Linn LM-1
Encyclopedia
The LM-1 Drum Computer, manufactured by Linn Electronics Inc., was the first drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...

 to use digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...

 samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...

 of acoustic drums. Conceived and designed by Roger Linn
Roger Linn
Roger Linn is an industrial designer, mainly of electronic drum machines, and has recently branched out into guitar effects pedals. His products have become underground hits, being used on many famous recordings...

, it was also one of the first programmable drum machines. It was introduced in early 1980 at a list price of US$4,995, climbed to $5,500 when additional features were incorporated, fell to $4,995 as cost-cutting measures were introduced, and later reduced to $3,995 before it was discontinued after the release of its successor, the LinnDrum
LinnDrum
The LinnDrum is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics. It was released in 1982 as a successor to the Linn LM-1. The LinnDrum has 15 drum sounds sampled from real drums, a sequencer for programming rhythm patterns and five trigger inputs....

. It is prized by amateur and professional musicians alike for its rarity as well as its characteristic sounds, which can be heard on the recordings of such famous artists as Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...

http://www.vintagesynth.com/linn/linn.php, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

, The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...

, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...

, Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...

 and countless other pop hits of the 1980s.

History

Roger Linn was a semi-professional guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 in 1978 when he began to develop the LM-1 as an accompaniment tool for his home studio. He had experimented with many of the preset rhythm boxes which were popular at the time, but was dissatisfied and "wanted a drum machine that did more than play preset samba patterns and didn't sound like crickets." http://www.synthmuseum.com/linn/index.html Having learned how to program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...

 in BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....

 and assembly language
Assembly language
An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...

, Linn set to work on a computer program which could play user-programmed rhythm patterns, as well as chain them together to form a song.

According to Linn, the first to suggest the idea of digital samples was Steve Porcaro
Steve Porcaro
Steven Maxwell "Steve" Porcaro is an American keyboardist and composer, who was an original member of the rock/pop band Toto....

 of Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...

. Linn himself doesn't remember exactly who played the sounds used for the samples; it has been suggested that they were a combination of several Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 session drummers, possibly James Gadson
James Gadson
James Gadson is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B music....

, Art Wood, Ron Tutt, or Steve's brother Jeff Porcaro
Jeff Porcaro
Jeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...

, also of Toto.

Linn achieved his sounds by using a chip, built into the machine, which converted the digital samples into analog audio. His first prototype, manufactured some time during 1979, was a cardboard box which contained the electronic components of the drum machine. Supposedly, Linn brought this prototype to parties and jobs and marketed it to fellow musicians, including Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...

, the members of Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...

, and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...

, who bought one of the first units ever produced.

In total, approximately 525 units were built and sold between 1980 and 1983, when the LM-1's successor, the LinnDrum
LinnDrum
The LinnDrum is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics. It was released in 1982 as a successor to the Linn LM-1. The LinnDrum has 15 drum sounds sampled from real drums, a sequencer for programming rhythm patterns and five trigger inputs....

, was released. The first 35 units were assembled in Linn's home, before manufacturing and distribution was taken over by 360 Systems, run by Bob Easton. The first 10 of these 35 units have somewhat unique characteristics, as described below.

Features

The LM-1's many features set it apart from other drum machines of its time, most of which could only play a limited selection of preset rhythms (i.e. Roland CompuRhythm CR-78). One of its most prominent features was its programmability. Although the Linn LM-1 was not the first programmable drum machine (the PAiA
PAiA Electronics
PAiA Electronics, Inc. is an American synthesizer kit company that was started by John Simonton in 1967. It sells various musical electronics kits including analog synthesizers, theremins, mixers and various music production units designed by founder John Simonton, Craig Anderton, Marvin Jones,...

