Best Album Of 1981?

The best? Hard to say, really - there's several contenders, but none that would immediately stand out as the one...

Maybe one of the following -

Camel, Nude
The Comsat Angels, Sleep No More
Japan, Tin Drum
King Crimson, Discipline
This Heat, Deceit
Univers Zero, Ceux du dehors
Frank Zappa, You Are What You Is

 

Rush: Moving Pictures

I can't adequately explain the impact that album had the very first time I heard it, but it was stunning.

Some other favorites also released that year.

Ozzy Osbourne: Diary Of A Madman
Def Leppard: High 'n' Dry
Van Halen: Fair Warning
Praying Mantis: Time Tells No Lies
Triumph: Allied Forces
The Tubes: The Completion Backward Principle
Saxon: Denim And Leather
Judas Priest: Point Of Entry
Iron Maiden: Killers

 

i'm going to go for most overlooked, underrated album of 1981 - Shot of Love by Bob Dylan.

 

Hard to disagree with the OPs choice of Dare, but let's make sure this is in the mix also-


Adam And The Ants - Prince Charming

 

Foreigner 4
Rick James-Super Freak
Rolling Stones-Tattoo You
Tom Petty & The heartbreakers=Hard Promises
Journey-Escape-One of their Best

But IMO, my favorite of that year was

Def Leppard High N Dry

 

I didn't see this one mentioned yet. It rocks!

 

Journey Escape
Def Leppard Hign n Dry
Foreigner 4
Rush Moving Pictures
Iron Maiden Killers
Ozzy Blizzard of Ozz & Diary of a Madman

 

I beat you to it by about 10 posts. Great to see the cover shot and that's just how Phil looked when I saw them in '82.

 

No sleep til'Hammersmith - Motorhead
The mob rules - Black Sabbath
Moving pictures - Rush
Fair warning -Van Halen

What a time !

 

In alphabetical order:

ACCEPT - Breaker
AC/DC - For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
DEF LEPPARD - High 'N' Dry
ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - Time
FOREIGNER - 4
THE LOUNGE LIZARDS - The Lounge Lizards
NAZARETH - Snaz
OZZY OSBOURNE - Diary Of A Madman
RAINBOW - Difficult To Cure
THE ROLLING STONES - Tattoo You
SLADE - We'll Bring The House Down
SLADE - Till Deaf Do Us Part

 

Tattoo You - Stones

 

Nice to see MSG get some love, but I'll have to stick with Moving Pictures

 

soft cell - non stop erotic cabaret

 

is from 1979

 

Shake it Up. Yes

 

JUst listen to the whole Shake it Up album this morning - best album of 81... every song on side one is a Best of as well as one on side 2

In fact I thought of dedicating a thread to it but here you are!

 

My favorite from 1981, as well as my favorite from X, and one of my favorite album covers.

 

Start the thread. I’m in.
(What don’t you like on side 2?)
The only song I think that’s a dud is Victim of Love...but it’s still pretty good.

 

Lots of albums came out in 1981!!!
To be honest, the only album from that year that I've listened to repeatedly through the years is "The Best of Blondie."

 

I forgot how hollow 1981 was. Everybody made their worst LP that year, and hoped we would forget? Even if you are a big fan of a lot of 1981, you have to admit this was not an industry or an artform that was in good shape.

The rock press was all about Hardcore and the New Romantics at the time. It was depressing to be there.

 

Moving Pictures

 

Moody Blues - Long Distance Voyager
Rush - Moving Pictures
Who - Face Dances
ABBA - The Visitors

ELO - Time (discovered years later)

 

Best album of the 80s for me.
Can’t think of one album that comes close.