So the Classic Rewind (Ch 25) channel on SiriusXM recently ran a listener's poll to determine the best album rock album releases of 1981. Poll results were played in a countdown around Labor Day weekend. I'm not saying their list is wrong, but here's what I would have broadcast if they'd bothered to ask me. Included below is the album's peak position on the Billboard Rock Albums Chart.
Rank
|
Artist
|
Album
|
Chart
|
Song Played
|
40
| X | Wild Gift | -
| "White Girl" |
39
| Blue Oyster Cult | Fire of Unknown Origin | 6
|
"Burnin' for You" |
38
| Jefferson Starship | Modern Times | 3
|
"Find Your Way Back" |
37
| 38 Special | Wild-Eyed Southern Boys | 8
|
"Hold On Loosely" |
36
| Def Leppard | High 'n' Dry | 18
|
"Bringin' on the Heartache" |
35
| Stevie Nicks | Bella Donna | 3
| "Edge of Seventeen" |
34
| Duran Duran | Duran Duran | -
|
"Girls on Film" |
33
| Adam and The Ants | Prince Charming | -
|
"Stand and Deliver" |
32 | Loverboy | Get Lucky | 3
|
"Working for the Weekend" |
31
| Sammy Hagar | Standing Hampton | 1
|
"There's Only One Way to Rock" |
Rank
|
Artist
|
Album
|
Chart
|
Song Played
|
30
| AC/DC | For Those About to Rock... | 3
|
"For Those About to Rock..." |
29
| Tom Petty | Hard Promises | 1
| "The Waiting" |
28
| Psychedelic Furs | Talk Talk Talk | -
|
"Pretty in Pink" |
27
| Pretenders | Pretenders II | 11
| "Message of Love" |
26
| U2 | October | 28
|
"Gloria" |
25
| Electric Light Orchestra | Time | 10
|
"Hold On Tight" |
24
| Todd Rundgren | Healing | 15
|
"Compassion" |
23
| Joan Jett | I Love Rock 'n Roll | 2
| "I Love Rock 'n Roll" |
22
|
Rush | Moving Pictures | 4
|
"Tom Sawyer" |
21
| Split Enz | Waiata | 33
|
"One Step Ahead" |
Rank
|
Artist
|
Album
|
Chart
|
Song Played
|
20
| The Moody Blues | Long Distance Voyager | 1
| "Gemini Dream" |
19
| Phil Collins | Face Value | 2
|
"In the Air Tonight" |
18
| Rick Springfield | Working Class Dog | 16
|
"Love is Alright Tonight" |
17
| Billy Squier | Don't Say No | 3
| "In the Dark" |
16
| Genesis | Abacab | 1
|
"No Reply at All" |
15
| Elvis Costello | Trust | 16
|
"From a Whisper to a Scream" |
14
| Van Halen | Fair Warning | 2
|
"Unchained" |
13
| Journey | Escape | 1
|
"Stone in Love" |
12 | The Tubes | The Completion Backward Principle | 11
|
"Talk to Ya Later" |
11
| Kim Wilde | Kim Wilde | 44
|
"Kids in America" |
Rank
|
Artist
|
Album
|
Chart
|
Song Played
|
10
| Styx | Paradise Theatre | 1
| "Rockin' the Paradise" |
9
| The Who | Face Dances | 1
|
"Don't Let Go the Coat" |
8
| Daryl Hall & John Oates | Private Eyes | 19
|
"Private Eyes" |
7
| The J. Geils Band | Freeze-Frame | 1
| "Centerfold" |
6
| Squeeze | East Side Story | 10
|
"Tempted" |
5
| The Go-Go's | Beauty and the Beat | 10
|
"Our Lips are Sealed" |
4
| The Rolling Stones | Tattoo You | 1
|
"Start Me Up" & "Waiting on a Friend" |
3
| The Cars | Shake It Up | 2
|
"Since You're Gone" & "Shake It Up" |
2 | Foreigner | 4 | 1
|
"Juke Box Hero" & "Urgent" |
1
| The Police | Ghost in the Machine | 2
|
"Spirits in the Material World" & "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" |
