Top 50 Music Albums of 1981
by 
slatsheit 
- Chart updated: 09/08/2026 00:15
- (Created: 11/27/2024 13:03).
- Chart size: 50 albums.
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Available from
[First added to this chart: 11/27/2024]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,541
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
[First added to this chart: 11/27/2024]
Available from
The last 5-star album on the list.
[First added to this chart: 11/27/2024]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,069
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
1981 is a really hard year to rank for me. Lots of fairly strong 4.5-star albums, and some good 4-stars as well. This album is ***only*** atop the 4.5s for this year on the basis of containing my single favorite track of the '80s, "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic." Without that, it's a low four stars. I like some of the other tracks, but several are throwaways, and "Invisible Sun," which a lot of Police fans swear by, is the single worst track on their five studio albums. Think about some of the competition there, and let what I'm saying there sink in.
[First added to this chart: 11/27/2024]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,776
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
This, on the other hand, is outright as good as 4.5s get. I just can't put it ahead of Ghost because of that one superlative track on the latter. But this is a classic.
[First added to this chart: 11/27/2024]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
961
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
More uneven than Underwater Moonlight, but several essential Hitchcock tracks here.
[First added to this chart: 11/27/2024]
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Uneven, but its best tracks are classics.
[First added to this chart: 11/27/2024]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,132
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
I know everyone loves "The Unguarded Moment," but "Chrome Injury" and "Fighter Pilot/Korean War" are better. I love their guitar sounds.
[First added to this chart: 11/27/2024]
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Such a solid album, unlike their next two.
[First added to this chart: 11/27/2024]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
798
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
Track for track, this is the weakest of their first four albums, but the high points - "All My Colours," "Over the Wall," and "Show of Strength," among others, are brilliant.
[First added to this chart: 11/27/2024]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,475
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 50. Page 1 of 5
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Top 50 Music Albums of 1981 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Emmylou Harris | 2 | 4% | |
| Simple Minds | 1 | 2% | |
| The Cure | 1 | 2% | |
| Black Flag | 1 | 2% | |
| The Comsat Angels | 1 | 2% | |
| Siouxsie And The Banshees | 1 | 2% | |
| The Beat | 1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 50 Music Albums of 1981 chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 1 from 30th to 31st |
Down 1 from 31st to 32nd |
Down 1 from 32nd to 33rd |
| New entries |
|---|
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Showing all 1 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 12/19/2024 18:18 |  Rhyner | 1,462 | 99/100 |
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