BILLBOARD MAGAZINE'S (MAGAZINE'S CHART) TOP 100 ALBUMS OF 1981*

No. Album-Artist-Label-Peak Month
  1 HI INFIDELITY-REO SPEEDWAGON
  2 DOUBLE FANTASY-JOHN & YOKO LENNON
  3 KENNY ROGERS GREATEST HITS-KENNY ROGERS
  4 CHRISTOPHER CROSS-CHRISTOPHER CROSS
  5 CRIMES OF PASSION-PAT BENATAR
  6 PARADISE THEATER-STYX
  7 BACK IN BLACK-AC/DC
  8 VOICES-Daryl Hall
  9 ZENYATTA MONDATTA-Police
 10 THE RIVER-Bruce Springsteen
 11 The Turn Of A Friendly Card-Alan Parsons Project
 12 Guilty-Barbara Streisand
 13 Winelight-Grover Wahington,Jr.
 14 The Jazz Singer-Neil Diamond
 15 Mistaken Identity-Kim Carnes
 16 Greatest Hits-Doors
 17 Arc Of The Diver-Steve Winwood
 18 Moving Pictures-Rush
 19 Celebrate-Kool & The Gang
 20 Face Value-Phil Collins
 21 Hotter Than July-Stevie Wonder
 22 Tattoo You-The Rolling Stones
 23 Wild-Eyed Southern Boys-.38 Special
 24 Juice-Juice Newton
 25 Feels So Right-Alabama
 26 The Gap Band III-The Gap Band
 27 Long Distance Voyager-Moody Blues
 28 Autoamerican-Blondie
 29 Gaucho-Steely Dan
 30 Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap-AC/DC
 31 The Dude-Quincy Jones
 32 Zebop-Santana
 33 Super Trouper-Abba
 34 Lost In Love-Air Supply
 35 Loverboy-Loverboy
 36 Street Songs-Rick James
 37 Greatest Hits-Anne Murray
 38 Working Class Dog-Rick Springfield-September
 39 Nothing Matters And What If It Did-John Cougar
 40 9 To 5 And Odd Jobs-Dolly Parton
 41 Horizon-Eddie Rabbitt
 42 The Nature Of The Beast-April Wine
 43 Blizzard Of Oz-Ozzy Osbourne
 44 Three For Love-Shalamar
 45 Don't Say No-Billy Squier
 46 Being With You-Smokey Robinson
 47 Modern Times-Jefferson Starship
 48 Against The Wind-Bob Seger
 49 Hard Promises-Tom Petty & Heartbreakers
 50 Fantastic Voyage-Lakeside
 51 Making Movies-Dire Straits
 52 Captured-Journey-March
 53 Sheena Easton-Sheena Easton 
 54 Seven Year Ache-Rosanne Cash
 55 The Game-Queen
 56 A Woman Needs Love-Ray Parker,Jr.
 57 Greatest Hits-Ronnie Milsap
 58 Rockihnroll-The Greg Kihn
 59 Drama-Yes
 60 Glass Houses-Billy Joel
 61 Nightwalker-Gino Vannelli
 62 Triumph-Jacksons
 63 Imagination-The Whispers
 64 Freedom Of Choice-Devo
 65 Dad Loves His Work-James Taylor
 66 The One That You Love-Air Supply
 67 Eagles Live-Eagles
 68 In The Heat Of The Night-Pat Benatar
 69 Franke & The Knockout-Franke & The Knockouts
 70 4-Foreigner
 71 Fair Warning-Van Halen-June
 72 Another Ticket-Eric Clapton-May
 73 Greatest Hits-Waylon Jennings
 74 Face Dances-Who-May
 75 Alive-Kenny Loggins
 76 One Step Closer-Doobie Brothers
 77 Fancy Free-Oak Ridge Boys
 78 One More Somg-Randy Meisner
 79 Mecca For Moderns-Manhattan Transfer
 80 Stars On Long Play-Stars On Long Play
 81 The Two Of Us-Yarbrough & Peoples
 82 The Clarke/Duke Project-Stanley Clarke /George Duke
 83 Hits-Boz Scaggs
 84 Heart's Greatest Hits-Heart
 85 Ghost Riders-Outlaws
 86 My Melody-Deniece Williams
 87 Remain In Light-Talking Heads
 88 It Must Be Magic-Teena Marie
 89 Foolish Behaviour-Rod Stewart
 90 Aretha-Aretha Franklin
 91 Rit-Lee Ritenour
 92 Kings Of The Wild Frontier-Adam And The Ants
 93 Extended Play-The Pretenders
 94 Point Of Entry-Judas Priest
 95 Precious Time-Pat Benatar
 96 Evangeline-Emmylou Harris
 97 In The Pocket Commodores
 98 Share Your Love-Kenny Rogers
 99 Stone Jam-Slave
100 Chain Lightning-Don McLean
* As published in the December 26th,1981 issue of Billboard Magazine