[<<] 1982 [>>]
Related: 1980s
By medium: 1982 films - 1982 music
Deaths: Patrick Cowley (1950 - 1982) - Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945 - 1982) - Jacques Tati (1908 - 1982) - Romy Schneider (1938 - 1982) - Mario Praz (1896 1982) - Lester Bangs (1948 - 1982)
Films: Liquid Sky (1982) - Cafe Flesh (1982) - Eating Raoul (1982) - The Thing (1982)
Music: Planet Rock (1982) - Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force - Dirty Talk (1982) - Klein & MBO - Together Forever (1982) - Exodus - Don't Make Me Wait (1982) - Peech Boys
Ranxerox in New York (1982) - Liberatore and Tamburini [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Although the adventures of Tanino Liberatore's Rank Xerox had previously been published in various magazines in Italy (Frigidaire, Cannibale), France ( l'Echo des Savanes), US (Heavy Metal), the first hard cover Rank Xerox story (as it was then called by the authors) appeared in 1982 on Ed. Albin Michel.
The TB-303 was a synthesizer/sequencer produced by the Roland corporation in 1982 and 1983 that had a crucial role in the development of contemporary electronic music, but most of all on the acid house that would follow a couple of years later.
Dub in disco
"Thanks to You and "Don't Make Me Wait" came out and started the whole dub thing in disco." Steven Harvey in Collusion magazine #5, 1983 [...]
Shep Pettibone: " [...] strangely enough, all these computer records started after "Thanks To You". It was kind of like that computer sound within a black vein.
In 1982 NYC disco expanded its perimeters to include dub, electronics, jazz, Latin, afro, new wave - a cauldron capable of melting down any ingredient. Records by The Peech Boys, Sinnamon and D Train allied the Black R&B tradition with high-tech mix/electronics. The emergence of labels Tommy Boy and Streetwise under Arthur Baker and John Robie pushed the hard electronic/beat box edge to the fore. To turn on one of me city's three dance radio stations and hear a DJ mixing three records together at once seemed like an impossible dream of the avant garde infiltrating the market place. -- Steven Harvey [...]
Disco and electro
Compact disco launched
The compact disc was launched in 1982. The advantage of the CD is that it was digital, which helped prepare the MP3-P2P (Napster et all) revolution of the late nineties.
Singles
- Together Forever - Exodus
- Peech Boys - Don't Make Me Wait
- Grace Jones - Feel Up (Levan mix)
- Dinosaur L - Go Bang [Arthur Russell]
- Klein & MBO - Dirty Talk
- Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock [...]
- Michelle Wallace 'Jazzy Rhythm' Tee Scott
- Donna Summer - I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley's remix)
- Debbie Trusty - Searchin' for Some Lovin' [Nick Martinelli]
- Chemise - She Can't Love You
- Raw Silk 'Do It To The Music' [Nick Martinelli]
- Fonda Rae 'Over Like A Fat Rat' [Fonda Rae]
- Indeep - Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
- Bo Kool - Love Money [Jazz-Funk]
- Carly Simon - Why
- Denroy Morgan - Happy Feeling
- Funk Fusion Band - Can You Feel It [Nick Martinelli]
- Rockers Revenge - Walking On Sunshine [Jamaica]
- Fat Larry's Band - Act Like You Know + Whatnauts
- Leon Ware - Why I Came To California
- Sinnamon - Thanks To You [Shep Pettibone]
- Montana Sextet Heavy Vibes [Montana]
- Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing (one of the very first 808s used for bass)
- Material - Let Me Have It All
- Patrice Rushen - Number One
- Heaven And Earth - I Really Love You
- Inner Life - Moment Of My Life
- Man Parrish - Hip Hop, Be Bop (Don't Stop)
- Grace Jones - My Jamaican Guy
- Extra - Havenīt Been Funked Enough
- Willy Hutch - In and Out
- Touchdown - Ease Your Mind
- Plunky & the Oneness of Juju - Every Way But Loose
- Clark Sisters - You Brought the Sunshine
- Kasso - Key West
- New Order - Blue Monday
- Alicia Myers - I Want To Thank You
- Malcolm McLaren - Buffalo Gals
- Cybotron - Cosmic Cars [Juan Atkins]
- Universal Robot Band - Barely Breaking Even
- Valentine Brothers - Money's Too Tight (To Mention)
CDs
- Thriller (1982) - Michael Jackson [1 CD, Amazon US]
