Considering most of the tracks came from prior sessions the album did quite well. It also sounded great on tour that year.

Some other notable releases that year were:

ACDC "For Those About To Rock We Salute You"

ELO "Time"

Eric Clapton "Another Ticket"

Foreigner "4"

J.Geils Band "Freeze Frame"

John Lennon "Double Fantasy"

Journey "Escape"

Neil Diamond "The Jazz Singer"

Ozzy Osbourne "Blizzard Of Ozz"

REO Speedwagon "High Infidelity"

Rush "Moving Pictures"

Squeeze "East Side Story"

The Cars "Shake It Up"

The Police "Ghost In The Machine"

The Who "Face Dances"

Some of these albums were released in November of 1980 but airplay occured mainly in 1981.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-12-14 18:44 by The Sicilian.

For Those About To Rock We Salute You is a pretty damn good album but not as good as Tattoo You ha ha.

Yes.

"Well my heavy throbbers itchin' just to lay a solid rhythm down"

yES...Tattoo You should be listed as one of the Stones best albums...Clearly the top 6 by the Stones..

Er, hardly a big choice there. You forgot Sandanista - which would have been an incredible single album or very good double had it been reigned in a bit.

I've been trying to think which albums were released in 1981; it seems a pretty weak year.

Soft Cell's Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret was good.

The Human League - Dare. Sounded great at the time but it a bit plastic now.

Rick James Street Songs

Elvis Costello Trust

Bob Dylan Shot of Love

David Johansen Here Comes The Night (w/Blondie Chaplin!)

Prince Controversy



All good. But Tattoo You was probably the highlight for me that year.

Shot of Love is good but uneven. Same with Trust, which was the first EC album that wasn't GREAT, imo....

1981 happened in the 80's...and, well, we know what happened to music in the 80's....

Don't forget Motorhead's "No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith" !!!!
yeah, I know it's a live album, but what about Bobby Womack's "The Poet"
and Rush's "Moving Pictures" ?

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StonesTod
Shot of Love is good but uneven. Same with Trust, which was the first EC album that wasn't GREAT, imo....

1981 happened in the 80's...and, well, we know what happened to music in the 80's....

We disagree here..."Trust" is a minor masterpiece. Elegant songs with lovely arrangements. Every bit as good as the ones that came before it...just different.

Mob Rules - Black Sabbath. Definitely also a great album of '81.

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71Tele

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StonesTod
Shot of Love is good but uneven. Same with Trust, which was the first EC album that wasn't GREAT, imo....

1981 happened in the 80's...and, well, we know what happened to music in the 80's....

We disagree here..."Trust" is a minor masterpiece. Elegant songs with lovely arrangements. Every bit as good as the ones that came before it...just different.

as i look at a list of 1981 album releases, i think if we pick an album based on how we still play it? j.j. cale's "shades" - prolly my fave jj album, which is saying alot....

Definitely not.

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts - Eno/Byrne
Prayers on Fire - The Birthday Party
Nightclubbing - Grace Jones
Flowers of Romance - PIL
Slates - The Fall
What's This For? - Killing Joke
Pirates - Rickie Lee Jones
Kollaps - Einsturzende Neubauten
Computer World - Kraftwerk
Shot of Love - Bob Dylan
Dare - Human League

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The Sicilian
Was the Stones "Tattoo You" the best album of 1981?

Yes, probably, and Ghost In The Machine second best.

No it wasn't. But "Start me up" was, at least in my mind, the best classic rock-song of the year 1981 (almost 30 years ago, think of it...). Look at the song's longevity: it is still played around hockeyarenas and still gets some radio rotation.

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Stoneage
No it wasn't. But "Start me up" was, at least in my mind, the best classic rock-song of the year 1981 (almost 30 years ago, think of it...). Look at the song's longevity: it is still played around hockeyarenas and still gets some radio rotation.

Well you have a pretty good list of album releases listed here for 1981, what do you think is superior?

If you ask me since I'm a Stones-fan and biased I'll choose The Stones almost anytime. Trying to be a bit more objective i do think that per example The Police and ELO were very influential to the pop/rock-musicscene around those years (late 70-ties, early 80-ties), at least here in Sweden. At that time, at least in my age-group, The Rolling Stones were seen as a bit obsolete, not exactly "the flavour of the month" if you get what I mean? "Tattoo You" changed that conception quite a bit though. It was a very well produced album (albeit with too many ballads).

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Stoneage
No it wasn't. But "Start me up" was, at least in my mind, the best classic rock-song of the year 1981 (almost 30 years ago, think of it...). Look at the song's longevity: it is still played around hockeyarenas and still gets some radio rotation.

Popularity and quality are often not related. It's a good song, but it has some issues. In my opinion, the most important song of 1981 was Power Behind The Throne by Godley and Creme. Not a classic rock song, but I consider it rock in a broad and essential sense.

Yes. Best 1981 album. By far.

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phd
Yes. Best 1981 album. By far.

yes didn't even have an album in '81

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StonesTod

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phd
Yes. Best 1981 album. By far.

yes didn't even have an album in '81

funny. not.

Friday night in San Francisco by far. (released in 1981)







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-12-14 21:59 by Amsterdamned.

Yes, was considered ALBUM OF THE YEAR.

Yes, in 1981 was a compilation album. Don't know if that counts.

huh?

Fer sure.

Playboy rated the top 3 songs of 1981 as:

1. Start Me Up - ?
2. Ah Leah (GREAT song by Donnie Iris, former lead singer of the Jaggerz of "The Rapper" fame)
3. Our Lips Are Sealed - Go Gos

Some rapper should re-do "The Rapper". Then again, maybe not. It's great the way it is without Kid Rock or Eminem or Little Wayne butchering it.

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mickscarey
Yes, was considered ALBUM OF THE YEAR.

Most sold live instrumental album ever.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-12-14 22:02 by Amsterdamned.

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Stoneage
It was a very well produced album (albeit with too many ballads).

Are you kidding me? The ballads are great! There is no Angie-like atypical stuff on Tattoo You. Putting them all on side B was still a smart move, though.

I know the Police have lost a lot of cachet over that last few years, but Ghost In The Machine was a monster album, and more coherent as a concept than Tattoo You. It also had a huge hit, 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', and some great songs of depth with 'Invisible Sun' and 'Secret Journey'. It was also a great tour.