The Best Rock Albums of 1981

Selected by piero scaruffi
Best albums of all time | Musicians | Reviews | Back to music
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Best of the 1960's Best of the 1970's Best of the 1980's Best of the 1990's Best of the 2000's Best of the 2010's
TM, ®, Copyright © 1998 Piero Scaruffi
1981


    9/10
  1. Gun Club: Fire Of Love (Ruby)
  2. Jon Hassell: Dream Theory In Malaya (EG)
    8/10
  3. David Thomas: The Sound Of The Sand (RoughTrade)
  4. Rip Rig & Panic: God (Virgin)
  5. Public Image Ltd: Flowers Of Romance (Virgin)
  6. Deuter: Silence Is The Answer (Kuckuck)
  7. Fleshtones: Roman Gods (IRS)
  8. Black Flag: Damaged (SST)
    7.5/10
  9. Fred Frith: Speechless (Ralph)
  10. Rickie Lee Jones: Pirates (WB)
    7/10
  11. Einsturzende Neubauten: Kollaps (Zick Zack)
  12. Birthday Party: Prayers On Fire (4AD)
  13. Raybeats: Guitar Beat (DontFallOffTheMountain)
  14. Factrix: Scheintot (Adolescent)
  15. Material: Memory Serves (Elektra)
  16. Minutemen: The Punch Line (SST)
  17. Suburbs: Credit In Heaven (Twin Tone)
  18. Jody Harris & Robert Quine: Escape (Lust)
  19. Penguin Cafe Orchestra: Penguin Cafe Orchestra (EGRecords)
  20. Psychedelic Furs: Talk Talk Talk (CBS)
  21. Slava Ranko: Arctic Hysteria (Adolescent)
  22. Lounge Lizards: Lounge Lizards (EG)
  23. DB's: Stands For Decibels (Albion)
  24. Swollen Monkeys: After Birth Of The Cool (Cachalot)
  25. Was Not Was: Was Not Was (Ze)
  26. Alan Vega: Collision Drive (Celluloid)
  27. A Certain Ratio: To Each (Factory)
  28. Blasters: Blasters (Slash)
  29. Saccharine Trust: Paganicons (SST)
  30. King Crimson: Discipline (EG)
  31. Clock DVA: Thirst (Fetish)
  32. David Byrne & Brian Eno: My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts (Sire)
  33. Cabaret Voltaire: Red Mecca (RoughTrade)
  34. Flesh Eaters: A Minute to Pray A Second to Die (SRR)
  35. Half Japanese: Loud (Armageddon)
  36. Tom Verlaine: Dreamtime (WB)
  37. Adolescents: The Adolescents (Frontier)
  38. Residents: Mark Of The Mole (Ralph)
  39. Kid Creole & The Coconuts: Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places (Ze)
  40. Bauhaus: Mask (Beggars Banquet)
  41. X: Wild Gift (Slash)
  42. This Heat: Deceit (Rough Trade)
  43. J.Geils Band: Freeze-Frame (EMI)
  44. Agent Orange: Living In Darkness (Posh Boy)
  45. Plimsouls: Plimsouls (Geffen)
  46. Nervous Gender: Music from Hell (Subterranean)
  47. Dr John: Plays Mac Rebennack (Clean Cuts)
  48. Robyn Hitchcock: Black Snake Diamond (Armageddon)
  49. Go-Go's: Beauty And The Beast (IRS)
  50. Univers Zero: Ceux Du Dehors (Recommended)
  51. Jean-Michel Jarre: Les Chants Magnetiques (Disques Dreyfus)
  52. Jim Steinman: Bad For Good (Epic)
  53. Marcus Allen: Petals (Rising Sun)
  54. Michael Jones: Michael's Music (Narada)
  55. Nick Mason: Fictitious Sports (EMI)
  56. Peter Michael Hamel: Bardo (Kuckuck)
  57. Stephan Micus: Koan (ECM)
  58. Steve Douglas: Rainbow Suite (Bel Tree)
  59. Throbbing Gristle: Mission Of Dead Souls (Fetish)
  60. Virgin Prunes: A New Form Of Beauty (Rough Trade)
  61. Von Lmo: Future Language (Strazar)
  62. William Aura: Lovely Day (Higher Octave)
  63. Stray Cats: Stray Cats (Arista)
