GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums of 1981

[The Ozzman]

another meh year. not enough releases to even make it interesting =/

Mort will probably say you're wrong and mention some saccharine post new wave group that had the most interesting release of the 80's and then somehow shoehorn in a reference to Carly Rae Jepsen

 

[no country for old wainds]

wow rms being whiny and negative who saw this coming

 

[Mort Divine]

Mort will probably say you're wrong and mention some saccharine post new wave group that had the most interesting release of the 80's and then somehow shoehorn in a reference to Carly Rae Jepsen

1981 was when Siouxsie and the Banshees released Juju which is better than most metal, but otherwise...

 

[rms]

wow rms being whiny and negative who saw this coming

bro this is such a bad year RYM only has 2 pages of albums

 

[Phylactery]

This isn't a particularly great year - the limited amount of actual metal albums means that there won't be many surprises here. Still some good stuff, of course

Surprised to see Point of Entry making lists, not sure if that's indication of its quality or simply because there aren't that many releases to pick from. I don't remember it being particularly great, but I'll be sure to give it a relisten.

 

[no country for old wainds]

1981 was when Siouxsie and the Banshees released Juju which is better than most metal, but otherwise...

JUJU rules, but the wipers' YOUTH OF AMERICA is the best of this year bitches

 

[Satanstoenail]

This is a list thread for metal albums.

Yep. Hard rock is not metal.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Motörhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (positively appalled this isn't on more lists)

Ummm maybe because its a live album that contained no new material?

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

... without a doubt.

 

[RedinTheSky]

This should be relevant

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

This should be relevant

Not really, MC spits out shit like this all the time.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Yeah tbh this is a year where, aside from my top 3 or so metal albums, I actually think I prefer the non-metal output to the metal output. Only a Lad, Living in Darkness, Dark Continent, Prayers on Fire, Deceit, Discipline, plenty of great stuff in the new wave and more experimental punk(-ish) realms. 17 of my top 24 albums on RYM (all 3.5s and above) for the year are non-metal.

Surprised to see Point of Entry making lists, not sure if that's indication of its quality or simply because there aren't that many releases to pick from. I don't remember it being particularly great, but I'll be sure to give it a relisten.

Point of Entry is a work of highest art.

 

[CiG]

I knew something about this thread was fishy.

Sexist cunt!

 

[Bloopy]

1. Girlschool - Hit and Run
2. Demon - Night of the Demon
3. Plasmatics - Metal Priestess
4. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
5. Gaskin - End of the World
6. Iron Maiden - Killers
7. Budgie - Nightflight
8. Legend - Legend
9. Venom - Welcome to Hell
10. Bow Wow - Hard Dog

First release from Plasmatics that fits comfortably on a metal list. There's just as much that interests me from 1981 as there is from later years. Great era.

 

[CiG]

I was going to include The Plasmatics myself but I went back and listened to it again and it just struck me as way more punk than anything else.
Blurry line though, certainly cool to see someone list it either way.

 

[Bloopy]

You can definitely hear the difference on Metal Priestess when compared to their album from earlier in the year. Though even if the album was considered equally metal, I still like the EP more. But hey, since The Angels and AC/DC have made it, I should throw in both and add GBH and Dayglo Abortions as well.

Oh yeah, I also hugely dig the 'Scene of the Crime' comp from '81 but didn't feel the need to put a various artists album on my list.

 

[Atomic Tide]

1) Iron Maiden - Killers
2) Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman
3) Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
4) Saxon - Denim and Leather
5) Venom - Welcome to Hell
6) Riot - Fire Down Under
7) Judas Priest - Point of Entry
8) Accept - Breaker
9) Raven - Rock Until You Drop
10) Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound

 

[Baroque]

1) Ozzy - Diary of a Madman
2) Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
3) Picture - Heavy Metal Ears
4) Holocaust - The Nightcomers
5) Judas Priest - Point of Entry
6) Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound
7) Gaskin - End of the World
8) Venom - Welcome to Hell
9) Dark Star - s/t
10) Saxon - Denim and Leather

Can anyone verify if that Killer album is really from 1981? I'm seeing sources saying 81, 82, 83. No idea.

Fixed.

 

[Bloopy]

Can anyone verify if that Killer album is really from 1981? I'm seeing sources saying 81, 82, 83. No idea.

Their website says it was originally released on Lark Records, but 1981 must be a mistake. The Lark version shows a 1982 copyright on the record on Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/1608638-Wall-Of-Sound/images

 

[no country for old wainds]

yeah, based on a google image search it says jan/feb 1982 on the original vinyl and cassette, but then a later CD reissue says 1981. i'd go with '82.