 Programmable Drum Set was released 6 years earlier), it was the first to use digital samples and gained widespread popularity among professionals. The LM-1 also introduced a shuffle feature that enabled users to program swing notes into their rhythms. Although this feature has often been imitated, the Linn shuffle has widely been recognized as the best and most natural-sounding, and is present on every device Linn designed, including the Akai
Akai
Akai is a consumer electronics brand, founded by Saburo Akai as , a Japanese manufacturer in 1929. It is now headquartered in Singapore as a subsidiary of Grande Holdings, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, which also owns the formerly Japanese brands Nakamichi and Sansui. The Akai brand is now used...

 MPC
MIDI Production Center
Akai MPCs are a popular series of electronic musical instruments originally designed by Roger Linn and produced by the Japanese company Akai from 1988 onward. Intended to function as a powerful kind of drum machine, the MPCs drew on design ideas from machines such as the Sequential Circuits Inc...

 series.

The LM-1 included a built-in 13-channel mixer (one channel for each sound) as well as individual output jacks. This enabled Linn's machine to integrate with existing recording equipment in a way that had previously not been possible for a drum machine. Unlike the later Linndrum, the LM-1 also had individual tuning pots for each voice, resulting in many famous users expressing their preference for the LM-1 long after the Linndrum was introduced. Unlike its younger brother, the LM-1 lacked cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...

 sounds (which producers easily compensated for by having live cymbals overdubbed onto whatever track was being recorded) and the drum sounds could not be triggered by MIDI or trigger inputs. Nevertheless, the LM-1's sounds are very punchy and prominent.

There are notable differences between the various LM-1 revisions. The Rev. 1 LM-1 is recognizable by its engraved buttons and lack of shuffle LEDs. The drum buttons were engraved with a small symbol of the drum it represented (the bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...

 button had a small engraving of a bass drum on it). These buttons were later discontinued because they were too expensive to manufacture. Internally it was different as well. It had single chips for the kick, tom, and conga sounds, and double chips for the clap. The Rev. 1 LM-1's did not have the filter on the kick, toms, and congas that Rev. 2 and later machines had. As a result, it didn't sound as nice as the Rev. 2 and later machines, but the toms and congas could be played simultaneously.

In the Rev.1 LM-1s, the first 10 have no serial numbers or preprinted, adhesive-backed manufacturer's label on the rear panel, have a single molded metal frame for the front, bottom, and rear panels, have higher quality mixer pots, have two knobs for tempo control (coarse and fine; the fine control actually may have been intended for a rotary switch to program the shuffle setting), and are screen printed "Linn and Moffett Electronics" instead of "Linn Electronics" on the lower right front of the chassis beneath the drum buttons (Moffett was an early investor in the Linn drum computer development). There are other minor mechanical differences, too.

The Rev. 2 LM-1 introduced two rows of LEDs to indicate the shuffle and quantize settings, several additional buttons on the front panel to aid in programming, and a shared filter on the toms and congas, as well as the kick drum. There were a handful of Rev. 2 LM-1's with both engraved buttons and shuffle LEDs but these are extremely rare.

Cost-cutting measures were introduced to later Rev. 2's such as removing the engraved buttons and adding the drum names to the front panel, removing the sync input jack and sync output knob from the back of the machine (the current quantize setting became the default sync output rate), removing the low volume stereo outputs, decreasing the size of the play/stop button, and replacing the raised buttons with sealed buttons (flush with the surface) that were impossible to clean. In fact, the LM-1 service notes indicated these buttons had to be replaced if they went bad.

Influence

Because of the Linn LM-1's versatility, it superseded its intended purpose as an accompaniment tool and became a fully-fledged rhythm section for many synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

 and progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 acts. Along with the Roland TR-808
Roland TR-808
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines . Introduced by the Roland Corporation in early 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. Like earlier Roland drum machines, it does not sound very much like a real...

, which was released around the same time, it is widely credited with legitimizing drum machines which, with a few notable exceptions, had previously largely been considered toys by most professional, mainstream musicians.

It was thought for a time that the LM-1 would put every session drummer in Los Angeles out of business, and caused enough of a stir that many leading session drummers (such as Jeff Porcaro
Jeff Porcaro
Jeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...

 of Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...

