard Top Hits: 1982
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000032KG
Release Date: 1992-09-15

Tracks:

Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
Rosanna - Toto
Eye In The Sky - The Alan Parsons Project
Gloria - Laura Branigan
Who Can It Be Now? - Men At Work
Open Arms - Journey
Don't Talk To Strangers - Rick Springfield
Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Up Where We Belong - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band

Customer Reviews:

1982: Heading more in a rock/MTV direction........2002-08-09

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.

Top 40 radio's last "hurrah"........2001-07-08

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.

'82 Revisited.......2000-07-11

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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Megatron Man
Still not all long versions, but there are some:
Dancing in '82
It is OK.

Billboard Top Dance Hits: 1982
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000006OJ0
Release Date: 1998-06-16

Tracks:

Let It Whip - Dazz Band
Glad To Know You - Chas Jankel
Love Come Down - Evelyn King
Megatron Man - Patrick Cowley
Murphy's Law - Cheri
You're The One For Me - 'D' Train
Beat The Street - Sharon Redd
Right OnTarget - Paul Parker
Forget Me Nots - Patrice Rushen
So Fine - Howard Johnson

Album Description

Based on Billboard's dance charts, this series features the biggest and best dance hits of the disco/post-disco era. This music has been an enormous influence on f and heavily sampled by f today's dance music artists. The series also includes a number of rare, full-length 12 inch top dance mixes making their first CD appearances!

Customer Reviews:

Megatron Man.......2005-12-27

I'm not going to get into to much detail on trying to convince someone that this is a good compilation representing 1982 dance music. The reason why i'm writing this review is in regards to Patrick Cowley's "Megatron Man". Rhino Records for some dumb reason decided to add the 1987 remix of "Megatron Man" (which was an official Megatone Records release), insted of the original 1982 version. The original version of "Megatron Man" only came in two versions. The 12 Inch (9 mins) and the radio edit (3:59). I don't know if Unidisc Records (which owns the rights to all of Megatone Records catolog) gave Rhino the wrong copy or what. For those who wish to hear the original version in it's complete format, look for the CD "Megatron Man" which has all 3 versions on the CD.

Still not all long versions, but there are some:.......2005-08-05

You get some club versions on here: glad to know you (6:45), Love Come Down (6:19), Megatron Man (7:31), Cheri (6:36), Right on Target (6:20), and So Fine (5:34). The rest are single versions.This series should have gone for the gusto and put all extended versions, considering it's celebrating dance music.

Dancing in '82.......2005-07-28

Billboard's Top Dance Hits of 1982 is a solid collection. The album is worth buying for the superb "Let It Whip" by The Dazz Band, truly one of the best R&B songs of the 80's. Give the album credit by focusing on true dance hits like Chas Jankel's "Glad To Know You" and D Train's "You're The One For Me".

It is OK........1999-06-04

Ok, this is album is good. But not as great as the previous cds in this Billboard top dance hit series.There are no Disco Divas here. I liked "Megatron Man" and "Right on Target". Some songs were just mediocre, there must have been better songs released that year.