1983

In 1983 the Internet got its official start when ARPANET switched over to TCP/IP on New Year's Day, and Michael Jackson unveiled the moonwalk on the Motown 25 special in May. In February, M*A*S*H signed off with an audience of 121.6 million. Compact discs went on sale in Europe and North America in March, though most of us were still taping things off the radio.

Metal was busy dividing into factions. Thrash arrived with two debuts, Metallica's Kill 'Em All in July and Slayer's Show No Mercy in December, and neither sounded much like the polished rock on the radio. Def Leppard's Pyromania, out in January, went the other way, while Quiet Riot's "Cum on Feel the Noize" reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Iron Maiden delivered Piece of Mind in May, Ozzy Osbourne followed with Bark at the Moon in November, and AC/DC put out Flick of the Switch in August. Black Sabbath's Born Again appeared in September, Motörhead's Another Perfect Day in June, and Pantera, still a glam-tinged outfit, released Metal Magic. Pink Floyd's The Final Cut arrived in March. Kiss dropped the makeup, and Jon Bon Jovi's "Runaway" became a surprise hit on a New York radio station, which led to a band bearing his name.

The year had its sharp edges. On 11 April Metallica sacked Dave Mustaine over substance abuse just before recording their debut and brought in Kirk Hammett from Exodus. Mustaine went on to form Megadeth, which worked out rather well for everyone. Less happily, Felix Pappalardi, bassist of Mountain and producer of Cream, was shot dead by his wife on 17 April.