, for example) went out and purchased their own drum machines and offered "programming" services (Porcaro used an LM-1 on George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....

's 1982 hit "Turn Your Love Around
Turn Your Love Around
"Turn Your Love Around" is one of many major R&B, jazz and pop hit singles for George Benson. The song was written to help fill out Benson's 1981 greatest hits album, The George Benson Collection. It reached number one on the soul singles charts and number five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles...

").

The first song featuring an LM-1 to hit #1 on the UK pop chart was the Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...

's "Don't You Want Me", in late 1981. It is also the first LM-1 track to top the US Billboard Hot 100, spending four weeks there in July 1982.

In some ways the most important and lasting of the LM-1's various features is its sounds, which remain powerful and characteristic and a familiar staple of 1980s pop music. Linn acknowledged that his lack of audio engineering know-how may have contributed to his drum machine's unique sound - many of the samples contain playback frequencies above the Nyquist frequency
Nyquist frequency
The Nyquist frequency, named after the Swedish-American engineer Harry Nyquist or the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem, is half the sampling frequency of a discrete signal processing system...

 which, although it results in aliasing
Aliasing
In signal processing and related disciplines, aliasing refers to an effect that causes different signals to become indistinguishable when sampled...

 under normal circumstances, contributes much to the "sizzle" of the LM-1's sound. http://www.synthmuseum.com/linn/linlm101.html

Linn introduced the successor to his revolutionary machine in 1982. The LM-2, also called the LinnDrum, contained more sounds (including cymbals), more options for programming sounds (step programming mode), and 5 programmable trigger inputs, but was a step back from the LM-1 in that it removed the ability to tune all of the individual drum sounds (hi-hat, bass, cowbell, tambourine, sidestick, and many other sounds were no longer tunable). It retailed for $2,500 less than the original LM-1 and although it added some additional features, the cost-cutting measures were quite notable. Although the LinnDrum helped make electronic drums more affordable for the common musician, they are still not as revered as the LM-1 and generally can be found on the used market for much less.

Notable songs, albums, and artists that have used the LM-1

Artist Album Songs Year
ABC
ABC (band)
ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. The band continues to tour and released a new album, Traffic, in 2008.-Formation:...

 
Lexicon of Love  "The Look of Love
The Look of Love (ABC song)
"The Look of Love" is a song recorded by ABC in 1981, included on their debut album, The Lexicon of Love.- History :Released as a single and as a 12" remix, it went to number one on the Billboard Dance/Disco chart as well as the Canadian pop singles chart...

"
1982
ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

 
"The Day Before You Came
The Day Before You Came
"The Day Before You Came" is a song recorded and released by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released in October 1982, as the first new song from ABBA's double compilation album The Singles: The First Ten Years...

", "Givin' a Little Bit More", "Should I Laugh or Cry
One of Us (ABBA song)
"One of Us" from 1981 was the first single from Swedish pop group ABBA's final studio album The Visitors, their eighth for Polar, and their seventh for Epic and Atlantic...

", "You Owe Me One", "Under Attack
Under Attack
"Under Attack" is the latest widely-released single by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally featured as a track on the 1982 compilation album The Singles: The First Ten Years, but was released as a single the following year in most countries. In the United Kingdom however, it was released on...

"
1981-1982
America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...

 
View from the Ground
View from the Ground
View from the Ground is the tenth original studio album by American folk rock duo America, released by Capitol Records in July 1982.This album marked a major comeback for a group that had been generally written off since Dan Peek's departure five years before...

 
"You Can Do Magic
You Can Do Magic (song)
"You Can Do Magic" is a song by singer-songwriter Russ Ballard which was recorded as a 1982 single by folk rock duo America from their album View from the Ground....

"
1982
Aneka
Aneka
Aneka is a Scottish singer.In 1981 she hit number one in the UK Singles Chart with her song, "Japanese Boy". She was well known for the Oriental image she adopted for the song...

