List of Every Album on the Billboard Rock Albums Chart, March 1981 - September 1984

In June of last year, I started a deep-dive into Billboard's Rock Albums charts, an interesting mix of pop-rock, New Wave, Southern Rock, soft rock, dance, yacht, roots rock, heavy metal, and smooth jazz.  Listed weekly as "A compilation of Rock Radio Airplay as indicated by the nations [sic] leading Album oriented and Rock Tracks stations," the Rock Albums chart consisted of 50 positions and ran from March 21, 1981 through September 8, 1984.

March 21, 1981

For the past few months, I have teased this information by listing all the #1 albums for the years 1981, 1982, 1983, & 1984, but I've also compiled a complete list (alphabetical by artist) of all the Rock Album chart information and offer it to you here. Simply click on the image below to view and/or download a 62 page PDF file.

Disclaimer: the Rock Albums list sometimes included 12" promo singles, imports, and 45s. Go figure. Sometimes the single was just a placeholder on the chart until the album was released. For example, the George Thorogood single, "Nobody but Me," placed on the charts on August 7, 1982. Then, once the Bad to the Bone album was released, the album took over the single's spot and kept the "weeks on chart" tally going. So the first time we see Bad to the Bone on the chart is the August 28 chart, where it has been on the chart for 4 weeks. Doesn't exactly make sense? Precisely.

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These albums spent the longest amount of time on said charts:

1. Eliminator (56 weeks)
2. Sports (51 weeks, at #5 when chart ceased)
3. Don't Say No (46)
4. Midnight Madness (45, at #10 when chart ceased)
5. Pyromania (44)
6. 4 (43)
7. Business as Usual (41)