1982

1982 was the year Argentina seized the Falkland Islands and Britain sent a task force to take them back, a conflict that dominated the spring news. Elsewhere, Space Shuttle Columbia landed at White Sands, Canada brought its constitution home, and the first computer virus turned up on an Apple II floppy disk. Nicole won Eurovision with a song about peace, which felt about right.

Metal was busy filling its own ranks. Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast, the first album with Bruce Dickinson on vocals, went to number one in Britain, and nothing else that year matched it. Motörhead answered with Iron Fist, Ozzy Osbourne put out the live Speak of the Devil, Black Sabbath issued Live Evil, and Queensrÿche arrived with their first record. Judas Priest released "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", later their best-selling single. Queen went the other way with Hot Space, a funk and disco-flavoured record that baffled the rock crowd, while Led Zeppelin tidied up with Coda. A crop of new bands formed too, among them Metallica's neighbours-to-be Death Angel, plus Dio, W.A.S.P., Kreator, Voivod and Fates Warning.

The year was rough on the people involved. Randy Rhoads was killed on 19 March in a plane accident in Florida, and Ozzy had already bitten the head off a bat in Des Moines and been arrested for urinating on the Alamo. Iron Maiden sacked Clive Burr and brought in Nicko McBrain. Fast Eddie Clarke left Motörhead, with Brian Robertson stepping in. Ace Frehley quit Kiss, Vinnie Vincent took over, and Ian Gillan replaced Ronnie James Dio in Black Sabbath in December. Uriah Heep reformed.