 
Aneka  1981
Art of Noise 
Bad Boys Blue
Bad Boys Blue
Bad Boys Blue are a multinational pop group that was formed in Cologne, Germany. The group performed many international hits including You're a Woman, Pretty Young Girl, I Wanna Hear Your Heartbeat and Come Back and Stay.- History :...

 
"You're a Woman"
Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...

 
Billy Idol
Billy Idol (album)
Billy Idol is the full-length solo debut by Billy Idol . Preceded in June 1982 by the hit-single "Hot in the City", the album was released in July 1982. After the next single from the album, "White Wedding", entered the Top 40 a year later, Billy Idol was reissued with the addition of the earlier...

 
"White Wedding (Part 2)
White Wedding (song)
"White Wedding" is a song by Billy Idol that appeared on his album Billy Idol . Although "the Big 80's: Episode I" of VH1's Pop-up Video trivia show claims Idol wrote the song to voice his displeasure with his sister's fiance , on an episode of VH1 Storytellers, Idol claimed that there was never...

", "Hot in the City
Hot in the City
"Hot in the City" is a 1982 song by Billy Idol, released on his self-titled album. It charted at #23 in the U.S. and #58 in the UK. A re-release of the song in the UK in 1988 reached #13.-Music video:...

"
1982
Bobby Orlando
Bobby Orlando
Robert Philip Orlando , also known as Bobby Orlando, is an American record producer, dance music artist, musician and songwriter.- Early life :...

 
Freedom in a Unfree World 
Blancmange
Blancmange (band)
Blancmange are a British synthpop band who came to prominence with a string of hits in the early to mid 1980s.-Biography:Blancmange was formed in Harrow, Middlesex in 1979 by singer Neil Arthur and instrumentalists Stephen Luscombe and Laurence Stevens...

 
Happy Families 1982
Baobab "Let's Break", "N.O.J.O.B"
Bill Wolfer  Wolf
The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers are a British electronic music duo comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Originating in Manchester in 1991, along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, and fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture.- Background...

 
Dig Your Own Hole
Dig Your Own Hole
Dig Your Own Hole is the second studio album by British electronica duo The Chemical Brothers, released on 7 April 1997. It features Noel Gallagher of Oasis and Beth Orton as guest vocalists...

 
"It Doesn't Matter" 1997
Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...

 
Pyromania
Pyromania
Pyromania in more extreme circumstances can be an impulse control disorder to deliberately start fires to relieve tension or for gratification or relief. The term pyromania comes from the Greek word πῦρ . Pyromania and pyromaniacs are distinct from arson, the pursuit of personal, monetary or...

 
1983
Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...

 
Eaten Alive
Eaten Alive
Eaten Alive is a 1977 horror film directed by Tobe Hooper...

 
"Chain Reaction
Chain Reaction (song)
"Chain Reaction" is a melodic Pop song, sung by Diana Ross, written by the Bee Gees, who also provided the backing vocals for the single. The track was released on the album Eaten Alive in 1985 and as a single twice - in 1985 and again in 1986....

"
1986
D.I.M. & Tai "Lyposuct"
Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...

 
New Traditionalists
New Traditionalists
New Traditionalists is the fourth studio album by the New Wave rock band Devo, released in 1981. It features the minor hits "Through Being Cool" and "Beautiful World." The sound continued in the vein of the previous album Freedom of Choice, with synthesizers moved to the forefront and guitars more...

 
1981
Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...

 
Oh, No! It's Devo
Oh, No! It's Devo
Oh, No! It's Devo is the fifth studio album by Devo. By the time of its 1982 release, Devo were a full-fledged synth-pop act, with New Wave pushed more towards the background...

 
1982
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....

 
Heartbreaker
Heartbreaker (Dionne Warwick album)
Heartbreaker is an album by Dionne Warwick, her fourth for the Arista label. It was released in 1982 and features the hit single "Heartbreaker", penned by the Bee Gees. Barry Gibb produced the album with Karl Richardson and Albhy Galuten. The album was certified gold in the United States for sales...

 
Heartbreaker
Heartbreaker (Dionne Warwick song)
"Heartbreaker" is a 1982 single released by American pop and soul singer Dionne Warwick. The song was written by The Bee Gees' Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb, with Barry Gibb's distinctive backing vocal being heard on the chorus...

 
1982
Dollar
Dollar (band)
Dollar are a pop vocal duo from the UK, consisting of David Van Day and Thereza Bazar. The duo were successful in the late 1970s and 1980s.-Career:...

 
Don Henley
Don Henley
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...

 
I Can't Stand Still
I Can't Stand Still
I Can't Stand Still is the first solo album by Don Henley, released in 1982 originally on Asylum Records then re-released in 1999 by Warner Bros. Records. The album went gold, reached #24 on the charts, and released three singles, including the huge hit "Dirty Laundry," which reached #3 on the...

 
"Dirty Laundry" 1982
Digital Emotion
Digital Emotion
Digital Emotion is a Dutch euro disco group that originally consisted of Glenn Van Der Hoff and Steve De Goede. Their most popular songs were "Get Up, Action", "The Beauty and the Beast" and "Go Go Yellow Screen" , released in the middle of 1980s...

 
"Go Go Yellow Screen", "Get Up", "The Beauty & The Beast"
Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....

 
Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy (album)
Eddie Murphy is Eddie Murphy's first album, released in 1982.-Track listing:All tracks by Eddie Murphy, except were noted.#"Faggots" – 2:08#"Buckwheat" – 1:57#"Black Movie Theaters" – 2:33#"Talking Cars" – 0:59#"Doo-Doo/Christmas Gifts" – 6:44...

 
"Boogie in Your Butt", "Enough is Enough" 1982
Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...

 
Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

 
The Fox
The Fox (album)
The Fox is the 15th studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1981. The track "Elton's Song" was banned from radio play in some countries due to its content, which included references to homosexuality...

 
"Nobody Wins" 1981
F.R. David
F.R. David
F. R. David F. R. David F. R. David (born Elli Robert Fitoussi, 1 January 1947, Menzel Bourguiba, Tunisia is a Tunisian-born French singer.-Career:During the early 1970s, he was a band member in the French rock band, Les Variations. His personal "trademarks" are his sunglasses and his guitar (a...

 
"Words", "Pick Up The Phone" 1982/83
Falco
Falco (musician)
Johann Hölzel , better known by his stage name Falco, was an Austrian pop and rock musician and rapper. He had several international hits: "Der Kommissar", "Rock Me Amadeus", "Vienna Calling", "Jeanny", "The Sound of Musik", "Coming Home " and posthumously, "Out Of The Dark"...

 
Einzelhaft
Einzelhaft
Einzelhaft, , is the name of the first album by Falco. It was released in Austria, Germany, the United States, Japan, Spain, Italy, Canada, Sweden and Finland....

 
1982
Farley Jackmaster Funk 
Gay Men "I'm a Man (Who Needs a Man)" 1983
Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...

 
Cat People OST  1982
George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....

 
"Turn Your Love Around
Turn Your Love Around
"Turn Your Love Around" is one of many major R&B, jazz and pop hit singles for George Benson. The song was written to help fill out Benson's 1981 greatest hits album, The George Benson Collection. It reached number one on the soul singles charts and number five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles...

"
Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...

 
Genesis  "Mama
Mama (Genesis song)
"Mama" was the first single from Genesis' 1983 self-titled album. It is recognizable for its harsh drum machine introduction composed by Mike Rutherford, which leads into minimalist synthesizer lines in minor keys and finally Phil Collins' reverb-laden voice. It remains the band's biggest...

"
1983
Gary Low
Gary Low
Gary Low is the stage name of Luis Romano Peris Belmonte , who is an italian-spanish recording artist who was most active during the 1980s era of Italo disco...

 
"You Are a Danger" 1982
Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...

 
"Dance", "Telekon
Telekon
Released in 1980, Telekon is the fourth studio album, and second album under his own name, by the British musician Gary Numan. It debuted at the top of the UK charts in September 1980, making it his third and consecutive no.1 album....

