Top 26 Music Albums of 1981
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 3 hours ago
- (Created: 04/12/2012 17:07).
- Chart size: 26 albums.
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Produced by Jimmy Iovine and Tom Petty. After having spent years with Fleetwood Mac being limited to about three songs per album, Stevie Nicks exploded with material for her first solo album. Criminally overlooked and underheard, this is Nicks at her best. "Edge Of Seventeen" was huge, and her duets with Petty ("Stop Draggin' My Heart Around")and Don Henley ("Leather And Lace")made her even bigger. But Bella Donna, as a whole, still gets little love. It deserves to be heard, and loved. A really great album.
[First added to this chart: 01/02/2013]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
703
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
10
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[First added to this chart: 05/17/2013]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
986
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 11/16/2016]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
846
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1981 – BACKSTREET
Produced By JIMMY IOVINE & TOM PETTY
1. The Waiting
2. A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me)
3. Nightwatchman
4. Something Big
5. King’s Road
6. Letting You Go
7. A Thing About You
8. Insider
9. The Criminal Kind
10. You Can Still Change Your Mind
Hard Promises is the fourth album by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and the last to be played in full by the entire original lineup. Like many of Petty’s albums, it’s often overlooked and passed over by critics, despite the hits and great tracks included. This was the album that included a pair of guest vocals by Stevie Nicks, and the last to feature Ron Blair on bass for twenty years. Hard Promises is the follow up to the hugely successful Damn The Torpedoes, and is ultimately worthy of that distinction. It was also the subject of a price war between Petty and MCA Records, who wanted to raise the price of the album without consent. A lot going on here, but don’t forget that this is also a pretty terrific album. One of the best from the Heartbreakers.
The album opens with a pair of great hits. “The Waiting” and “A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me)” are worth having the album for alone. But you also get the burner “A Thing About You”, and two of the band’s concert favorites, “Nightwatchman” and “Kings Road”. And then there’s Stevie. Jimmy Iovine was also producing her solo debut Bella Donna, and hooked her up with Petty for a song that ended up being three. “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” ended up on her album, but Hard Promises got the beautiful duet “Insider”, one of Petty’s very best ballads. This album doesn’t get the love it deserves. Petty & The Heartbreakers were at the top of their game here, and this is actually one of their better records. Don’t sleep on Hard Promises…it’s better than you might remember it to be. [First added to this chart: 04/12/2012]
Produced By JIMMY IOVINE & TOM PETTY
1. The Waiting
2. A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me)
3. Nightwatchman
4. Something Big
5. King’s Road
6. Letting You Go
7. A Thing About You
8. Insider
9. The Criminal Kind
10. You Can Still Change Your Mind
Hard Promises is the fourth album by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and the last to be played in full by the entire original lineup. Like many of Petty’s albums, it’s often overlooked and passed over by critics, despite the hits and great tracks included. This was the album that included a pair of guest vocals by Stevie Nicks, and the last to feature Ron Blair on bass for twenty years. Hard Promises is the follow up to the hugely successful Damn The Torpedoes, and is ultimately worthy of that distinction. It was also the subject of a price war between Petty and MCA Records, who wanted to raise the price of the album without consent. A lot going on here, but don’t forget that this is also a pretty terrific album. One of the best from the Heartbreakers.
The album opens with a pair of great hits. “The Waiting” and “A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me)” are worth having the album for alone. But you also get the burner “A Thing About You”, and two of the band’s concert favorites, “Nightwatchman” and “Kings Road”. And then there’s Stevie. Jimmy Iovine was also producing her solo debut Bella Donna, and hooked her up with Petty for a song that ended up being three. “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” ended up on her album, but Hard Promises got the beautiful duet “Insider”, one of Petty’s very best ballads. This album doesn’t get the love it deserves. Petty & The Heartbreakers were at the top of their game here, and this is actually one of their better records. Don’t sleep on Hard Promises…it’s better than you might remember it to be. [First added to this chart: 04/12/2012]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
445
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1981-ATCO
Produced By ROBERT JOHN "MUTT" LANGE
1. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
2. Put The Finger On You
3. Let's Give It Up
4. Inject The Venom
5. Snowballed
6. Evil Walks
7. C.O.D.
8. Breaking The Rules
9. Night Of The Long Knives
10. Spellbound
The second album of the Brain Johnson era, and the followup to their huge Back In Black album, For Those About To Rock may be the most underrated album by AC/DC. With expectations high for them to make Back In Black 2, they almost pulled it off. The title track is huge, but there are plenty of gems here as well. "Inject The Venom", "Put The Finger On You", and "Evil Walks" could have all been hits, and every song could have worked on Back In Black. AC/DC sounds almost the same on every record. but the key is consistency. And they pull that off here. For Those About To Rock is a great time, and belongs right next to its predecessor. Not quite Back In Black 2, but they almost pulled it off.
The title track was used, along with several other songs, for the soundtrack to Maximum Overdrive. Producer Lange went on, of course, to become Mrs. Shania Twain. [First added to this chart: 04/12/2012]
Produced By ROBERT JOHN "MUTT" LANGE
1. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
2. Put The Finger On You
3. Let's Give It Up
4. Inject The Venom
5. Snowballed
6. Evil Walks
7. C.O.D.
8. Breaking The Rules
9. Night Of The Long Knives
10. Spellbound
The second album of the Brain Johnson era, and the followup to their huge Back In Black album, For Those About To Rock may be the most underrated album by AC/DC. With expectations high for them to make Back In Black 2, they almost pulled it off. The title track is huge, but there are plenty of gems here as well. "Inject The Venom", "Put The Finger On You", and "Evil Walks" could have all been hits, and every song could have worked on Back In Black. AC/DC sounds almost the same on every record. but the key is consistency. And they pull that off here. For Those About To Rock is a great time, and belongs right next to its predecessor. Not quite Back In Black 2, but they almost pulled it off.
The title track was used, along with several other songs, for the soundtrack to Maximum Overdrive. Producer Lange went on, of course, to become Mrs. Shania Twain. [First added to this chart: 04/12/2012]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
634
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 04/14/2012]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
531
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
626
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 09/21/2014]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,707
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 02/22/2023]
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[First added to this chart: 11/02/2014]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,060
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 26. Page 1 of 3
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Top 26 Music Albums of 1981 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| X (US) | 1 | 4% | |
| Foreigner | 1 | 4% | |
| Rickie Lee Jones | 1 | 4% | |
| Brian Eno & David Byrne | 1 | 4% | |
| The Police | 1 | 4% | |
| Joan Armatrading | 1 | 4% | |
| Agent Orange | 1 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 26 Music Albums of 1981 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
 Up 1 from 22nd to 21stTattoo You by The Rolling Stones |
Top 26 Music Albums of 1981 similarity to your chart(s)
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Other year charts by Romanelli
(from the 1980s)| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 78 Music Albums of 1989 | Romanelli | 1989 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 71 Music Albums of 1988 | Romanelli | 1988 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 52 Music Albums of 1987 | Romanelli | 1987 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 49 Music Albums of 1986 | Romanelli | 1986 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 36 Music Albums of 1985 | Romanelli | 1985 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 36 Music Albums of 1984 | Romanelli | 1984 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 35 Music Albums of 1983 | Romanelli | 1983 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 38 Music Albums of 1982 | Romanelli | 1982 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 26 Music Albums of 1981 | Romanelli | 1981 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 35 Music Albums of 1980 | Romanelli | 1980 year chart | 2025 | |
Top 26 Music Albums of 1981 ratings
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 80/100  | 08/24/2022 06:17 |  pedro1976 | | 85/100 |
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