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List of UK top-ten albums in 1981

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1980s in music in the UK
Events

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
‡ 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) 		Weeks
in
top
10 		Single Artist Peak Peak
reached
(week ending) 		Weeks
at
peak
Albums in 1979
10 March 1979 32 Manilow Magic: The Best of Barry Manilow ‡ Barry Manilow 3 10 March 1979 3
Albums in 1980
11 October 1980 15 Zenyatta Mondatta ‡ The Police 1 11 October 1980 4
18 October 1980 17 Guilty ‡ Barbra Striesand 1 1 November 1980 2
8 November 1980 16 Hotter than July ‡ Stevie Wonder 2 8 November 1980 1
15 November 1980 33 Kings of the Wild Frontier Adam and the Ants 1 24 January 1981 12
10 Not the Nine O'Clock News ‡ Not the Nine O'Clock News Cast 5 22 November 1980 2
6 December 1980 10 Greatest Hits ‡ Dr. Hook 2 13 December 1980 1
4 Inspirations ‡ Elvis Presley 6 13 December 1980 1
20 December 1980 16 Double Fantasy John Lennon and Yoko Ono 1 7 February 1981 2
6 Barry Barry Manilow 5 31 January 1981 1
4 20 Golden Greats of Ken Dodd ‡ Ken Dodd 8 27 December 1980 3
Albums in 1981
17 January 1981 5 The Best of Bowie David Bowie 3 24 January 1981 4
1 Flash Gordon: Original Soundtrack Queen 10 17 January 1981 1
24 January 1981 4 Imagine John Lennon 5 7 February 1981 1
2 Paradise Theatre Styx 8 7 February 1981 1
2 Mondo Bongo The Boomtown Rats 6 7 February 1981 1
31 January 1981 1 Trust Elvis Costello and The Attractions 9 31 January 1981 1
7 February 1981 10 Making Movies Dire Straits 4 14 February 1981 1
14 February 1981 8 Vienna Ultravox 3 7 March 1981 2
6 Dance Craze: Original Soundtrack Various artists 5 7 March 1981 1
13 The Jazz Singer: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture Neil Diamond 3 21 March 1981 1
21 February 1981 15 Face Value Phil Collins 1 21 February 1981 3
3 Moving Pictures Rush 3 21 February 1981 1
5 Difficult to Cure Rainbow 3 28 February 1981 1
1 The Gospel According to the Meninblack The Stranglers 8 21 February 1981 1
28 February 1981 4 Stray Cats The Stray Cats 6 14 March 1981 1
14 March 1981 3 Journeys to Glory Spandau Ballet 5 21 March 1981 1
21 March 1981 2 The Very Best of Rita Coolidge Rita Coolidge 6 21 March 1981 1
28 March 1981 2 Never Too Late Status Quo 2 28 March 1981 1
3 Face Dances The Who 2 4 April 1981 2
4 Sky 3 Sky 3 4 April 1981 1
11 April 1981 11 This Ole House Shakin' Stevens 2 16 May 1981 1
18 April 1981 4 Come an' Get It Whitesnake 2 18 April 1981 1
1 Intuition Linx 8 18 April 1981 1
25 April 1981 4 Future Shock Gillan 2 25 April 1981 2
2 Hit and Run Girlschool 5 25 April 1981 1
2 May 1981 3 Chartblasters '81 Various artists 3 2 May 1981 2
2 Living Ornaments '79 and '80 Gary Numan 2 9 May 1981 1
9 May 1981 3 Roll On: 16 Great Disco Hits Various artists 3 9 May 1981 1
16 May 1981 3 Wha'ppen? The Beat 3 23 May 1981 1
3 Bad for Good Jim Steinman 7 16 May 1981 1
8 Chariots of Fire Vangelis 5 13 June 1981 1
23 May 1981 13 Stars on 45 – The Album Starsound 1 23 May 1981 5
1 The Adventures of Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy 6 23 May 1981 1
1 Quit Dreaming And Get on the Beam Bill Nelson 7 23 May 1981 1
8 Hi Infidelity REO Speedwagon 6 22 August 1981 1
30 May 1981 9 Anthem Toyah 2 6 June 1981 1
9 Disco Daze and Disco Nites Various artists 1 4 July 1981 1
