Top 16 Music Albums of 1981
by 
Larcx13 
A+ : Approaches perfection — rare, timeless, and near flawless. – 100
A : A great record with only a couple weak spots. – 95
A– : A great record that’s a little over-produced, over-marketed, or just missing a spark. – 90
B+ : A very good record that sometimes flirts with the half-assed. – 85
*** : Honorable Mention — objectively great, just not my thing. – 85
B : A solid, enjoyable record loved by fans; nothing groundbreaking, but worth your time. – 80
B– : Has its moments, but too long, repetitive, or overindulgent. – 75
C+ : Patchy but listenable — a few standouts keep it afloat. – 70
C : Competent but hollow, or a halfway-decent shot at something different. Often corny. – 65
C– : Honest effort that doesn’t quite land. Also often corny. – 60
✂️ : Cut-worthy — a few gems to save, the rest filler. – 55
D+ : Kind of bad, but hey, someone out there loves it. – 50
D : Bad, but strangely has reach. – 45
D– : Really bad, yet somehow people like it. – 40
F : Why does this exist? Who thought this was a good idea? – ≤35
- Chart updated: 12/08/2025 14:45
- (Created: 09/25/2020 15:13).
- Chart size: 16 albums.
There are 0 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 16 Music Albums of 1981 has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 2 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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A-
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2020]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,778
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
B+
B+
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2020]
B
[First added to this chart: 09/13/2023]
B
[First added to this chart: 12/31/2020]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,146
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
B
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2020]
B
[First added to this chart: 11/03/2025]
B
[First added to this chart: 07/08/2021]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,238
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
B
[First added to this chart: 11/16/2020]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
354
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
B-
[First added to this chart: 09/13/2023]
Total albums: 16. Page 1 of 2
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Top 16 Music Albums of 1981 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Аквариум [Aquarium] | 2 | 13% | |
| Muddy Waters | 1 | 6% | |
| Bob Dylan | 1 | 6% | |
| Gil Scott-Heron | 1 | 6% | |
| Exploited | 1 | 6% | |
| Iron Maiden | 1 | 6% | |
| Ramones | 1 | 6% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 16 Music Albums of 1981 chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 2nd to 3rdKing Bee by Muddy Waters |
| Down 1 from 3rd to 4thReflections by Gil Scott-Heron |
| Down 1 from 4th to 5thKillers by Iron Maiden |
| New entries |
|---|
| Perfect by Perfect (PL) |
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Top 16 Music Albums of 1981 ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/15/2022 22:56 |  Rhyner | 1,452 | 99/100 |
| ! | 02/04/2022 19:34 | DJENNY | 4,335 | 100/100 |
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