Tavares - New Directions

Back on August 24th, New Directions, the eleventh studio album from the R&B group Tavares, celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. Since I missed reviewing it a few months ago, I thought I would talk about this 1982 release today from five talented siblings (Ralph, “Pooch” (Arthur), “Chubby” (Antone), “Butch” (Feliciano) and “Tiny” (Perry)).

It charted at number 137 on the US Billboard Hot 200 and number 30 on the Billboard R&B charts. It was also the first of two albums they recorded on the RCA label (the last and the group's final album would come in 1983).

UB40 - UB44

September of 1982 was the released date of UB44, the third studio album from the British reggae/pop band UB40. Just as the band's name came from a British unemployment benefits form, so too does the name of this album (a UB44 means they missed their "signing on" appointment).

The record reached number 4 on the UK charts and number 15 in New Zealand. Today, we will take a listen to it to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary.

Taco - After Eight

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of After Eight, the debut album by Taco. Born Taco Ockerse, this Indonesian-born Dutch singer started his career as a singer in Germany. His 1982 album was released in over forty countries, reaching number 59 in Germany, number 17 in New Zealand, number 11 in Austria, number 5 in Canada and number 4 in Norway.

Robyn Hitchcock - Groovy Decay

In March of 1982, English singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock released Groovy Decay, his second solo album after leaving the Soft Boys. Today, we will look at that album as part of its thirtieth anniversary celebration.

Performing along with Hitchcock on the album were Sara Lee (bass player from the Gang of Four), Anthony Thistlethwaite (saxophone player from the Waterboys), Rod Johnson (drums), and Matthew Seligman (bass). The record was produced by Steve Hillage, a former member of the Franco-British band Gong.

Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band - The Distance

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Distance, the twelfth studio album from American rock singer Bob Seger. It was also the fourth and final album he would record with the Silver Bullet Band. This December 1982 release was a Platinum seller in both the US and Canada. Chart-wise, it reached number 45 in the UK, number 19 in Austria, number 16 in Germany and number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 200.

Amy Grant - Age To Age

This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of Age To Age, the sixth studio album from American singer-songwriter Amy Grant. The 1982 release helped her break through in the Contemporary Christian Music community. Topping Billboard's Christian albums chart for eight-five weeks, it was certified Gold in 1983 and Platinum in 1985.

It won the Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year awards at the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards in 1983. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary in 1983. In 2001, the album was listed at number 92 on the CCM's 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.

Grace Jones - Living My Life

As we start the final month of the year, I will be catching up on a few of the thirtieth anniversaries of albums released in 1982 that I failed to get to previously.

On November 7, 1982, Jamaican-American singer-actress Grace Jones released Living My Life, her sixth studio album in as many years. It reached number 46 in Germany, number 18 in the Netherlands, number 15 in the UK, number 13 in Norway, number 7 in Sweden and number 3 in New Zealand. Here in the US, it stalled at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 200 while it climbed all the way to number 19 on the Billboard R&B chart.