2 Long Distance Voyager The Moody Blues 7 30 May 1981 1
6 June 1981 4 Themes Various artists 6 6 June 1981 3
1 Heaven Up Here Echo & the Bunnymen 10 6 June 1981 1
13 June 1981 10 Present Arms UB40 2 13 June 1981 1
2 Magnetic Fields Jean-Michel Jarre 6 20 June 1981 1
27 June 1981 7 No Sleep 'til Hammersmith Motörhead 1 27 June 1981 1
2 Juju Siouxsie and the Banshees 7 27 June 1981 1
10 Duran Duran Duran Duran 3 5 September 1981 1
4 July 1981 13 Love Songs Cliff Richard 1 11 July 1981 5
12 Secret Combination Randy Crawford 2 18 July 1981 3
11 July 1981 6 Kim Wilde Kim Wilde 3 18 July 1981 1
1 August 1981 1 Cats Original London Cast 6 1 August 1981 1
8 August 1981 7 Time Electric Light Orchestra 1 29 August 1981 2
4 Classic Rock – Rock Classics London Symphony Orchestra 5 8 August 1981 1
2 KooKoo Debbie Harry 6 15 August 1981 1
15 August 1981 4 The Official BBC Album of the Royal Wedding Various artists 1 15 August 1981 2
2 Pretenders II The Pretenders 7 15 August 1981 1
22 August 1981 2 Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf 9 22 August 1981 1
29 August 1981 2 Shot of Love Bob Dylan 6 29 August 1981 2
12 September 1981 10 Dead Ringer Meat Loaf 1 12 September 1981 2
6 Tattoo You The Rolling Stones 2 12 September 1981 2
2 Dance Gary Numan 3 19 September 1981 1
19 September 1981 3 Rage in Eden Ultravox 4 19 September 1981 2
3 Walk Under Ladders Joan Armatrading 6 19 September 1981 1
10 Shaky Shakin' Stevens 1 7 November 1981 1
26 September 1981 5 Abacab Genesis 1 26 September 1981 2
6 Super Hits 1 & 2 Various artists 2 3 October 1981 2
7 Wired for Sound Cliff Richard 4 3 October 1981 1
7 Hooked on Classics Louis Clark conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 4 17 October 1981 1
1 Celebration – The Anniversary Album Johnny Mathis 9 26 September 1981 1
3 October 1981 1 Denim and Leather Saxon 9 3 October 1981 1
10 October 1981 13 Ghost in the Machine The Police 1 10 October 1981 3
4 If I Should Love Again Barry Manilow 5 10 October 1981 1
3 Madness 7 Madness 5 17 October 1981 1
24 October 1981 22 Dare The Human League 1 31 October 1981 4
1 Still Joy Division 5 24 October 1981 1
3 Hedgehog Sandwich Not the Nine O'Clock News Cast 5 31 October 1981 1
31 October 1981 10 The Best of Blondie Blondie 4 31 October 1981 1
3 Almost Blue Elvis Costello and The Attractions 7 7 November 1981 1
2 Love is... Various artists 10 31 October 1981 2
7 November 1981 14 Greatest Hits Queen 1 14 November 1981 4
2 Exit... Stage Left Rush 6 7 November 1981 1
14 November 1981 10 Prince Charming Adam and the Ants 2 14 November 1981 3
14 Architecture & Morality Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 3 21 November 1981 2
2 Tonight I'm Yours Rod Stewart 8 14 November 1981 2
1 Speak & Spell Depeche Mode 10 14 November 1981 1
28 November 1981 8 Chart Hits '81 Various artists 1 12 December 1981 1
18 Pearls ♦ Elkie Brooks 2 13 February 1982 2
7 Begin the Beguine ♦ Julio Iglesias 5 3 April 1982 1
5 December 1981 2 For Those About to Rock AC/DC 3 5 December 1981 1
5 The Simon and Garfunkel Collection: 17 of Their All-Time Greatest Recordings Simon & Garfunkel 4 12 December 1981 1
19 December 1981 7 The Visitors ABBA 1 19 December 1981 3

See also

References

General

  • "Six decades of singles charts". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2017.

Specific

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