List of UK top-ten albums in 1981 explained

The UK Albums Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom.^{[1] [2] [3]} Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical albums. This list shows albums that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart during 1981, as well as albums which peaked in 1980 and 1982 but were in the top 10 in 1981. The entry date is when the album appeared in the top ten for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).

The first new number-one album of the year was by Kings of the Wild Frontier by Adam and the Ants. Overall, seventeen different albums peaked at number one in 1981, with fifteen unique artists and two compilations hitting that position.

Top-ten albums

Key

Symbol	Meaning
bgcolor=lightblue	‡	Album peaked in 1979 or 1980 but still in chart in 1981.
♦	Album released in 1981 but peaked in 1982.
Entered	The date that the album first appeared in the chart.
Peak	Highest position that the album reached in the UK Albums Chart.

Entered (week ending)	data-sort-type="number"	Weeks in top 10	Single	Artist	data-sort-type="number"	Peak	Peak reached (week ending)	data-sort-type="number"	Weeks at peak
Albums in 1979
	32	Manilow Magic: The Best of Barry Manilow ‡	Barry Manilow	3		3
Albums in 1980
	15	Zenyatta Mondatta ‡	The Police	1		4
	17	Guilty ‡	Barbra Streisand	1		2
	16	Hotter than July ‡	Stevie Wonder	2		1
	33	Kings of the Wild Frontier	Adam and the Ants	1		12
	10	Not the Nine O'Clock News ‡	Not the Nine O'Clock News Cast	5		2
	10	Greatest Hits ‡	Dr. Hook	2		1
	4	Inspirations ‡	Elvis Presley	6		1
	16	Double Fantasy	John Lennon and Yoko Ono	1		2
	6	Barry	Barry Manilow	5		1
	4	20 Golden Greats of Ken Dodd ‡	Ken Dodd	8		3
Albums in 1981
	5	The Best of Bowie	David Bowie	3		4
	1	Flash Gordon: Original Soundtrack	Queen	10		1
	4	Imagine	John Lennon	5		1
	2	Paradise Theatre	Styx	8		1
	2	Mondo Bongo	The Boomtown Rats	6		1
	1	Trust	Elvis Costello and The Attractions	9		1
	10	Making Movies	Dire Straits	4		1
	8	Vienna	Ultravox	3		2
	6	Dance Craze: Original Soundtrack	Various artists	5		1
	13	The Jazz Singer: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture	Neil Diamond	3		1
	15	Face Value	Phil Collins	1		3
	3	Moving Pictures	Rush	3		1
	5	Difficult to Cure	Rainbow	3		1
	1	The Gospel According to the Meninblack	The Stranglers	8		1
	4	Stray Cats	The Stray Cats	6		1
	3	Journeys to Glory	Spandau Ballet	5		1
	2	The Very Best of Rita Coolidge	Rita Coolidge	6		1
	2	Never Too Late	Status Quo	2		1
	3	Face Dances	The Who	2		2
	4	Sky 3	Sky	3		1
	11	This Ole House	Shakin' Stevens	2		1
	4	Come an' Get It	Whitesnake	2		1
	1	Intuition	Linx	8		1
	4	Future Shock	Gillan	2		2
	2	Hit and Run	Girlschool	5		1
	3	Chartblasters '81	Various artists	3		2
	2	Living Ornaments '79 and '80	Gary Numan	2		1
	3	Roll On: 16 Great Disco Hits	Various artists	3		1
	3	Wha'ppen?	The Beat	3		1
	3	Bad for Good	Jim Steinman	7		1
	8	Chariots of Fire	Vangelis	5		1
	13	Stars on 45 – The Album	Starsound	1		5
	1	The Adventures of Thin Lizzy	Thin Lizzy	6		1
	1	Quit Dreaming And Get on the Beam	Bill Nelson	7		1
	8	Hi Infidelity	REO Speedwagon	6		1
	9	Anthem	Toyah	2		1
	9	Disco Daze and Disco Nites	Various artists	1		1
	2	Long Distance Voyager	The Moody Blues	7		1
	4	Themes	Various artists	6		3
	1	Heaven Up Here	Echo & the Bunnymen	10		1
	10	Present Arms	UB40	2		1
	2	Magnetic Fields	Jean-Michel Jarre	6		1
	7	No Sleep 'til Hammersmith	Motörhead	1		1
	2	Juju	Siouxsie and the Banshees	7		1
	10	Duran Duran	Duran Duran	3		1
	13	Love Songs	Cliff Richard	1		5
	12	Secret Combination	Randy Crawford	2		3
	6	Kim Wilde	Kim Wilde	3		1
	1	Cats	Original London Cast	6		1
	7	Time	Electric Light Orchestra	1		2
	4	Classic Rock – Rock Classics	London Symphony Orchestra	5		1
	2	KooKoo	Debbie Harry	6		1
	4	The Official BBC Album of the Royal Wedding	Various artists	1		2
	2	Pretenders II	The Pretenders	7		1
	2	Bat Out of Hell	Meat Loaf	9		1
	2	Shot of Love	Bob Dylan	6		2
	10	Dead Ringer	Meat Loaf	1		2
	6	Tattoo You	The Rolling Stones	2		2
	2	Dance	Gary Numan	3		1
	3	Rage in Eden	Ultravox	4		2
	3	Walk Under Ladders	Joan Armatrading	6		1
	10	Shaky	Shakin' Stevens	1		1
	5	Abacab	Genesis	1		2
	6	Super Hits 1 & 2	Various artists	2		2
	7	Wired for Sound	Cliff Richard	4		1
	7	Hooked on Classics	Louis Clark conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	4		1
	1	Celebration – The Anniversary Album	Johnny Mathis	9		1
	1	Denim and Leather	Saxon	9		1
	13	Ghost in the Machine	The Police	1		3
	4	If I Should Love Again	Barry Manilow	5		1
	3	Madness 7	Madness	5		1
	22	Dare	The Human League	1		4
	1	Still	Joy Division	5		1
	3	Hedgehog Sandwich	Not the Nine O'Clock News Cast	5		1
	10	The Best of Blondie	Blondie	4		1
	3	Almost Blue	Elvis Costello and The Attractions	7		1
	2	Love is...	Various artists	10		2
	14	Greatest Hits	Queen	1		4
	2	Exit... Stage Left	Rush	6		1
	10	Prince Charming	Adam and the Ants	2		3
	14	Architecture & Morality	Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark	3		2
	2	Tonight I'm Yours	Rod Stewart	8		2
	1	Speak & Spell	Depeche Mode	10		1
	8	Chart Hits '81	Various artists	1		1
	18	Pearls ♦	Elkie Brooks	2		2
	7	Begin the Beguine ♦	Julio Iglesias	5		1
	2	For Those About to Rock	AC/DC	3		1
	5		Simon & Garfunkel	4		1
	7	The Visitors	ABBA	1		3

See also

• 1981 in British music
• List of number-one albums from the 1980s (UK)

References

General

• Web site: Six decades of singles charts . The Official Charts Company . 23 April 2017 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110303221018/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/archive-chart-singles/ . 3 March 2011 .

Specific

External links

• 1981 album chart archive at the Official Charts Company (click on relevant week)

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. 28 December 2014.
2. Book: Roberts, David. Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles and Albums (18th edition). 2005. 1-904994-00-8. 14. Guinness World Records Limited.
3. Web site: New singles formats to save the charts. BBC News. 16 October 2003 . 21 February 2010.