Top 26 Music Albums of 1981
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 02/10/2026 20:15
- (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:
775
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
1981 – COLUMBIA
Produced By MIKE STONE, KEVIN ELSON & STEVE PERRY
1. Don’t Stop Believin’
2. Stone In Love
3. Who’s Crying Now
4. Keep On Runnin’
5. Still They Ride
6. Escape
7. Lay It Down
8. Dead Or Alive
9. Mother, Father
10. Open Arms
11. La Raza Del Sol
12. Don’t Stop Believin’ (Live)
13. Who’s Crying Now (Live)
14. Open Arms (Live)
The fact that Journey was born from the great Santana band that played Woodstock can be most forgettable when listening to Escape, their biggest hit album and the one that made them ridiculously famous. Journey had floundered for years until their label forced Steve Perry into the band. They quickly discovered that the key to their future success was all in Perry’s golden throat. The hits began coming immediately, and by the time of Escape, they had figured out how to work it perfectly. Maybe the greatest cheese metal song of all time, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, opens things with the best few seconds of guitar that Neil Schon was ever allowed to play in this band, and the awful song plows straight ahead into the hearts of young girls and karaoke singers forever. At least it was a Journey hit that rocked. “Stone In Love” also had some rhythm, but after that, the stage was all Steve Perry’s. And he milked the whole “girls love power ballads” angle for all it was worth.
“Who’s Crying Now” is a perfectly formulaic dirge of a ballad, and of course it was a hit. But the song that really brought Journey to its short lived peak was “Open Arms”. This is Perry at his absolute weepiest, and it’s the ultimate power ballad…which is probably not such a great thing. Hair metal bands spend the next decade trying to top “Open Arms”, and, thankfully, none could do it. It’s the epitome of schlock, bad rock, and arena excess. As for the rest of Escape…you will find that the best tracks on any Journey album are actually the ones that were NOT hits. So, the six songs from “Keep On Runnin’” through “Mother, Father” are what keeps Escape from total disaster. The last four songs are non-essential bonus tracks. After Escape, Journey began a slow decline that ended with their breakup in 1986. They keep reuniting, but they’ll never recapture the magic of Escape, when they managed to give birth to an entire decade of excess, while still managing to keep the girls in full swoon. [First added to this chart: 05/17/2013]
Produced By MIKE STONE, KEVIN ELSON & STEVE PERRY
1. Don’t Stop Believin’
2. Stone In Love
3. Who’s Crying Now
4. Keep On Runnin’
5. Still They Ride
6. Escape
7. Lay It Down
8. Dead Or Alive
9. Mother, Father
10. Open Arms
11. La Raza Del Sol
12. Don’t Stop Believin’ (Live)
13. Who’s Crying Now (Live)
14. Open Arms (Live)
The fact that Journey was born from the great Santana band that played Woodstock can be most forgettable when listening to Escape, their biggest hit album and the one that made them ridiculously famous. Journey had floundered for years until their label forced Steve Perry into the band. They quickly discovered that the key to their future success was all in Perry’s golden throat. The hits began coming immediately, and by the time of Escape, they had figured out how to work it perfectly. Maybe the greatest cheese metal song of all time, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, opens things with the best few seconds of guitar that Neil Schon was ever allowed to play in this band, and the awful song plows straight ahead into the hearts of young girls and karaoke singers forever. At least it was a Journey hit that rocked. “Stone In Love” also had some rhythm, but after that, the stage was all Steve Perry’s. And he milked the whole “girls love power ballads” angle for all it was worth.
“Who’s Crying Now” is a perfectly formulaic dirge of a ballad, and of course it was a hit. But the song that really brought Journey to its short lived peak was “Open Arms”. This is Perry at his absolute weepiest, and it’s the ultimate power ballad…which is probably not such a great thing. Hair metal bands spend the next decade trying to top “Open Arms”, and, thankfully, none could do it. It’s the epitome of schlock, bad rock, and arena excess. As for the rest of Escape…you will find that the best tracks on any Journey album are actually the ones that were NOT hits. So, the six songs from “Keep On Runnin’” through “Mother, Father” are what keeps Escape from total disaster. The last four songs are non-essential bonus tracks. After Escape, Journey began a slow decline that ended with their breakup in 1986. They keep reuniting, but they’ll never recapture the magic of Escape, when they managed to give birth to an entire decade of excess, while still managing to keep the girls in full swoon. [First added to this chart: 05/17/2013]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
981
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2016]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
874
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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:
449
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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:
635
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 04/14/2012]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
516
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
1981-WARNER BROS
Produced By RUSS TITELMAN & LENNY WARONKER
1. We Belong Together
2. Living It Up
3. Skeletons
4. Woody And Dutch On The Slow Train To Peking
5. Pirates (So Long Lonely Avenue)
6. A Lucky Guy
7. Traces Of The Western Slopes
8. The Returns
Rickie Lee Jones was what Norah Jones would eventually become. Hugely popular after a jazzy and catchy debut album, then slipping into obscurity by playing the music she wanted to. After the huge success of "Chuck E's In Love" and with a promising career in front of her, Jones went with her heart and became almost instantly obscure. Not that her second album, Pirates, is bad. It's actually very good. And there are hints of her first album (particularly "Woody And Dutch"), but this is a mostly quiet and introspective work. Outside of the debut, Pirates is her best album. And unfortunately, one that's rarely heard.
"We Belong Together" is one of many very quiet songs on the album, but when it does build up, the results are great. "Living It Up", "A Lucky Guy", and "Traces Of The Western Slopes" are beautiful songs. Jones kept on recording after "Chuck E"...too bad nobody except her die hard fans ever really knew it. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Produced By RUSS TITELMAN & LENNY WARONKER
1. We Belong Together
2. Living It Up
3. Skeletons
4. Woody And Dutch On The Slow Train To Peking
5. Pirates (So Long Lonely Avenue)
6. A Lucky Guy
7. Traces Of The Western Slopes
8. The Returns
Rickie Lee Jones was what Norah Jones would eventually become. Hugely popular after a jazzy and catchy debut album, then slipping into obscurity by playing the music she wanted to. After the huge success of "Chuck E's In Love" and with a promising career in front of her, Jones went with her heart and became almost instantly obscure. Not that her second album, Pirates, is bad. It's actually very good. And there are hints of her first album (particularly "Woody And Dutch"), but this is a mostly quiet and introspective work. Outside of the debut, Pirates is her best album. And unfortunately, one that's rarely heard.
"We Belong Together" is one of many very quiet songs on the album, but when it does build up, the results are great. "Living It Up", "A Lucky Guy", and "Traces Of The Western Slopes" are beautiful songs. Jones kept on recording after "Chuck E"...too bad nobody except her die hard fans ever really knew it. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
627
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/21/2014]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,751
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
1981-ARISTA
Produced By DAN HEALY, BETTY CANTOR-JACKSON & JERRY GARCIA
1. Samson And Delilah
2. Friend Of The Devil
3. New Minglewood Blues
4. Deal
5. Candyman
6. Little Red Rooster
7. Loser
8. Passenger
9. Feel Like A Stranger
10. Franklin’s Tower
11. Rhythm Devils
12. Fire On The Mountain
13. Greatest Story Ever Told
14. Brokedown Palace
Recorded live at various shows in San Francisco and New York City in 1980, Dead Set is the companion album to Reckoning, an acoustic (and slightly better) live album released the same year from the same shows. The intent was to release both as a double live album, but the idea was scrapped because of the length of some of the electric tracks. The two separate albums did not fare well, and particularly Dead Set sounds mostly uninspired and lacks coherency.
The song list is fine, but the problem is that the band sounds tired and nothing ever really takes off. “Friend Of The Devil”, for example, runs seven plus minutes…not because of jamming, but because they play the song excruciatingly slow. Tracks like “Franklin’s Tower” are good performances, but the sound is just not right. There are so many good live packages from this band: Dead Set is just a waste of time. Look for better live sets: it won’t take long for you to be rewarded. [First added to this chart: 04/22/2012]
Produced By DAN HEALY, BETTY CANTOR-JACKSON & JERRY GARCIA
1. Samson And Delilah
2. Friend Of The Devil
3. New Minglewood Blues
4. Deal
5. Candyman
6. Little Red Rooster
7. Loser
8. Passenger
9. Feel Like A Stranger
10. Franklin’s Tower
11. Rhythm Devils
12. Fire On The Mountain
13. Greatest Story Ever Told
14. Brokedown Palace
Recorded live at various shows in San Francisco and New York City in 1980, Dead Set is the companion album to Reckoning, an acoustic (and slightly better) live album released the same year from the same shows. The intent was to release both as a double live album, but the idea was scrapped because of the length of some of the electric tracks. The two separate albums did not fare well, and particularly Dead Set sounds mostly uninspired and lacks coherency.
The song list is fine, but the problem is that the band sounds tired and nothing ever really takes off. “Friend Of The Devil”, for example, runs seven plus minutes…not because of jamming, but because they play the song excruciatingly slow. Tracks like “Franklin’s Tower” are good performances, but the sound is just not right. There are so many good live packages from this band: Dead Set is just a waste of time. Look for better live sets: it won’t take long for you to be rewarded. [First added to this chart: 04/22/2012]
[First added to this chart: 02/22/2023]
Total albums: 26. Page 1 of 3
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Top 26 Music Albums of 1981 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Rickie Lee Jones | 1 | 4% | |
| Brian Eno & David Byrne | 1 | 4% | |
| The Police | 1 | 4% | |
| Joan Armatrading | 1 | 4% | |
| Grateful Dead | 1 | 4% | |
| George Benson | 1 | 4% | |
| Agent Orange | 1 | 4% | |
| Show all | |||
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
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| 08/24/2022 06:17 |  pedro1976 | 106 | 85/100 |
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