    6.5/10
  64. Chuck Vrtacek: Victory Through Grace (Leisure Time)
  65. Frank Zappa: You Are What You Is (Barking Pumpkin)
  66. Nico: Drama Of Exile (ROIR)
  67. August Darnel: Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places (Ze)
  68. Replacements: Sorry Ma (Twin Tone)
  69. However: Sudden Dusk (RandomRadar)
  70. Church: Of Skin And Heart (Parlophone)
  71. Matt Johnson: Burning Blue Soul (4AD)
  72. Space Negros: Have A Lousy Xmas (Jingle Jungle)
  73. Oingo Boingo: Only A Lad (A&M)
  74. BPeople: self-titled (Faulty Product)
  75. Negativland: Points (Seeland)
  76. Altered Images: Happy Birthday (Portrait)
  77. Colin Newman: Singing Fish (4AD)
  78. Japan: Tin Drum (Virgin)
  79. Human League: Dare (Virgin)
  80. Circle Jerks: Group Sex (Frontier)
  81. T.S.O.L.: Dance with Me (PoshBoy)
  82. Plasmatics: Beyond The Valley of 1984 (Stiff)
  83. Nurse With Wound: Insect And Individual Silenced (UD)
  84. Joan Jett: Bad Reputation (Boardwalk)
  85. Soft Cell: Non Stop Erotic Cabaret (SomeBizarre)
  86. John Foxx: The Garden (Metalbeat)
  87. Stevie Nicks: Belladonna (Modern)
  88. Wah: Nah=Poo (Eternal)
  89. Comateens: self-titled (Cachalot)
  90. Barracudas: Drop Out (Closer)
  91. Boyd Rice: self-titled (Mute)
  92. Safety Last: self-titled (Twin Tone)
  93. Neville Brothers: Fiyo On The Bayou (A&M)
  94. Big Boys: Where's My Towel (Wasted Talent)
  95. Phil Collins: Face Value (Virgin)
  96. Billy Idol: self-titled (Chrysalis)
  97. Ludus: Seduction (New Hormones)
  98. Jane & Jeff Hudson: World Trade (Lust)
  99. Human Switchboard: Who's Landing In My Hangar (Faulty Products)
  100. Dan Fogelberg: Innocent Age (Epic)
  101. Garland Jeffreys: Rock And roll Adult (Epic)
  102. Polyrock: Changing Hearts (RCA)
  103. Indoor Life (FrenchCelluloid)
  104. Duran Duran: self-titled (EMI)
  105. Josef K: The Only Fun In Town (Postcard)
  106. Siouxsee Sioux: Juju (Polydor)
  107. DMZ: Relics (Bomp)
  108. Stray Cats: self-titled (Arista)
  109. Alley Cats: Nightmare City (Time Coast)
  110. Spandau Ballet: Journeys To Glory (Chrysalis)
  111. Eyeless In Gaza: Photographs As Memories (Cherry Red)
  112. David Lindley: El Rayo X (Asylum)
  113. Blurt: In Berlin (Ruby)
  114. Black Uhuru: Red (Mango)
  115. Whodini: self-titled (Jive)
  116. Juice Newton: Juice (RCA)
  117. Panther Burns: Behind The Magnolia Curtain (Rough Trade)
  118. U.K. Decay: For Madmen Only (Fresh)
EPs:
  1. DNA: A Taste Of DNA (AmericanClave) , 8/10
  2. Harold Budd: The Serpent/Children Of The Hills (Cantil), 7.5/10
  3. Bush Tetras: Rituals (Stiff), 7/10

Songs
  1. ... In preparation
  2. Trio: Da Da Da Ich Lieb Dich
  3. Mission of Burma: That's When I Reach for My Revolver
  4. R.E.M.: Radio Free Europe
  5. Men at Work: Down Under
  6. Rip Rig + Panic: Knee Deep in Shit
  7. J Geils Band: Centerfold
  8. Rolling Stones: Start Me Up
  9. Kim Carnes: Bette Davis Eyes
  10. Raybeats: Piranha Salad
  11. Alan Vega: Magdalena 82
  12. Was (Not Was): Out Come the Freaks
Extended tracks
  1. ... In preparation
  2. Alan Vega: Viet Vet
  3. Wipers: Youth Of America

TM, ®, Copyright © 1998 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved.