Vote For Your Favourite Metal/Hard Rock Albums From 1981

[Jack the Stripper]

1981 - After the groundbreaking year that was 1980, 1981 proved to be decidedly weaker by comparison to the amount of quality groundbreaking releases. But of those quality albums, we did get get some absolute classics that have left an indelible mark on the history of Metal and Hard Rock.

Vote for what you consider to be the five best albums from 1981.

Once this poll is done and we have a winner we'll move onto 1982 and so on...

Then we'll put all the winners from the years 80-89 up against each other to determine the greatest metal/hard rock album from the 80's.

Poll will run for five days before closing.

Vote away 

[discman69]

The first four are easy:
ac/dc
Black Sabbath
Ozzy
Iron Maiden

Last one is the toughest:
Van Halen or Saxon

I will listen to both albums today at work and be back later to put in my vote.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

4 easy choices (Mob Rules, Diary of a Madman, Moving Pictures and Future Shock) and then it was pick 1 from 4 (AC/DC, Rainbow, Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy) I went with AC/DC, give it a few minutes and I might have chosen one of the others!

[Zzzptm]

With what I liked most, I went with

Mob Rules
Moving Pictures <-- ZERO hesitation on these two, I sought them out like a crazed shopper looks for that one popular toy the day before Christmas

Denim and Leather <-- sang this song as I clicked it, it's still running in my mind

Don't Say No <-- switched from Difficult to Cure to this one. Because awesome, monster release.

Fair Warning <-- Best VH album, the top of their game.

Honorable mentions to Future Shock, Difficult to Cure, For Those About to Rock

I loved 1981, it was when I was starting to really build out my record collection. Great year for rock.

[Jack the Stripper]

I went with...

Accept - Breaker
Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
Mötley Crüe - Too Fast For Love
Ozzy Osbourne  - Diary of a Madman
Iron Maiden - Killers

Found it hard leaving out Welcome To Hell but the others just had a that little more of a pronounced impact on me and still get regular plays to this day. Would also like to give a nod to Renegade one of my favourite Lizzy albums and also albums by Rose Tattoo, Saxon, Kiss, Priest and VH.

[Charger]

There are 4 obvious choices but the 5th one took some thinking...

The Mob Rules OBVIOUSLY it being Black Sabbath's best album and all..

Diary Of A Madman OBVIOUSLY it being Ozzy's best album and all...

Future Shock and Double Trouble from Gillan!

But then the 5th one wasn't nearly as easy anymore...

Killers is one of my least favourite Maiden albums and my least favourite of the classic 6 so there is no way I can choose that...

Point Of Entry has three or four good songs but the rest are meh at best so no...

Rainbow without Ronnie isn't even in the books...

So then it was pretty much down to AC/DC, Joan Jett and Venom...I went with Joanie, cause she is just...well...great.

[discman69]

The first four are easy:
ac/dc
Black Sabbath
Ozzy
Iron Maiden

Last one is the toughest:
Van Halen or Saxon

I will listen to both albums today at work and be back later to put in my vote.

Saxon just a tiny bit over VH

[Zzzptm]

^^ What Charger said about Point of Entry. It's a disappointing album, to be sure. Not just because of the albums it's in between. It's disappointing completely on its own merits.

[Tyr66]

Black Sabbath - Mob Rules. this album was shown to world who was # 1.
Def Leppard - High 'n Dry. if I don't take it in the list, I will be a pure hypocrite. I played this album dozens and dozens of times that year. Which explains my deep disappointment with Pyromania.
Iron Maiden - Killers. back in 1981: all these teenagers wearing Killer t-shirts without being a die-hard fan had disgusted me with the album before listening to it in its entirety. Years later, I enjoyed this monster album.
Van Halen - Fair Warning. my favorite VH album with I and WACF.
Venom - Welcome To Hell. this masterpiece is the year zero of the extreme Metal. A Wall fell heavily. Welcome to the new world.

Special Mention to :
Electric Sun - Fire Wind , a must.
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of A Madman
Riot - Fire Down Under . Thrash Metal could find some roots here.
Rose Tattoo - Assault and Battery . The real bad boys .
Future Shock/Double Trouble - Gillan . Two albums I' ve discovered very late . Excellent !
Thin Lizzy - Renegade . Angel of Death and Renegade songs are just unforgettable.
UFO - The Wild, The Willing and the Innocent. Very first album with Neil Carter and his saxophone. so underrated .
Whitesnake - Come an' Get It . The true Blues Rock of their golden era created by Moody/Marsden duet . The veritable sound of the band.

great year indeed.   

[Jack the Stripper]

^^ What Charger said about Point of Entry. It's a disappointing album, to be sure. Not just because of the albums it's in between. It's disappointing completely on its own merits.

I personally enjoy Point of Entry. Although it has a more commercial edge to it the album still rocks. I particularly like like the great production and sound mix and love the guitar sound they got on it. Killing Machine through to Point of Entry have the best sound(production wise)and guitar tone of all the Priest albums.

[Billy Underdog]

Mötley Crüe - Too Fast For Love
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary Of A Madman
Rush - Moving Pictures
Venom - Welcome To Hell

(and wait for it...)

Black Sabbath - Mob Rules! Why? Because it was my fave Dio-era album back when i was still listening to that ****. And because it's going to win this anyway...

[Jack the Stripper]

^^Give into your hate Billy 

Nice someone else gave Too Fast For Love a vote! 

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

^^^ And he didn't vote for Iron Maiden!! What's going on? I think the simplest answer is usually the correct one... that's not Billy! He's been eaten by an alien!!

[Jack the Stripper]

^^^ And he didn't vote for Iron Maiden!! What's going on? I think the simplest answer is usually the correct one... that's not Billy! He's been eaten by an alien!!

Either that or rehab has changed him in more ways than one 

[Zzzptm]

^^^ And he didn't vote for Iron Maiden!! What's going on? I think the simplest answer is usually the correct one... that's not Billy! He's been eaten by an alien!!

Either that or rehab has changed him in more ways than one 

I must repeat, I AM NOT BILLY.

Thank you.