Best Albums of 1981

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
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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.
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Collector's summary (top 1,000)Log in or register to discover the great albums that are missing from your music collection!
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Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 59 of 100

Best Albums of 1981 composition

Country Albums %


United States 312 31%
United Kingdom 279 28%
Germany 60 6%
Mixed Nationality 38 4%
Australia 35 4%
France 29 3%
Japan 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%
Best Albums of the 2000s
1. In Rainbows by Radiohead
2. Kid A by Radiohead
3. Funeral by Arcade Fire
4. Is This It by The Strokes
5. Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
6. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco
7. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys
8. Madvillainy by Madvillain
9. Turn On The Bright Lights by Interpol
10. Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
11. Sound Of Silver by LCD Soundsystem
12. A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay
13. For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver
14. Elephant by The White Stripes
15. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips
16. Amnesiac by Radiohead
17. Songs For The Deaf by Queens Of The Stone Age
18. Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes
19. Demon Days by Gorillaz
20. Discovery by Daft Punk
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