"
Gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...

 
"Telephone Mama", "Masterpiece"
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...

 
H2O
H2O (Hall & Oates album)
H2O is the eleventh studio album from Daryl Hall and John Oates, released in 1982. A hit, it featured three top 10 US singles, one being "Maneater", which was the biggest hit of their career, spending four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts...

 
"Maneater
Maneater (Hall & Oates song)
"Maneater" is a single recorded by American duo Hall & Oates from their 1982 album H2O. It reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 18, 1982...

"
1982
Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...

 
Penthouse and Pavement
Penthouse and Pavement
-2010 3-disc Special Edition:Disc 1:#" Fascist Groove Thang"#"Penthouse And Pavement"#"Play To Win"#"Soul Warfare"#"Geisha Boys And Temple Girls"#"Let's All Make A Bomb"#"The Height Of The Fighting"#"Song With No Name"...

 
1981
Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...

 
The Luxury Gap
The Luxury Gap
The Luxury Gap is the second album by the English synthpop band Heaven 17. Released in 1983, it is the band's biggest selling album, peaking at number 4 in the UK charts and was certified Platinum by the BPI in 1984....

 
1983
Hooked on Classics
Hooked on Classics
Hooked on Classics was a series of record albums first introduced in 1981, toward the end of the disco era's peak in popularity.Louis Clark, former arranger for Electric Light Orchestra, conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing a collection of very recognizable extracts from classical...

 
Hooked on Classics, Hooked on Classics 2: Can't Stop the Classics, Hooked on Classics 3: Journey Through the Classics
The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...

 
Dare
Dare (album)
Dare is the third studio album from British synthpop band The Human League.The album was recorded between March and September 1981 and first released in the UK on 20 October 1981, then subsequently in the U.S...

 
1981
The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...

 
Fascination!
Fascination!
Fascination! is an EP released by British synthpop band The Human League in 1983. The EP was issued by Virgin Records as a stop-gap release in between the albums Dare! and Hysteria....

 
1983
  • Irene Cara
    Irene Cara
    Irene Cara is an American singer and actress. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling." She is also known for her recording of the song "Fame", and she also starred in the 1980 film Fame.She married Hollywood stuntman...

     — "Flashdance...What a Feeling"
  • Icehouse
    Icehouse (band)
    Icehouse is an Australian rock band, formed as Flowers in 1977 in Sydney. Initially known in Australia for their pub rock style, they later achieved mainstream success playing new wave and synthpop style music and attained Top Ten singles chart success in both Europe and the U.S...

     — "Great Southern Land," "Hey, Little Girl", Sidewalk
    Sidewalk (album)
    Sidewalk is the third album by Australian rock synthpop band Icehouse. It was released in June 1984 on Regular Records / Chrysalis Records and reached #8 on the National albums chart with singles "Taking the Town" , "Don't Believe Anymore" and "Dusty Pages"...

  • Joe Esposito
    Joe Esposito (singer)
    Joe Esposito is a Grammy winning American singer/songwriter whose career spans from the 1970s to the present day. Esposito's songs have been recorded by Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, Labelle, and Stephen Stills and others.-Biography:...

     - "Lady, Lady, Lady"
  • John Carpenter
    John Carpenter
    John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...

     — "Escape From New York"
  • John Mellencamp
    John Mellencamp
    John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...

     - "Jack and Diane
    Jack and Diane
    "Jack & Diane" is a 1982 hit song written and performed by American singer-songwriter, John Mellencamp, then performing as "John Cougar". It appears on Mellencamp's album American Fool. It was chosen by RIAA as one of the Songs of the Century...

    "
  • Jon & Vangelis - Private Collection
  • John Foxx
    John Foxx
    John Foxx is an English singer, artist, photographer and teacher. He was the original lead singer of the band Ultravox before being replaced by Midge Ure, when he left to embark on a solo career in 1979...

  • Jean Michel Jarre
    Jean Michel Jarre
    Jean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...

     — "Arpegiator"
  • Kid Creole and the Coconuts
    Kid Creole and the Coconuts
    Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created and led by August Darnell. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular "American and Latin American, South American, Caribbean, Trinidadian, Calloway" and conceptually inspired by the big band era...

     — "Don't Take My Coconuts"
  • Matthew Friedberger
    Matthew Friedberger
    Matthew Friedberger is half of the indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces. In the band he contributes the majority of the instrumentation, writes most of the songs and lyrics and occasionally sings...

     — Holy Ghost Language School/Winter Women
  • Michael Jackson
    Michael Jackson
    Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

     — "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
    Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
    "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" is a song by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was released on May 8, 1983, by Epic Records as the fourth single from Jackson's sixth studio album Thriller in 1982. It is the first song on Thriller...

    ", "Baby Be Mine
    Thriller (album)
    Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...

    ", "Thriller
    Thriller (song)
    "Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...

    ", "Human Nature
    Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)
    "Human Nature" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written and composed by Steve Porcaro and John Bettis, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the fifth single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Initially, Porcaro had recorded a rough demo of the song on a...

    "
  • Mark Knopfler
    Mark Knopfler
    Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...

     — "Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)
    Local Hero (album)
    Local Hero is a 1983 soundtrack album by Mark Knopfler for the film Local Hero, produced by David Puttnam and written and directed by Bill Forsyth.-Track listing:# "The Rocks and the Water" # "Wild Theme" # "Freeway Flyer"...

    "
  • Mike Mareen
    Mike Mareen
    Mike Mareen was born in post-war West Berlin, West Germany, and grew up in Lüneburg. His first musical success was with the band Cemetery Institution who played at Hamburg's Star-Club. Mareen later became a merchant sailor, a job which eventually took him to New York City where he played with...

     — "Love Spy"
  • Mike Oldfield
    Mike Oldfield
    Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...

     — Five Miles Out
    Five Miles Out
    Five Miles Out is the seventh record album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1982, at a time when his music was moving away from large-scale symphonic pieces towards a more accessible pop style. It is one of the very few albums on which Oldfield sings lead vocals, as he is noted for not having any...

  • Men Without Hats
    Men Without Hats
    Men Without Hats is a Canadian New Wave group from Montreal, Quebec. Their music was characterized by the distinctive baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electronic processing...

     — Rhythm of Youth
    Rhythm of Youth
    Rhythm of Youth is the debut album of Canadian synth-pop group Men Without Hats, released in 1982. The album propelled them to fame with its second single, "The Safety Dance".The U.S...

  • Neil Young
    Neil Young
    Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...

     — Trans
    Trans (album)
    Trans is the twelfth studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young, released in 1982. Recorded partially and released during his notorious Geffen era in the 1980s, Trans baffled many Neil Young fans. Some suggested that the album could be a satirical message that Young was trying to send about the...

  • Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
    Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
    Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...

  • P. Lion
    P. Lion
    P. Lion is an Italian singer and musician who achieved his greatest success in the 1980s.-Biography:...

     — "Kings of the Night"
  • Paul Davis
    Paul Davis (singer)
    Paul Lavon Davis was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his radio hits and solo career which started worldwide in 1970. His career encompassed soul, country and pop music...

     - All Of the 1981 Cool Night album and anything else later than that
  • Paul McCartney
    Paul McCartney
    Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...

     — "What's That You're Doing?", "The Other Me"
  • Peter Gabriel
    Peter Gabriel
    Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...

     — Security
  • Peter Brown
    Peter Brown (singer)
    Peter Brown is an artist, songwriter and record producer. He grew up in Palos Heights, another Chicago suburb. His mother, Virginia, was artistic and musically talented and gave Peter music lessons at a very young age. Peter’s father, Maurice, was an electronic engineer and unwittingly helped him...

