Smash Hits was a British teen music magazine that was issued fortnightly. On a scale of 1-10, here's how the magazine's reviewers rated albums released in the second half of 1981. Hope you find something new that you missed back in '81.
| July 9 issue | ||
| The Models | Alphabravocharliedeltaechofoxtrotgolf | 6 |
| Pointer Sisters | Black & White | 7 |
| Joe Jackson | Jumpin' Jive | 6 |
| Wah! | Nah = Poo - The Art of Bluff | 8 |
| Kiki Dee | Perfect Timing | 6 |
| Polecats | Polecats Are Go | 7½ |
| Henry Badowski | Life is a Grand... | 8 |
| July 23 issue | ||
| Jon and Vangelis | The Friends of Mr. Cairo | 8 |
| The Equators | Hot | 6 |
| Odyssey | I Got the Melody | 5 |
| Angelic Upstarts | 2,000,000 Voices | 5 |
| The Brothers Johnson | Winners | 7 |
| Was (Not Was) | Was (Not Was) | 7 |
| The Ramones | Pleasant Dreams | 5 |
| Kim Wilde | Kim Wilde | 6½ |
| August 6 issue | ||
| Icehouse | Icehouse | 8 |
| Pat Benatar | Precious Time | 4 |
| Evelyn King | I'm in Love | 7 |
| Delta 5 | See the Whirl | 8 |
| Stevie Nicks | Bella Donna | 6 |
| Foreigner | 4 | 8 |
| Kirsty MacColl | Desperate Character | 4 |
| The Pretenders | II | 7 |
| August 20 issue | ||
| ELO | Time | 5 |
| The Go-Go's | Beauty and the Beat | 5 |
| Philip Rambow | Jungle Law | 5½ |
| Dennis Bovell | Brain Damage | 9 |
| Rickie Lee Jones | Pirates | 6½ |
| Any Trouble | Wheels in Motion | 8 |
| Ian Hunter | Short Back N' Sides | 5 |
| David Johansen | Here Comes the Night | 3 |
| September 3 issue | ||
| The Korgis | Sticky George | 3 |
| Blank Slate | Sirens in the City | 5 |
| Hazel O'Connor | Cover Plus | 3 |
| Simple Minds | Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call | 8 |
| Desmond Dekker | Compass Point | 8 |
| Cabaret Voltaire | Red Mecca | 7½ |
| Funkadelic | The Electric Spanking of War Babies | 7½ |
| Devo | New Traditionalists | 7 |
| September 17 issue | ||
| Heaven 17 | Penthouse and Pavement | 8 |
| Ian Dury | Lord Upminster | 8 |
| Gary Numan | Dance | 9 |
| Shakin' Stevens | Shaky | 8 |
| Ultravox | Rage in Eden | 5 |
| Crusaders | Standing Tall | 8 |
| Altered Images | Happy Birthday | 6 |
| The Comsat Angels | Sleep No More | 8 |
| Meat Loaf | Dead Ringer | 9 |
| October 1 issue | ||
| The Police | Ghost in the Machine | 6 |
| Cliff Richard | Wired for Sound | 7 |
| Bette Bright | Rhythm Breaks the Ice | 6½ |
| Tom Tom Club | Tom Tom Club | 6½ |
| Saxon | Denim & Leather | 4 |
| Pete Shelley | Homosapien | 7 |
| Genesis | Abacab | 6½ |
| Godley & Creme | Ismism | 4 |
| Sheena Easton | You Could Have Been With Me | 5 |
| Madness | 7 | 8 |
| The Passions | Thirty Thousand Feet Over China | 8½ |
| John Foxx | The Garden | 5 |
| October 15 issue | ||
| The Human League | Dare | 8 |
| U2 | October | 9 |
| The Slits | Return of the Giant Slits | 6½ |
| Bow Wow Wow | See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy! | 8½ |
| Eurythmics | In the Garden | 7½ |
| Rose Royce | Jump Street | 7 |
| The Cuban Heels | Work Our Way to Heaven | 6 |
| Bob Marley | Chances Are | 5 |
| Fingerprintz | Beat Noir | 7½ |
| Blondie | The Best of Blondie | 9½ |
| Carlene Carter | Blue Nun | 5 |
| UB40 | Present Arms in Dub | 8 |
| October 29 issue | ||
| Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | Architecture and Morality | 9 |
| Linx | Go Ahead | 6 |
| Gillan | Double Trouble | 7½ |
| Elvis Costello | Almost Blue | 9 |
| Martha and The Muffins | This is the Ice Age | 7½ |
| Vice Squad | No Cause for Concern |
0
|
| Bauhaus | Mask | 4 |
| Rex Smith | Everlasting Love | 2 |
| Rachel Sweet | And Then He Kissed Me | 5 |
| Imagination | Body Talk | 8 |
| Joy Division | Still | 9 |
| The Meteors | In Heaven | 7 |
| Bad Manners | Gosh Its's... | 8 |
| November 12 issue | ||
| Adam and The Ants | Prince Charming | 5 |
| The Bee Gees | Living Eyes | 5 |
| Japan | Tin Drum | 8 |
| Prince | Controversy | 4 |
| Depeche Mode | Speak and Spell | 7 |
| Rush | Exit...Stage Left | 2 |
| Diana Ross | Why Do Fools Fall in Love | 8½ |
| TV21 | A Thin Red Line | 5 |
| Earth, Wind & Fire | Raise! | 7 |
| Fad Gadget | Incontinent | 9 |
| The Sound | From the Lion's Mouth | 5 |
| Stray Cats | Gonna Ball | 7 |
| November 26 issue | ||
| Soft Cell | Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret | 8½ |
| Ian Dury & The Blockheads | Jukebox Dury | 9 |
| The Teardrop Explodes | Wilder | 8½ |
| The Four Seasons | Tonight! | 8 |
| Rainbow | The Best of Rainbow | 5 |
| Skids | Joy | 5 |
| David Bowie | Changestwobowie | 10 |
| The Stranglers | La Folie | 8 |
| Kool & The Gang | Something Special | 6 |
| New Order | Movement | 8 |
| Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft | Gold und Liebe | 5½ |
| Jacksons | Live | 8 |
| December 10 issue | ||
| AC/DC | For Those About to Rock | 3 |
| Modern Romance | Adventures in Clubland | 6 |
| Durutti Column | LC | 8 |
| Boney M | Boonoonoonoos | 4 |
| 10cc | 10 Out Of 10 | 4 |
| Chas Jankel | Chasanova | 7 |
| Various Artists | A Christmas Record | 8 |
| Jools Holland | Jools Holland And His Millionaires | 3 |
| David Byrne | Catherine Wheel | 6½ |
| Tenpole Tudor | Let the Four Winds Blow | 6 |
| Jerry Harrison | The Red and the Black | 7½ |
| Poison Girls | Total Exposure | 4 |
| December 24 issue | ||
| No Album Reviews |
h/t to Brian McCloskey over at Like Punk Never Happened
