Best Album Of 1981?

Really tough choice, I'll go with three as I did in the '79 thread:

 

Definitely this.

Odd - I always had that down as 1982 for some reason, unless it was released late on in the year over here.

 

It is a fabulous album, and the title track is in my top 5 for the whole 80's decade.

 

Great year! Here's a few:
Ultravox - Rage in Eden
Simple Minds - Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call
Japan - Tin Drum
Echo & the Bunnymen - Heaven Up Here
Tom Verlaine - Dreamtime (his best solo work imo)

 

After looking through this list I would have to say for me Journey- Escape wins and Journey isn't even my favorite band. That album is just all killer no filler.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_in_music

Honorable mentions are:
Foreigner 4
Black Sabbth Mob Rules
Def Leppard High N Dry
Ozzy Diary of a Madman
Rush Moving Pictures

Other than that 1981 was a weird year in music. The 80's sound didn't fully form yet except for maybe the Duran Duran and INXS albums and "70's classic rock" was near dead. A very transitional year.

 

Many choices, but I have to go with Elvis Costello's Trust. Fantastic!

 

No one here spent the summer of 1981 in Detroit?

 

1. Lindsey Buckingham: Law and Order
2. Elvis Costello: Trust
3. Trio: Trio
4. Squeeze: East Side Story
5. Tom Tom Club: Tom Tom Club
6. X: Wild Gift
7. Rosanne Cash: Seven Year Ache
8. The Replacements: Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash
8. Billy Squier: Don’t Say No
10. Prince: Controversy

 

Yes! 81' is my best year personally ( also '87) in that decade. 1981' was the last good year for Disco soul music. A brilliant year for Pop ..yeah and it would continue for a few years after to say.. circa 1986. Pick..so many.Soft Cell -NSEC

 

Favorites...

Black Sabbath 'Mob Rules'
Gillan 'Future Shock'
Iron Maiden 'Killers'
Tygers of Pan Tang 'Spellbound'

 

Slam dunk for Tattoo You.

 

Rush - Moving Pictures
Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary Of A Madman
Blue Oyster Cult - Fire Of Unknown Origin

 

Best? Favorites!

King Crimson-Discipline
Echo and the Bunnymen-Heaven Up Here
Eno/Byrne-My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
John Cale-Honi Soit
Ian Dury-Lord Upminster

Honorable mentions to:
Rickie Lee Jones-Pirates
Bauhaus-Mask
Ian Hunter-Short Back 'n Sides
Pretenders-Pretenders II
Donnie Iris-King Cool
The Cure-Faith
Todd Rundgren-Healing

 

If you like Rush at all (which I don't really), it's hard to argue against Moving Pictures. Undeniably a great musical achievement.

But aside from that, I haven't seen anything in the list that tops this:

In particular, I'd pick this over others in the general new wave category like Human League and Duran Duran (even though I acknowledge they are very different albums).

 

electric spanking of war babies
no sleep til hammersmith

 

Oh yes. This.

 

For me its a toss up between King Crimson's Discipline, and East Side Story by Squeeze. Two different types of music, two monster lps.

 

yes , 1981 when LA ruled the world with some of the most vital american rock n roll ever created
with
Cramps : Psychedelic Jungle
Gun Club: Fire of Love
X : Wild Gift
Wall of Voodoo : Dark continent
The Unknowns : Dream sequence mini lp
Flesh Eaters : A minute to pray
that Plimouls first album

 

I'll go for yet another UFO album, "The Wild, The Willing and The Innocent".....

 

Elvis Costello - Trust
Cramps - Psychedelic Jungle
dB's - Stands For Decibels
dB's - Repercusssion
Gun Club - Fire Of Love
½ Japanese - Loud
Robyn Hitchcock - Black Snake Diamond Role
Replacements - Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash
Swell Maps - Collision Time
Tom Verlaine - Dreamtime
X - Wild Gift