Rumours is the kind of album that transcends its origins and reputation, entering the realm of legend – it's an album that simply exists outside of criticism and outside of its time, even if it thoroughly captures its era. Prior to this LP, Fleetwood Mac were moderately successful, but here they turned into a full-fledged phenomenon, with Rumours becoming the biggest-selling pop album to date. While its chart success was historic, much of the legend surrounding the record is born from the group's internal turmoil. Unlike most bands, Fleetwood Mac in the mid-'70s were professionally and romantically intertwined, with no less than two couples in the band, but as their professional career took off, the personal side unraveled.

After two albums with singer Jack Bruce, Robin Trower brought back original vocalist James Dewar for his 1983 release Back It Up. Longtime fans surely hoped for another Bridge of Sighs, but by this time the songwriting had been reduced to pedestrian hard rock, with only occasional flashes of the old cosmic brilliance. Both "The River" and "Benny Dancer" have some of the old edge, and the instrumental "Island" is one of the most beautiful songs Trower ever did. Unfortunately, however, this record was ignored by the old fans (many of whom were now busy starting families and toting briefcases), and it was hard for him to win over a new audience when haircut bands like Culture Club flooded both the radio and the latest media sensation – MTV.

After playing a major role in five positively classic heavy metal albums of the late '70s and early '80s (three with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow and two with Black Sabbath), it seemed that singer Ronnie James Dio could truly do no wrong. So it wasn't all that surprising – impressive, but not surprising – when he struck gold yet again when launching his solo vehicle, Dio, via 1983's terrific Holy Diver album. Much like those two, hallowed Sabbath LPs, Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules, Holy Diver opened at full metallic throttle with the frenetic "Stand Up and Shout," before settling into a dark, deliberate, and hypnotic groove for the timelessly epic title track – a worthy successor to glorious triumphs past like Rainbow's "Stargazer" and the Sabs' "Sign of the Southern Cross."

Tam-Tam was Amanda's last album with Ariola Records and was mainly recorded only to fulfill her contract with the label. It was also her first full-length release not to be produced in Munich by Anthony Monn, but only by Italian musicians, primarily Roberto Cacciapaglia who produced the entire material. The album is a blend of synthesizer-based pop and new wave music. Lyrically, it references African folklore, mainly dealing with topics such as black magic. Amanda explained in a 1983 interview: "I'm fascinated with Voodoo, Macumba, exorcisms. Basically, the sphere that goes beyond the perception of rationality". The album artwork is credited to Graphic Studio CGD. It portrays Amanda as an African witch, complete with make-up and outfit. The dress and jewelry are credited to Artemio of Milano, and the photographs are by Angelo Deligio.

The debut solo album by Mexican ambient pioneer Jorge Reyes, Ek-Tunkul is a powerful statement of purpose from an artist whose sound was wholly his own. After leaving Mexican prog-rock band Chac Mool, Reyes became increasingly fascinated with native Mexican instruments and pre-Colombian music traditions, ultimately combining these sounds with modern instruments (guitar, synthesizer) and flute, mandolin, kalimba, and voice to pay homage to his ancestry and heritage. His first album is a sort of quiet “deep listening” prog-rock that hints at the later tribal, folk, ambient zones Reyes would explore with fellow experimentalists Antonio Zepeda and Suso Sáiz.

A new CD and vinyl box set called Live 1978-1992 focuses on the live recordings of Dire Straits. These packages spotlight four main concerts (or live albums): Alchemy (1983), On The Night (1993), the Live at the BBC compilation from 1995 and Live from the Rainbow Theatre, a 1979 gig which is previously unreleased.

Legacy's second reissue of Texas Flood, the 1983 debut from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, now expands the album to two CDs, adding a complete concert given at Ripley's Music Hall in Philadelphia on October 20, 1983, four months after the record was released. On the first disc, an early version of "Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place in Town)" is added to the original album but that is the only carry-over from the 1999 expansion. That disc also had three live cuts, but those were taken from a different 1983 concert, so this 2013 30th Anniversary Edition offers something completely new: an entire radio broadcast featuring SRV and Double Trouble at the peak of their power.

Sérgio Mendes is the 1983 studio album by Sérgio Mendes on A&M Records, his first Top 40 album in nearly a decade and a half, and was accompanied by his biggest chart single ever, "Never Gonna Let You Go", a song written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil that reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.