Best Album Of 1981?

Smokey Robinson - Being With You
Slade - We'll Bring The House Down
Rodger Taylor - Fun In Space
Duran Duran - Duran Duran
The Carpenters - Made In America
John Denver - Some Days Are Diamonds
Grand Funk Railroad - Grand Funk Lives
Bee Gees - Living Eyes
Slade - 'Til Deaf Do Us Part
Queen - Greatest Hits
The Jacksons - The Jacksons Live


Darryl

 

Oh yeah, oh, yeah, 0h yeah, you betcha. It doesn't get any better than this in 1981.

 

Hmmm...

Rickie Lee Jones- Pirates

Stunning.

 

Trust
Pretenders II
The Plimouls Plus
Hard Promises
Shake It Up
and here's one I haven't seen mentioned yet...

 

Stray Cats "Stray Cats"

 

Yeah, that one too.

 

Iron Maiden - Killers
Soft Cell - Non Stop Erotic Cabaret
Depeche Mode - Speak and Spell
Human League - Dare
Adam & The Ants - Prince Charming (not his best but it hasn't been mentioned & 1981 was the year of the Ants in the UK)
If compilations count it has to be Queen - Greatest Hits.

 

Very weird transitional mostly non-great year...

My faves:
Tattoo You
Faith (The Cure)
Wha'ppen
Beauty and the Beat
Trust
Re-ac-tor

"Better Things"
"Eminence Front"
"Central Park 'n West"

 

oops

 

Oops

 

Depeche Mode-Speak & Spell
The Cure-Faith
David Bowie-Christiane F. (if a comp is allowed)
Genesis-Abacab
OMD-Architecture & Morality
Phil Collins-Face Value
Rheingold-R.

 

Such an astoundingly great year for music!!!

It's difficult to choose one album, but these spring immediately to mind:

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Juju
Associates - Fourth Drawer Down (I know it's a comp - sue me!)
Bauhaus - Mask
Japan - Tin Drum
Iron Maiden - Killers
Simple Minds - Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call
Killing Joke - What's This For?
The Cure - Faith
The Sound - From The Lion's Mouth
Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound
Black Flag - Damaged
Teardrop Explodes - Wilder

 

Van Halen, Fair Warning
The Rolling Stones, Tattoo You
Ramones, Pleasant Dreams
PiL, Flowers of Romance
Iron Maiden, Killers
Ozzy, Diary of a Maiden
Black Flag, Damaged
Motorhead, No Sleep Til Hammersmith

 

Overheard
Falling From The Sky
II
Live In LA
Half Empty
Rockin' Good Time
School Of Hard Rocks
Nut Sack
Mind Reader

And of course I can't forget my absolute 3 favorites that need no introduction:

 

Poor year, Trust takes it

 

In spite of the fact that Private Eyes was released that year, I've gotta give it to the girls for best of '81. They weren't always that great live, but Beauty And The Beat was a stunning album. Just stunning!

 

The Blasters, self-titled. One of my favorite Rock and Roll records from any year.

 

A great year for major bands hitting career peaks and young bands making big impressions. I was 21 - 22 that year and really dove head first into a lot of new music and different genres.

Van Halen -Fair Warning
Ozzy Osbourne-Diary Of A Madman
The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
U2 - October
Rush - Moving Pictures
Pretenders - Pretenders II
Killing Joke - What's This For?
Bauhaus -Mask
The Wanderers - Only Lovers Left Alive
Iron Maiden - Killers
The Cramps - Psychedelic Jungle
Stray Cats - Stray Cats
J Geils Band - Freeze Frame
ZZ Top - El Loco
Motorhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith
P.I.L. - The Flowers Of Romance
The Exploited - Punks Not Dead