Like 1970's , 1980's functioned as a way for to clear the decks: to experiment and recalibrate in the aftermath of his band falling apart. This means 1982's is, in many ways, the very first solo album, a record recorded not at home but in a studio, a record made without and not co-credited to , who nevertheless is present as a backing vocalist. recognized this album as something of a major opportunity, so he revived his relationship with producer and brought in several heavy-hitters as guests, including his hero , his Motown counterpart , fusion star , prog rock refugees and , and his old bandmate , whose presence was overshadowed by "Here Today," an elegy written for the murdered . Tucked away at the end of the first side, "Here Today" is bittersweet and small when compared to all the show pieces elbowing each other for attention throughout : the grave march of the title track, the vaudevillian "Ballroom Dancing," the stately drama of "Wanderlust," and sincere schmaltz of "Ebony and Ivory," the duet that helped turn this album into the blockbuster it was intended to be. As good as some of these numbers are -- and they are, bearing an ambition and execution that outstrips latter-day -- much of the charm of lies in the excess around the edges, whether it's the rockabilly lark of the duet "Get It," the later-period whimsy of '"The Pound Is Sinking," the electro-throwaway "Dress Me Up as a Robber," or the long, electro-funk workout of "What's That You're Doing?," a track that's a fuller collaboration between than "Ebony and Ivory." Such crowd-pleasing genre-hopping finds its apotheosis on "Take It Away," a salute to eager performers and the crowds who love them, which means it summarizes not only the appeal of in general -- it is, by design, a record that gives the people old -- but in general. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine