Best Albums of 1981

« View best albums of 1980View best albums of 1982 »

Listed below are the best albums of 1981 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 54,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade

Decade:

Year:

1981 year summaryThe best artists of 1981 were Rush, Kraftwerk, King Crimson, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Brian Eno & David Byrne, Electric Light Orchestra, The Human League, The Cure, Black Flag and This Heat.

View chart at point in time

Share this chart

Collector's summary (top 1,000)Log in or register to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!

Sort by

31.

October

Year of Release:

1981

Appears in:

208 charts

Rank Score:

788

Rank in 1981:

Rank in 1980s:

321

Overall Rank:

2,084

Average Rating:

72 (425 votes)

Comments:

32.

...And Don't The Kids Just Love It

Television Personalities

Year of Release:

1981

Appears in:

153 charts

Rank Score:

737

Rank in 1981:

Rank in 1980s:

335

Overall Rank:

2,203

Average Rating:

77 (144 votes)

Comments:

33.

Fair Warning

Van Halen

Year of Release:

1981

Appears in:

152 charts

Rank Score:

729

Rank in 1981:

Rank in 1980s:

338

Overall Rank:

2,218

Average Rating:

75 (259 votes)

Comments:

34.

Bella Donna

Stevie Nicks

Year of Release:

1981

Appears in:

180 charts

Rank Score:

715

Rank in 1981:

Rank in 1980s:

346

Overall Rank:

2,264

Average Rating:

76 (198 votes)

Comments:

35.

Mob Rules

Black Sabbath

Year of Release:

1981

Appears in:

163 charts

Rank Score:

711

Rank in 1981:

Rank in 1980s:

349

Overall Rank:

2,281

Average Rating:

75 (255 votes)

Comments:

36.

Trust

Elvis Costello And The Attractions

Year of Release:

1981

Appears in:

153 charts

Rank Score:

706

Rank in 1981:

Rank in 1980s:

353

Overall Rank:

2,288

Average Rating:

78 (196 votes)

Comments:

37.

Dolmen Music

Meredith Monk

Year of Release:

1981

Appears in:

72 charts

Rank Score:

696

Rank in 1981:

Rank in 1980s:

356

Overall Rank:

2,311

Average Rating:

74 (80 votes)

Comments:

38.

Foreigner

Year of Release:

1981

Appears in:

175 charts

Rank Score:

685

Rank in 1981:

Rank in 1980s:

362

Overall Rank:

2,338

Average Rating:

72 (217 votes)

Comments:

39.

Beauty And The Beat

Go-Go's

Year of Release:

1981

Appears in:

185 charts

Rank Score:

671

Rank in 1981:

Rank in 1980s:

366

Overall Rank:

2,379

Average Rating:

75 (170 votes)

Comments:

40.

Controversy

Prince

Year of Release:

1981

Appears in:

167 charts

Rank Score:

665

Rank in 1981:

Rank in 1980s:

369

Overall Rank:

2,402

Average Rating:

75 (239 votes)

Comments:

« prev
1
...
3
4
5
...
100
next »
Goto Page:

Total albums: 1,000. Page 4 of 100

Best Albums of 1981 composition

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	15	2%
Frank Zappa	5	1%
Scientist	3	0%
Tangerine Dream	3	0%
Herbert von Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra	3	0%
David Bowie	3	0%
Simple Minds	3	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	312	31%
	279	28%
	60	6%
	38	4%
	35	4%
	29	3%
	28	3%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	939	94%
Yes	61	6%

Live?	Albums	%
No	969	97%
Yes	31	3%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	991	99%
Yes	9	1%

« View best albums of 1980View best albums of 1982 »

If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.

A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(

We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.

Recognised Year Charts (2023)
1. The 50 Best Albums of 2023 by Billboard (2023)
2. Top 10 Albums of the Year 2023 by Bleep (2023)
3. Top 40 Albums of 2023 by Decibel (2023)
4. The 100 Best Albums of 2023 by Rolling Stone (2023)
5. Albums Of The Year 2023 by Rough Trade (2023)
6. Les Inrocks Albums of the Year 2023 by Les Inrocks (2023)
7. The 27 best albums of 2023 by The A.V. Club (2023)
8. Top 55 Albums of 2023 by The Alternative (2023)
9. Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2023 by Under The Radar by Under The Radar (2023)
10. The Best Albums of 2023 by The Ringer (2023)
11. Best Albums of 2023 by Northern Transmissions (2023)
12. Albums of 2023 by God is in the TV (2023)
13. Uncut Best 75 Albums Of The Year 2023 by Uncut (2023)
14. 30 Best Albums of 2023 by Revolver (2023)
15. The Needle Drop's Top 50 Albums of 2023 by The Needle Drop (2023)
16. Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2023 by Gorilla vs. Bear (2023)
17. Top 50 Albums of 2023 by The Wire (2023)
18. Quietus Albums Of The Year 2023 by The Quietus (2023)
19. Best Albums of 2023 by Norman Records (2023)
20. Loud And Quiet Albums of the Year 2023 by Loud And Quiet (2023)