Laura Branigan - Hold Me

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Hold Me, the fourth studio album from Laura Branigan. This 1985 record hit number 75 in Japan, number 71 on the US Billboard Album chart (with a fifteen week total time on the chart), number 64 in the UK, number 43 in Canada, number31 in Germany, number 12 in Norway, number 10 in Switzerland, and number 7 in Sweden.

Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Be Yourself Tonight, the fourth studio album from Eurythmics. This Platinum seller went to number 25 in Austria, number 20 in France, number 9 in Switzerland, number 8 in Germany, number 3 in the UK, number 2 in New Zealand, Norway and Sweden, and number 1 in Australia. Here in the US, it spent forty-five weeks on the Billboard Album chart with a top spot of number 9.

Philip Bailey - Chinese Wall

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Chinese Wall, the second solo studio album from Philip Bailey. It spent thirty-five weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 22. It also hit number 10 on the US Billboard R&B chart. The record earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance Male.

Barbra Streisand - Emotion

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Emotion, the twenty-third studio album from Barbra Streisand. The Platinum seller spent twenty-eight weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 19. It also reached number 44 in Canada, number 40 in Germany, number 25 in New Zealand, number 23 in Sweden, number 17 in Switzerland, number 15 in the UK, number 13 in Australia, Austria and Norway, and number 11 in the Netherlands.

Donna Summer - Cats Without Claws

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Cats Without Claws, the twelfth studio album from Donna Summer. This 1984 release went to number 91 in Australia, number 84 in Canada, number 69 in the UK, number 39 in Germany, number 19 in the Netherlands, number 15 in Norway and number 10 in Sweden. Here in the US, it spent seventeen weeks on the Billboard Album chart with a top spot of 40, and it also went to number 24 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Laura Branigan - Self Control

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Self Control, the third studio album from Laura Branigan. This multi-platinum album went to number 48 in the Netherlands, number 38 in New Zealand, number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (with forty-five weeks total on the chart), number 16 in Australia and the UK, number 13 in Canada, number 5 in Germany and Sweden, number 3 in Norway, and number 2 in Switzerland.

The Pointer Sisters - Break Out

Today (November 6th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Break Out, the tenth studio album from Anita, June and Ruth - the Pointer Sisters. This record, a multi-platinum seller, turned out to be their biggest seller to data. It also won the group two Grammy Awards and two American Music Awards. Chart-wise, it hit number 27 in Sweden, number 17 in Australia, number 15 in the Netherlands, number 9 in the UK, number 8 on the US Billboard Album chart, number 6 in New Zealand and on the US Billboard R&B chart, and number 4 in Canada.

Melissa Manchester - Emergency

This week (October 27th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Emergency, the eleventh studio album from singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester. After an earlier solid showing with a greatest hits collection earlier in 1983, this one stopped its climb on the US Billboard Album chart at number 135.

Anita Baker - The Songstress

This week (May 31st) marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Songstress, the solo debut album from American R&B singer Anita Baker (prior to that, Baker was part of the Detroit-based band Chapter 8 who released a self-titled album in the fall of 1979). Her 1983 record was released by Beverly Glen Music and went to number 139 on the US Billboard Hot 200 and number 12 on the US Billboard R&B charts; in 1991 it was re-released when her new label Elektra acquired the rights.

Cher - I Paralyze

On May 28th of 1982, Cher released I Paralyze, her eighteenth studio album and only one on the Columbia label. John Farrar, who worked for many years with Olivia Newton-John, was one of the two producers of the record; the other was David Wolfert. Some of the musicians who also worked on the album include guitarist Steve Lukather (of Toto), guitarist Sid McGinnis (who would later go on to be part of the band for the Late Show with David Letterman, and jazz bassist and keyboardist Nathan East.

I Paralyze was only promoted on shows like American Bandstand and Solid Gold. It failed to make any major chart impacts though, leading to a five-year recording hiatus for the singer/actress.