SXM's "40 Cassettes Turning 40" - Part Two

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"

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SXM's "40 Cassettes Turning 40" - Part One

So the Classic Rewind (Ch 25) channel on SiriusXM recently ran a listener's poll to determine the best rock album releases of 1981. Poll results were played in a countdown around Labor Day weekend. Here are the results and yes I have beef. Included below is the album's peak position on the Billboard Rock Albums Chart.

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played	Notes
40	The Kinks	Give the People What They Want	5	"Destroyer"
39	Triumph	Allied Forces	5	"Fight the Good Fight"
38	The Who	Face Dances	1	"You Better You Bet"
37	Santana	Zebop!	3	"Winning"
36	Eric Clapton	Another Ticket	1	"I Can't Stand It"
35	Pretenders	Pretenders II	11	"Talk of the Town"
34	Sammy Hagar	Standing Hampton	1	"There's Only One Way to Rock"
33	The Moody Blues	Long Distance Voyager	1	"The Voice"
32	Joe Walsh	There Goes the Neighborhood	2	"A Life of Illusion"
31	Rush	Exit...Stage Left	13	"Closer to the Heart"	live album, band also placed at #3

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played	Notes
30	Blondie	Best of Blondie	-	"Dreaming"	greatest hits
29	Blue Oyster Cult	Fire of Unknown Origin	6	"Burnin' for You"
28	ZZ Top	El Loco	6	"Pearl Necklace"
27	U2	October	28	"Gloria"
26	Billy Squier	Don't Say No	3	"My Kinda Lover"
25	Journey	Captured	5	"Just the Same Way"	live album, band also placed at #1
24	Billy Joel	Songs in the Attic	15	"Ballad of Billy the Kid"	live album
23	Pat Benatar	Precious Time	2	"Promises in the Dark"
22	Bob Seger	Nine Tonight	4	"Hollywood Nights"	live album
21	Men at Work	Business as Usual	2	"Down Under"	released in US in 1982

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played	Notes
20	Tom Petty	Hard Promises	1	"Woman in Love (It's Not Me)"
19	38 Special	Wild-Eyed Southern Boys	8	"Hold On Loosely"
18	Def Leppard	High 'n' Dry	18	"Bringin' on the Heartache"
17	Stevie Nicks	Bella Donna	3	"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"
16	Ozzy Osborne	Diary of a Madman	8	"Over the Mountain"
15	Phil Collins	Face Value	2	"I Missed Again"	Genesis at #9
14	Van Halen	Fair Warning	2	"Mean Street"
13	J. Geils Band	Freeze-Frame	1	"Centerfold"
12	Loverboy	Get Lucky	3	"When It's Over"
11	The Police	Ghost in the Machine	2	"Every Little Thing She Does is Magic"

Rank	Artist	Album	Chart	Song Played	Notes
10	Joan Jett	I Love Rock 'n Roll	2	"Crimson and Clover"
9	Genesis	Abacab	1	"No Reply at All"	Phil Collins at #15
8	The Rolling Stones	Tattoo You	1	"Hang Fire"
7	Styx	Paradise Theatre	1	"Rockin' the Paradise"
6	Queen	Greatest Hits	11	"Don't Stop Me Now"	greatest hits, track not on US release
5	AC/DC	For Those About to Rock...	3	"Let's Get It Up"
4	The Cars	Shake It Up	2	"Shake It Up" & "Since You're Gone"
3	Rush	Moving Pictures	4	"Limelight" & "YYZ"	band also placed at #31
2	Foreigner	4	1	"Juke Box Hero" & "Waiting for a Girl Like You"
1	Journey	Escape	1	"Don't Stop Believin'" & "Who's Cryin' Now"	band also placed at #25

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So what would the countdown look like if I was in charge? Well, as much as I like Songs in the Attic, I don't think live albums should be on such a chart. And even though I absolutely adore Queen's Greatest Hits album, I don't believe 'best of' compilations have any place here, either. Tune in later this week for my version of the list. 

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