Best Albums of 1981
Explore the best albums of 1981, based on over 2 million album rankings across 61,000 charts
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"This record really stands out for its innovation and its experimentation, making it one of the more enjoyable listens I have had recently. The music is such a mixed bag and you really have no idea where they might be going to next. They don't stick to a single genre and they really have an edge t..." Reply
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,851
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"Besides the fact that there is zero filler, this album is amazingly consisent. Besides the obvious classic singles, the rest of the LP is littered with outstanding musicianship, thought provoking lyrics, and unique production. The band added new instrumention and experimented heavily at a time wh..." Reply
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,765
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"The next stones album after the disappointing emotional rescue. When I say new I mean sort of. The songs all came from previous sessions for earlier albums going back as far as goat's head soup. Having said that, as an album its very good. The first side is for the more rockier material including..." Reply
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,739
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"the guitars in this album are simply incredible ! excellent" Reply
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cartoken | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 4
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Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,701
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"Fascinating and spellbinding instrumental music. I haven't listened to a lot of Swans, but I can hear their origins in the pounding drone-grooves that these compositions frequently settle into. All in all, this is a powerful listen, but I honestly can't see myself returning to it. Edit: I returne..." Reply
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,538
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"After a week of repeated listening, I'd say you can try on this album in either of two ways. Either, you judge it by its stand out songs, which are far and few between: if you can listen half a dozen times and manage to hum more than 2 tunes afterwards, you're doing better than me." Reply
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swhaze | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 3
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Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,478
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"Crimson; what the hell are you talking about?" Reply
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,292
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"A great dance pop album. Funky grooves over great little songs make this album a classic of it's kind. Pull up to the bumper, is a brilliant dance track. Full of attitude and totally infectious." Reply
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,155
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"Another step up from the debut by what was to become the world's greatest heavy metal band. Does not contain any track as strong as Running Free from the previous outing, but the general quality has improved. Best tracks: Wrathchild and Killers. A couple more months of songwriting and a new singe..." Reply
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Bork | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 2
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:
1,133
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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"A little bit Eerie.... I keep thinking Ian Curtis is going to start singing. Best song: dreams never end ... And it sounds more like the future New order to come" Reply
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,060
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Average Rating:
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 2 of 100
Best Albums of 1981 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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| Various Artists | 14 | 1% | |
| Frank Zappa | 5 | 1% | |
| Herbert Von Karajan / Berliner Philharmoniker | 3 | 0% | |
| Scientist | 3 | 0% | |
| Gary Numan | 3 | 0% | |
| Fela Kuti | 3 | 0% | |
| Simple Minds | 3 | 0% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
313 | 31% | |
 |
270 | 27% | |
 |
61 | 6% | |
 |
40 | 4% | |
 |
35 | 4% | |
 |
34 | 3% | |
 |
28 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Best Albums of 1981 chart changes
| Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 16 from 86th to 70th |
Up 2 from 43rd to 41st |
Up 1 from 68th to 67th |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 3 from 65th to 68th |
Down 2 from 32nd to 34th |
Down 2 from 80th to 82nd |
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