Where to begin with this, the greatest of all years, IMO? There is just an abundance of riches, both well-known and unknown. I'll try to shine a light on some of the unknown wonders of this magical year, focusing on some different genres.
Of course, I'll start with synth funk - what else?!
From Prince to The Gap Band to Zapp, there was a lot of goodies to spare. There are a lot of hidden gems, too, though:
Prince's former bandmate André Cymone released his debut album that year, and among other treats, it has the synthy ballad with its photon beats
Baby Don't Go, the number one song on Saturn in 2187, I'm sure, as well as the irresistibly catchy
Kelly's Eyes. Other purple proteges also were on fire in 1982, including The Time with their most beloved song
777-9311 (the drumming is INSANE), dance craze
The Walk featuring their trademark humor, and
Gigolos Get Lonely Too taking the photon balladry even further into space with a rare bit of self-reflection from Morris. Of course, Vanity 6 debuted in 1982, with strip club classic
Nasty Girl being the most notorious, while
If a Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up) is hilarious as Prince plays the role of a trashy new girlfriend getting into a verbal spat with Vanity and Brenda for the affections of some anonymous Jimmy and
Drive Me Wild showcases sparse drum machines and warped synths to great effect.
UK band Imagination launched their career in 1981 but really took off in 1982 thanks to the evergreen
Just an Illusion. On the other side of the spectrum, Prince Charles & the City Beat Band never seemed to get the popular following he deserved, with 3 synth funk album delights in the early 80s. 1982 saw what is likely his most well-known song, the ever-cool
Cash Cash Money.
Even well-established funk legends got in on the synth fun. Try on the tasty
Take a Lickin' and Keep on Kickin'by Bootsy Collins for size. Of course, George Clinton's massive "Atomic Dog" was a huge hit, but the
Computer Games has a lot more to offer, from the freight train mania that is the
title track in which George Clinton plays the role of an insane computer game with bizarre synth effects and references to Dracula and various Looney Tunes, as well as the disgustingly funky
Man's Best Friend with a synth bass that will make your face twist in ecstasy. P-Funk acolytes Xavier released the wonderful album
Point of Pleasure, which featured syrupy synth bass grooves like
Rock Me, Sock Me.
Some artists released little else in their career, and the quality of these songs makes me wonder what went wrong, as they are awesome. For instance, how on Earth did Colourbox only release a few singles and an album? The relentless
Breakdown shows a group with all the goods! Likewise with Gary Davis, whose album
untitled is consistently great, highlighted by the murky, furtive groove of
The Professor Here. High Fashion had 2 very nice LPs in the early 80s, starting with 1982's
Feelin' Lucky and the spacy, disco-tinged jubilation that is
You're the Winner. Peech Boys dropped an absolute BOMB with Larry Levan favorite
Don't Make Me Wait.
Some one-single wonders also brought it DOWN in 1982. Some of my favorites are Chemise's delicious
She Can't Love You and Komiko's thrilling
Feel Alright - once that shimmering synth line kicks in, your senses will be tickled in all the right ways. They may have had only one song, but what a song it is!
Other funky delights were bountiful. Carl Carlton (he of "She's a Bad Mama Jama" fame had a delightful song
Swing That Sexy Thing, which is sexy indeed. Boogie queen Evelyn "Champagne" King released likely her best album in 1982, with delights like the eternal
Love Come Down and the rhythmically hypnotic
Get Loose. She wasn't the only boogie diva to have a banner year in 1982, however. Sharon Redd's blistering album
Redd Hott is exactly that, with songs like the shimmering post-disco anthem
In the Name of Love and the bopping groover
Never Gonna Give You Up, Grace Jones released the very good
Living My Life album in 1982, including the irresistible groover
Nipple to the Bottle.
And speaking of the big guns, while they are well-celebrated here with some of their more renowned classics, there are more gems to mine. For Prince, the gritty outtakes
Extraloveable and
Lust U Always are likely to stay in the vault due to their dark sexual content, though the experimental mission statement
Purple Music seems destined to be unearthed as a "lost classic" and hyperactive
Turn It Up may as well. The Gap Band are now rightfully getting acclaim for the incredible "You Dropped a Bomb on Me", but their album
Gap Band IV has plenty more to offer, including their biggest US hit
Early in the Morning which features the same swagger and relentless testosterone-laden drive, while
Outstanding is a more laid-back groove well worthy of your attention. Zapp may be more well known for "More Bounce to the Ounce" in 1980, but 1982's
Dance Floor is another epic floor-filler.