Best Albums of 1981

Listed below are the best albums of 1981 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 58,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 8 hours ago).
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1981 year summaryThe best artists of 1981 were Rush, Kraftwerk, King Crimson, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Brian Eno & David Byrne, Electric Light Orchestra, The Cure, Black Flag, The Human League and The Rolling Stones.
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"One of the greatest prog/post-punk albums ever recorded, with texture and invention to spare. Dark, visual, unusual and masterfully executed. An immaculate and underrated tour de force. A psychedelic masterpiece. Difficult music indeed, for people who appreciate a challenging listen over spoon-fe..."  [+]  Reply
- daveydudely | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1981
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Rank Score:
535
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"A criminally underrated album on these charts! I know that Los Angeles is a better album but I’ve always connected better with Wild Gift. Favorites: Adult Books, Once Over Twice, White Girl, We’re Desperate, Universal Corner"  Reply
- MaxStorm98 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
516
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Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
485
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Year of Release:
1981
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Rank Score:
479
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Year of Release:
1981
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Rank Score:
456
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Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
453
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Year of Release:
1981
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Rank Score:
447
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"Depeche Mode's debut album is full of throwaway pop with Vince Clarke at the helm. Obviously, just can't get enough, is a classic pop song, the rest is a combination of not bad and forgettable. It's funny listening to some of these songs, I mean, can you imagine Depeche Mode playing, what's your ..."  [+]  Reply
- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (3 helpful | 1 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1981
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Rank Score:
445
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"Not quite as uncompromising as their debut; while Entertainment has a unique punk feel to it, this settles in to a more typical post-punk sound. The anger is still there though, and there is still some edge to the guitars as well. Pretty good follow-up to one of the best debuts of all time."  Reply
- babyBlueSedan | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
437
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"An eclectic mix of musical genres (world music, free jazz, reggae/dub) performed on an eclectic mix of odd instruments, including traditional African and Asian percussion instruments. Very experimental music, but it's not entirely avant-garde as there is some structure to the songs provided by th..."  [+]  Reply
- drstuey | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
435
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 6 of 100

Best Albums of 1981 composition

Best Ever Albums
1. OK Computer by Radiohead
2. The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd
3. Abbey Road by The Beatles
4. Revolver by The Beatles
5. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
6. In Rainbows by Radiohead
7. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
8. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie
9. Kid A by Radiohead
10. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico
11. Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) by Led Zeppelin
12. Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
13. Nevermind by Nirvana
14. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles
15. Funeral by Arcade Fire
16. The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths
17. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
18. Doolittle by Pixies
19. Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
20. To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar