revolution. In 1983, 800,000 CD's are sold in the United States alone and the apparent advantages of the compact disc over other storage media are readily perceived by the buying public.

MIDI, essentially a language of interconnectivity used by electronic musical devices, is universalized at this time and is employed for the first time in synthesizers. MIDI has an immediate impact on the industry and remains the standard by which musical devices communicate with each other.

Madonna releases her self-titled debut album in 1983. Wielding more influence than almost any other cultural icon, Madonna has epitomized postmodern eclecticism, and her impact on sexuality, spirituality, personal expression and public image is incalculable.

Michael Jackson releases Thriller late in 1982. Breaking away from his brothers literally and in musical style, Thriller is nothing short of a musical phenomenon. Spawning seven top ten hits, Thriller would sell over 20 million copies in the U.S. alone and would go on to become the second biggest all-time seller behind the Eagles' Greatest Hits volume I. Utilizing state-of-the-art keyboards, percussion, and Quincy Jones's lavish production, Jackson's Grammy-winner Thriller would expand popular music and music video in multiple directions and would become the dance album nonpareil.

Stating that the word "classic" is overused has itself become hackneyed, however, the Police's Synchronicity deserves the designation. Sting's inimitable stylings on fretless bass and ingenious lyrics, Stewart Copeland's perfection on percussion, and Andy Summer's spare, minimalist, and quietly intense guitar work combined to create the most satisfying work from the band which would transcend much of the musical mediocrity of the eighties.

Yamaha would release the classic DX-7 synthesizer which would nearly monopolize the sound of synthpop of the eighties and would remain the most popular synth of the decade. The DX-7 represented a tremendous advance in the user's ability to create and edit factory installed preset sounds and would be the standard for FM synthesis for many years after its initial release.

Met with a lukewarm public response relative to the release of the DX-7, Roland ushers forth the TR-808 Rhythm Machine and TB-303 bassline synth. The influence of these machines on dance music for nearly two decades has been enormous.The state-of-the-art drum machine software synths has not strayed from the TR-808's user interface and the unmistakable sixteenth note drill of the TB-303 and its offspring has been encoded into the collective unconscious of millions of ravers, dance fans, and head boppers worldwide.

The first house record usually agreed upon as Jesse Saunders' "On and On" is released in mid-1983. Years before the words "techno," "electronica,"and "rave" would enter mass public consciousness, pockets of progressive creativity—usually found in economically depressed sections of industrial U.S. and European cities—would take hold of youth looking for a radical departure from rock'n'roll.