Top 26 Music Albums of 1981
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 10/08/2025 16:15
- (Created: 04/12/2012 17:07).
- Chart size: 26 albums.
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1981 – ATLANTIC
Produced By ROBERT JOHN “MUTT” LANGE & MICK JONES
1. Night Life
2. Juke Box Hero
3. Break It Up
4. Waiting For A Girl Like You
5. Luanne
6. Urgent
7. I’m Gonna Win
8. Woman In Black
9. Girl On The Moon
10. Don’t Let Go
11. Juke Box Hero (Nearly Unplugged Version)
12. Waiting For A Girl Like You (Nearly Unplugged Version)
When former Spooky Tooth guitarist Mick Jones and King Crimson’s sax player Ian MacDonald formed Foreigner in 1977, this was the last band you’d think was going to turn into a massive hit making machine. But, during the late seventies through the mid eighties, Foreigner was just that. And they were never hotter than on 4. Led by Jones (MacDonald was gone by now) and lead singer Lou Gramm, the band put together their most consistent album, and overall their best. Foreigner had slimmed down to a trio by the time of this album, but there was plenty of room for other instruments. The heavy dose of synthesizers is supplied by a not yet famous Thomas Dolby, while Junior Walker provides a scorching sax solo on the biggest hit from 4, “Urgent”. As is usually the case with Foreigners albums, the hits are memorable…while the remaining tracks tend to be forgettable.
The real weapon that Foreigner possessed was in the powerhouse voice of Gramm. One of rock’s greatest singers, he was never better than on “Juke Box Hero”. Not a great song by any means, Gramm makes it a great track with his scorching “one guitar” vocals. “Waiting For A Girl Like You” is the required ballad, and it’s a very good and catchy one. And of course, “Urgent” was on the radio it seemed like the entire summer of 1981. “Night Life” and “Break It Up” are also interesting, but after that, the rest is predictably filler. 4 was one of those albums that was just released at the perfect time…there was a void in rock in 1981, and Foreigner stepped up and filled it nicely. It sounds like 1981. After a greatest hits album, they went on to release the hugely successful Agent Provocateur in 1984 before starting to run out of hits. This is as close as Foreigner ever got to great. [First added to this chart: 03/24/2016]
Produced By ROBERT JOHN “MUTT” LANGE & MICK JONES
1. Night Life
2. Juke Box Hero
3. Break It Up
4. Waiting For A Girl Like You
5. Luanne
6. Urgent
7. I’m Gonna Win
8. Woman In Black
9. Girl On The Moon
10. Don’t Let Go
11. Juke Box Hero (Nearly Unplugged Version)
12. Waiting For A Girl Like You (Nearly Unplugged Version)
When former Spooky Tooth guitarist Mick Jones and King Crimson’s sax player Ian MacDonald formed Foreigner in 1977, this was the last band you’d think was going to turn into a massive hit making machine. But, during the late seventies through the mid eighties, Foreigner was just that. And they were never hotter than on 4. Led by Jones (MacDonald was gone by now) and lead singer Lou Gramm, the band put together their most consistent album, and overall their best. Foreigner had slimmed down to a trio by the time of this album, but there was plenty of room for other instruments. The heavy dose of synthesizers is supplied by a not yet famous Thomas Dolby, while Junior Walker provides a scorching sax solo on the biggest hit from 4, “Urgent”. As is usually the case with Foreigners albums, the hits are memorable…while the remaining tracks tend to be forgettable.
The real weapon that Foreigner possessed was in the powerhouse voice of Gramm. One of rock’s greatest singers, he was never better than on “Juke Box Hero”. Not a great song by any means, Gramm makes it a great track with his scorching “one guitar” vocals. “Waiting For A Girl Like You” is the required ballad, and it’s a very good and catchy one. And of course, “Urgent” was on the radio it seemed like the entire summer of 1981. “Night Life” and “Break It Up” are also interesting, but after that, the rest is predictably filler. 4 was one of those albums that was just released at the perfect time…there was a void in rock in 1981, and Foreigner stepped up and filled it nicely. It sounds like 1981. After a greatest hits album, they went on to release the hugely successful Agent Provocateur in 1984 before starting to run out of hits. This is as close as Foreigner ever got to great. [First added to this chart: 03/24/2016]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
657
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
19Total albums: 1. Page 1 of 1
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Top 26 Music Albums of 1981 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| The Police | 1 | 4% | |
| Joan Armatrading | 1 | 4% | |
| Agent Orange | 1 | 4% | |
| George Benson | 1 | 4% | |
| Rush | 1 | 4% | |
| The Rolling Stones | 1 | 4% | |
| Grateful Dead | 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 |
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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 37 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
85/100 (from 1 vote)
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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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