Best albums of 1981
MTV signed on and how a song looked became part of its argument. Synthesizers got cheap enough that two people with no training could make a hit, and enough of them did that the guitar spent the next four years on the back foot.
According to Riffiter listeners, the best album of 1981 is Diary of a Madman by Ozzy Osbourne, rated 4.3/5 by 21 listeners.
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Disagree with the ranking?
Rate these albums and the chart reshuffles around the community. Or collect your own pick of them into a list or tier.
Build a list or tier of your ownBest albums of 1981 by genre
The genres that carried the period here, each with what listeners rate highest inside it.
Best Rock albums of 1981
330 albums from 1981
Best Pop albums of 1981
180 albums from 1981
Best Electronic albums of 1981
130 albums from 1981
Best Jazz albums of 1981
127 albums from 1981
Best New Wave albums of 1981
115 albums from 1981
The artists of 1981
Everyone who put a record out then, ordered by how listeners rate their catalog rather than by that one release.
1981, month by month
Not everything that came out, just where the weight fell. Some months carried a year; some were quiet and worth knowing about.
FAQ
- What are the best albums of 1981?
- On Riffiter, the highest-rated album of 1981 is Diary of a Madman by Ozzy Osbourne (4.3/5). The ranking below orders the year's releases by community rating.
- How is the 1981 ranking decided?
- By Riffiter listeners. Each album's community rating sets its place. Until a release has enough ratings, its popularity stands in, and the order shifts as more people rate.
- Does the best-of-1981 list change?
- Yes. It's built from live community ratings, so the order updates as people rate 1981 releases. The page refreshes a few times a day.