Tears For Fears - The Hurting

Today (March 7th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Hurting, the debut album from the British synthpop duo Tears For Fears. Formed in 1981, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith put out their first singles in 1982 with good response. This followed with an album which hit number 73 on the US Billboard Hot 200, number 30 in the Netherlands, number 16 in France and New Zealand, number 15 in Germany and number 1 in the UK.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Dazzle Ships

This week (March 4th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Dazzle Ships, the fourth studio album from the UK band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Like their earlier records, this one too went Gold in their native UK and reached number 5 on that charts. It also did well in the Netherlands (number 15), Germany (number 11) and New Zealand (number 10). Here in the US, it stalled at number 162 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart.

Thin Lizzy - Thunder and Lightning

This week (March 4th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Thunder and Lightning, the twelfth and final studio album from the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. The album only reached number 159 on the US Billboard Hot 200, yet it topped out at number 12 in Sweden, number 10 in Norway and number 4 in the UK.

The line-up for the record features Phil Lynott (bass and vocals), Scott Gorham (guitar and backing vocals), John Sykes (guitar and backing vocals), Darren Wharton (keyboards and backing vocals) and Brian Downey (drums).

Spandau Ballet - True (30th anniversary)

Today (March 4th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of True, the third studio album from Spandau Ballet. It would be an understatement for me to say that I love this album. It is easily in my top three albums of my high school and college years. I most definitely will be pulling this one up on my iPod today and enjoying.

For my complete review, please click here.

Mark Knopfler - Local Hero (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

In early 1983, a Scottish comedy-drama entitled Local Hero hit the theatres. It told the story of an American oil company representative who is sent to a small Scottish village to purchase the town and its surrounding property. The film starred Peter Riegert, Burt Lancaster, Denis Lawson and Fulton Mackay.

The accompanying soundtrack album was written and produced by Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler, which helped popularize the film with fans of the band. The record earned a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nomination for Best Score for a Film.

Bananarama - Deep Sea Skiving (30th anniversary)

Today (March 2nd) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Deep Sea Skiving, the full length debut album from the English girl group Bananarama.

This is another album that got a lot of play on my turntable during my final year of high school and for many years in college there after. Click here for my complete review.

Alabama - The Closer You Get...

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of The Closer You Get..., the fourth studio album from Alabama. Just as their 1982 album Mountain Music did, this 1983 release also went multi-Platinum. On the charts, it went to number 17 in Canada, number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 200 and number 1 on the US Billboard Country chart.