Where Off the Wall was pretty much straight good times, Thriller introduced dread into Michael Jackson's solo work. By 1995's HIStory, this element curdled into overwhelming self-regard and out-of-touchness, but here it's bracing. While Thriller offers its share of cute ("The Girl Is Mine," a duet with Paul McCartney that was the album's first single; "P.Y.T."), the most memorable cuts remain "Billie Jean," "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," all of which meld musical imagination and worried-mind lyrics. There's also the title track, which takes a cue from Parliament's concept pieces in employing Vincent Price to warn that nonfunky forces will "terrorize y'all's neighborhood." Thriller, of course, continues to battle with the Eagles' first greatest-hits package for the title of biggest-selling U.S. long-player ever. Bonus material on this edition includes "Someone in the Dark," from Jackson's E.T. children's album, and a Quincy Jones interview in which the producer cites "My Sharona" as the inspiration for "Beat It"--and, even better, the real-life Billie Jean's claim that Michael was "the father of one of her twins." --Rickey Wright for amazon.com [...] - Inner Life - Inner Life [Amazon US]
The Cd packaging does not give the original year of release, and elsewhere there has been some confusion whether this was Inner Life's second or third album. It is, however, their best release. Lead singer Jocelyn Brown is in the forefront of the mix, strong and recognizable in each track and even author of one track ("Pay Girl"). The original album starts and ends with ballads, the first being an especially good torch song, and contains three good dance tunes ("Ain't No Mountain," "Let's Go Another Round," "Let's Get This Thing Together," with the latter being a previously unreleased bonus track.) While I never thought that this version of the Ashford and Simpson classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" [I wonder if this is the Larry Levan mix?] was a definitive one, it and the other tracks grow more memorable with repeated listening. As an album, the whole holds together well and is more than a home to a good extended track padded with filler material. It is one of the better disco era long plays. - disco75 for amazon.com [...] - One Down - Material (1982) [1 CD, Amazon US]
Track Listing 1. Take A Chance 2. I'm The One 3. Time Out 4. Let Me Have It All 5. Come Down 6. Holding On 7. Memories 8. Don't Lose Control 9. Busting Out This is Laswell and Beinhorn's foray into funky-pop, and synth dance moves. 'Course Material has been much more experimental in its day...taking it's cue form the 80's East Coast avant-punk, intellectual electronica and performance art as culture era. Look up Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Blondie and David Byrne w/ Talking Heads, Art of Noise, etc, etc, etc..... [...] - Armagideon Time (1982) - Willie Williams [1 CD, Amazon US]
Tracklisting 1. Master Plan 2. See You When I Get There 3. People 4. Armagideon Time 5. All the Way 6. Turn on the Power 7. Easy 8. Burn Willie Williams is one of my favorite reggae artists but unfortuately one of the lesser known artists in the genre. Sadly, I think 90% of people who listen to Willie Williams would not have heard of him were it not for the Clash's cover of "Armagideon Time"[single was released in 179], as the liner notes on this album acknowledge. I know that this is how I discovered him. However, Williams is one of the best musicians to come from Jamaica and not just for "armagideon time". "People", with it's funky melody and rhythm, is insanely catchy and it's a wonder it was never a hit. "I'll see you when I get there" and "what did you do today" are also guaranteed to stick in your head and I don't think you'll mind. Add this to your reggae collection right now. -- mcani33 for amazon.com - King Sunny Ade - Juju[1 CD, Amazon US]
Quite possibly the most beautiful and influential West African record ever released internationally, Juju Music remains a revelation. With a phalanx of electric guitars that functions like a percussion section, and talking drums that sound like a gossipy Greek chorus, Nigerian juju star King Sunny Ade and His African Beats, all 20 of them, proved that African music could be as complex, dramatic, and symphonic as any European ensemble. Some thanks must go to French producer Martin Meissonier, who took the basic elements of Ade's sound--unison guitars, Yoruban drumming, seamless song medleys, and self-reflexive lyrics--and added a diverse assortment of Jamaican production techniques to heighten, deepen, and psychedelicize a sound that, with Ade's deliciously sweet vocals and the haunting strains of Demala Adepoju's Hawaiian steel guitar, was plenty wild to begin with. A masterpiece. --Richard Gehr
Movies
- Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) - Carl Reiner[Amazon US]