     — "They Only Come Out At Night", "Classical Dancing", "Love Is Just A Game"
  • Prince
    Prince (musician)
    Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

     — Virtually every song he released on Warner Bros. Records
  • Pete Shelley
    Pete Shelley
    Pete Shelley is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of Buzzcocks.-Biography:...

     — Homosapien
    Homosapien (album)
    Homosapien was Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley's 1981 debut solo album, the title-track of which was released as a UK single the same year. The single was banned by the BBC, but was nevertheless a hit in several countries....

    , XL1
    XL1
    XL1 was Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley's second solo album. The single "Telephone Operator" charted at #66 in the United Kingdom, making it his biggest single release there...

  • Reading Rainbow
    Reading Rainbow
    Reading Rainbow is an American children's television series aired by PBS from June 6, 1983 until November 10, 2006 that encouraged reading among children. The award-winning public television series garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including scores of Emmy Awards, many for "Outstanding Children's...

     — Songs from Reading Rainbow
  • Ric Ocasek
    Ric Ocasek
    Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....

     — Beatitude
    Beatitude (Ric Ocasek album)
    Beatitude is the debut album released by Ric Ocasek, lead singer and principal songwriter of The Cars. It was released by Geffen Records in 1982, and featured an appearance by Greg Hawkes on keyboards.-Track listing:...

  • Roxy Music
    Roxy Music
    Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...

     — Avalon
  • Ryan Paris
    Ryan Paris
    Ryan Paris is an artist who gained international popularity in 1983 for the worldwide hit single, "Dolce Vita". It was written and produced by Pierluigi Giombini...

  • Secret Service
    Secret Service (band)
    Secret Service is a Swedish pop/New Wave band, popular in the early 1980s. In 1979, Ola Håkansson, a former vocalist of Ola & the Janglers and then a publishing manager at Sonet Records, teamed up with Tim Norell and Ulf Wahlberg to write a few songs that they submitted to the Melodifestivalen, a...

     — "Flash in the Night"
  • Sheila E.
    Sheila E.
    Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...

     - "The Glamorous Life"
  • Steve Hackett
    Steve Hackett
    Stephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...

     — Cured
  • Sparks
    Sparks (band)
    Sparks is an American rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...

     — "I Predict
    I Predict
    "I Predict" is a song by Sparks. It was released in 1982 as the only single from Angst in My Pants, although an effort was made to release "Eaten by the Monster of Love" as a second single. The group promoted the single with a typically eclectic performance on Saturday Night Live...

    ", "Mickey Mouse
    Angst in My Pants
    - Personnel :* Russell Mael, Vocals* Ron Mael, Keyboards and synthesizers* Leslie Bohem, Bass guitar and additional background vocals* Bob Haag, Guitar and additional background vocals* David Kendrick, Drums* James Goodwin, Synthesizers...

    ", "Modesty Plays"
  • Tight Fit
    Tight Fit
    Tight Fit are a British pop group who had a number of hits in the early 1980s, including a UK No.1 with their cover version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1982...

     — "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
    The Lion Sleeps Tonight
    "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", also known as "Wimoweh" and originally as "Mbube", is a song recorded by Solomon Linda and his group The Evening Birds for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. It was covered internationally by many 1950s pop and folk revival artists, including The Weavers,...

    "
  • Thompson Twins
    Thompson Twins
    The Thompson Twins were a British pop group that were formed in April 1977 and disbanded in May 1993. They achieved considerable popularity in the mid 1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States and around the globe. The band was named after the two bumbling detectives...

  • Todd Rundgren
    Todd Rundgren
    Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...

  • Ultravox
    Ultravox
    Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....

     — "We Came to Dance"
  • Vangelis
    Vangelis
    Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...

  • Vanity
    Vanity (performer)
    Denise Katrina Matthews , better known as Vanity, but sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian-born former singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and model from the 1980s until the early mid-90s...

     — Wild Animals
  • Vanity 6
    Vanity 6
    Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio assembled by Prince in the early 1980s.They released one studio album, which blended the sounds of pop, New Wave, dance music, R&B, and funk.-Formation:...

    - "Nasty Girl"

External links

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