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid was a movie first released in 1982 directed by Carl Reiner and featuring the inimitable talents of comedian Steve Martin. It is both a pastiche and act of homage to film noir, the pulp-fiction detective movies of a bygone age.The film's concept is an interesting one in that it is largely comprised of a collage effect of old black and white movie clips from films of the 1940s and 1950s with more recent footage of Martin and other actors (including Carl Reiner, Rachel Ward, and Reni Santoni) similarly shot in black and white. In many ways the construction of the film anticipates the later Oscar winning movie, Forrest Gump. --Wikipedia, Oct 2003
- The Draughtsman's Contract (1982) - Peter Greenaway [Amazon US]
This tale of a 17th Century draughtsman who takes a commission to do drawings of a wealthy Englishman's estate only if he can "do" the Lady of the estate at the same time, is an intriguing piece for those unhurried and with a taste for something different.
Meticulously recreating the era, with the best candlelit scenes since Barry Lyndon, we realize that a stately sort of mystery is unfolding as we watch the arrogant artist have his way with first the mistress of the house and then her daughter, all the while insulting and denigrating everyone around him.
The Draughtsman is arrogant, self-confident, and sure that he is superior to the aristocratic twits he serves with his art. That he believes he is smarter than everyone around him will come around to be his undoing. Being used while he thinks he is doing the using, the Draughtsman finds out too late that he has been nothing more than a pawn in a game he never understood.
Not for everyone, I found the film fascinating but as detached and aloof as its protagonist. This cold detachment becomes the wry amusement in the story, but also separates us from any emotional connection to the characters. There are also the typical Greenaway non sequiturs, in this case a naked fool, painted, posing as statues etc. At any rate, worth a look for those wanting something different. -- Amazon.com Customer from Anaheim, CA United States - Querelle (1982) - Rainer Werner Fassbinder [Amazon US]
First of all when you get the DVD version, you have the opportunity to watch the film as it was originally filmed - in English. Anyone who speaks French and can read lips knows that the film was dubbed into French (and not just bad sync-sound) - the film was later released back in the states with English subtitles under the French dub (talk about a triple threat).I must say that I love this movie for tackling issues that 20 years ago were definitely still taboo in the mainstream. Although not a masterpiece in terms of plot development, I believe it stays true to the development of Jean Genet's characters - and of course the cinematography is stunning. Like watching a live action Tom of Finland cartoon directed by David Lynch at times... Wonderful. --Andrew Mackintosh for amazon.com
- Blade Runner (1982) - Ridley Scott [1 DVD, Amazon US]
When Ridley Scott's cut of Blade Runner was finally released in 1993, one had to wonder why the studio hadn't done it right the first time--11 years earlier. This version is so much better, mostly because of what's been eliminated (the ludicrous and redundant voice-over narration and the phony happy ending) rather than what's been added (a bit more character development and a brief unicorn dream). Star Harrison Ford originally recorded the narration under duress at the insistence of Warner Bros. executives who thought the story needed further "explanation"; he later confessed that he thought if he did it badly they wouldn't use it. (Moral: Never overestimate the taste of movie executives.) The movie's spectacular futuristic vision of Los Angeles--a perpetually dark and rainy metropolis that's the nightmare antithesis of "Sunny Southern California"--is still its most seductive feature, an otherworldly atmosphere in which you can immerse yourself. The movie's shadowy visual style, along with its classic private-detective/murder-mystery plot line (with Ford on the trail of a murderous android, or "replicant"), makes Blade Runner one of the few science fiction pictures to legitimately claim a place in the film noir tradition. And, as in the best noir, the sleuth discovers a whole lot more (about himself and the people he encounters) than he anticipates.... With Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, and M. Emmet Walsh. --Jim Emerson for amazon.com - Tron (1982) - Steven Lisberger [1 DVD, Amazon US]
The surprising truth about Disney's 1982 computer-game fantasy is that it's still visually impressive (though technologically quaint by later high-definition standards) and a lot of fun. It's about a computer wizard named Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who is digitally broken down into a data stream by a villainous software pirate (David Warner) and reconstituted into the internal, 3-D graphical world of computers. It is there, in the blazingly colorful, geometrically intense landscapes of cyberspace, that Flynn joins forces with Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) to outmaneuver the Master Control program that holds them captive in the equivalent of a gigantic, infinitely challenging computer game. Disney's wizards used a variety of cinematic techniques and early-'80s state-of-the-art computer-generated graphics to accomplish their dynamic visual goals, and the result was a milestone in cyberentertainment, catering to technogeeks while providing a dazzling adventure for hackers and nonhackers alike. Appearing just in time to celebrate the nascent cyberpunk movement in science fiction, Tron received a decidedly mixed reaction when originally released, but has since become a high-tech favorite and a landmark in special effects, with a loyal following of fans. --Jeff Shannon for amazon.com [...] - Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) - Amy Heckerling
[1 DVD, Amazon US]
"Fast Times At Ridgemont High" is essential viewing for anyone that thought "American Pie" was funny. An excellent cast included the late Ray Walston as the concerned American History teacher Mr. Hand. His famous line "What are you people - on dope?" later was used in the 1991 dance song "Total Confusion" by A Homeboy, A Hippi, & A Funki Dred. Sean Penn is hilarious whenever on screen, either via facial expressions or quotes. Phoebe Cates gorgeous as the supposed sexually experienced Linda Barrett ("if I didn't have a fiance in Chicago I'd go for it") although Jennifer Jason Leigh as her naive friend was the one who actually had the sex. Being 32, I really like some 80's movies even today, and can watch "Risky Business", "Revenge Of The Nerds" and "Fast Times..." over and over again. This movie is funny one moment and depressing the next. (Who hasn't winced when Mark Ratner, initally, blows it with Stacey Hamilton?) A movie that deserves all plaudits - gets better with repeated viewings. Initially, I'd reviewed the VHS version - the DVD version finally was released in Australia this week (June 20th, 2002)- and it's worth buying. You get the film, the film again in it's entirety with Amy Heckerling and Cameron Crowe talking - anyone seriously into the film will love this - they discuss add-libbed dialogue, song choices, locations, etc. A documentary "Reliving Our Fast Times..." which is great, interviews with several cast members including the late Ray Walston. Also includes trailer, cast bios, etc. Matthew Thomas for amazon.com [...] - Evil Dead (1982) - Sam Raimi [1 DVD, Amazon US]
In the fall of 1979, Sam Raimi and his merry band headed into the woods of rural Tennessee to make a movie. They emerged with a roller coaster of a film packed with shocks, gore, and wild humor, a film that remains a benchmark for the genre. Ash (cult favorite Bruce Campbell) and four friends arrive at a backwoods cabin for a vacation, where they find a tape recorder containing incantations from an ancient book of the dead. When they play the tape, evil forces are unleashed, and one by one the friends are possessed. Wouldn't you know it, the only way to kill a "deadite" is by total bodily dismemberment, and soon the blood starts to fly. Raimi injects tremendous energy into this simple plot, using the claustrophobic set, disorienting camera angles, and even the graininess of the film stock itself to create an atmosphere of dread, punctuated by a relentless series of jump-out-of-your-seat shocks. The Evil Dead lacks the more highly developed sense of the absurd that distinguish later entries in the series--Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness--but it is still much more than a gore movie. It marks the appearance of one of the most original and visually exciting directors of his generation, and it stands as a monument to the triumph of imagination over budget. --Simon Leake for amazon.com [...] - Q (1982) - Larry Cohen
[1 DVD, Amazon US]
See entry for Larry Cohen