NOW Yearbook: Vault '81

1981 was a seismic year in pop music, with a huge number of new artists making unforgettable chart debuts.

3LP Edition

A year away from their Top 40 debut, LP1 opens with Simple Minds with ‘Sweat In Bullet’ from their ‘Sons And Fascination’ album and followed by Spandau Ballet with ‘Paint Me Down’ from their second album ‘Diamond’. Heaven 17 are up next with their debut single ‘(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang’, alongside the debut from Eurythmics ‘Never Gonna Cry Again’. John Foxx released ‘Europe After The Rain’ as the lead single from ‘The Garden’, and Gary Numan reunited with his former band members, now called Dramatis on the superb ‘Love Needs No Disguise’. Closing the side, Altered Images feature with their debut ‘Dead Pop Stars’, along with the 1978 debut ‘Young Parisians’ from Adam & The Ants – re-released to become a hit in 1981. Flip the LP over to celebrate some of ‘81’s best soul and disco featuring Rick James, Sister Sledge and Chaka Khan, ahead of funk-pop genre melding from Freeez, Shakatak and Level 42 before this first disc closes with reggae artist Sheila Hylton who made the Top 40 with her cover of The Police track ‘The Bed’s Too Big Without You’.

Bruce Springsteen opens LP2 with the title track from his #2 album ‘The River’ which gave him his first UK Top 40 single, and John Mellencamp – who would have to wait another year for his UK chart debut – with ‘Ain’t Even Done With The Night’, his first Top 20 hit in the US. REO Speedwagon are up next with a track, ‘In Your Letter’ from the years’ biggest-selling album in America, and Billy Joel released a live version of ‘Say Goodbye To Hollywood’, giving him a Top 20 hit there. Great singles from Elton John and Joan Armatrading lead to the side finishing with The Alan Parsons Project and another US hit, ‘Time’.

Side B opens with the Pretenders from their second album, and a single ‘Louie Louie’ that got a US, but not a UK release. Pat Benatar led into her ‘Precious Time’ album with ‘Fire And Ice’, and Generation X released ‘Dancing With Myself’, a track that lead singer Billy Idol would revisit in his solo releases. Echo & The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, and Dexys Midnight Runners all feature ahead of Joe Jackson covering the jazz/blues/swing standard ‘Jumpin’ Jive’, and The Manhattan Transfer – who had a huge US hit with their cover of doo-wop classic ‘Boy From New York City’, which closes LP2.

LP3 opens with an incredible run of alt-pop: The Creatures - Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie from Siouxsie And The Banshees - released their debut ‘Mad Eyed Screamer’ along with ‘Primary’, the single from The Cure’s ‘Faith’ album, New Order with ‘Procession’, plus The Psychedelic Furs with ‘Dumb Waiters’. The Clash released the non-album single ‘This Is Radio Clash’, and reggae and new-wave fusion from Scritti Politti with the sublime ‘The “Sweetest Girl”’. The side closes with two chart regulars The Undertones and Squeeze with ‘It’s Going To Happen’ and ‘Is That Love?’ and the final side kicks off with Debbie Harry, as 1981 saw her release her first solo album ‘KooKoo’, and from it here the second single ‘The Jam Was Moving’. Donna Summer released ‘Cold Love’ from her ‘The Wanderer’ album, and Commodores feature with ‘Lady (You Bring Me Up)’. Steve Winwood is up next with ‘While You See A Chance’, and the final three begin with Journey and their rock ballad ‘Who’s Crying Now’, Rush with the epic ‘Tom Sawyer’, and closing the collection, Meat Loaf with the lead single from his album ‘Dead Ringer For Love’, ‘I’m Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us’.

4CD Editions

A year away from their Top 40 debut, CD1 opens with Simple Minds with ‘Sweat In Bullet’ from their ‘Sons And Fascination’ album and followed by Spandau Ballet with ‘Paint Me Down’ from their second album ‘Diamond’. Heaven 17 are up next with their debut single ‘(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang’, alongside the debut from Eurythmics ‘Never Gonna Cry Again’. 1981 saw Debbie Harry release her first solo album ‘KooKoo’, and from it here the second single ‘The Jam Was Moving’ and Donna Summer released ‘Cold Love’ also the second single from her ‘The Wanderer’ album.  Gary Numan reunited with his former band members, now called Dramatis on the superb ‘Love Needs No Disguise’, and John Foxx released ‘Europe After The Rain’ as the lead single from ‘The Garden’. Generation X released ‘Dancing With Myself’, a track that lead singer Billy Idol would revisit in his solo releases. Post-Punk new wave from Hazel O’Connor, Bow Wow Wow, Honey Bane and Altered Images feature along with the 1978 debut ‘Young Parisians’ from Adam & The Ants – re-released to become a hit in 1981. Squeeze, Split Enz and The Boomtown Rats are up next before the first disc closes with pop nuggets from Hot Chocolate and Boney M with ‘We Kill The World…’, their last original Top 40 single.

Bruce Springsteen opens Disc 2 with the title track from his #2 album ‘The River’ which gave him his first UK Top 40 single, and John Mellencamp – who would have to wait another year for his UK chart debut – with ‘Ain’t Even Done With The Night’, his first Top 20 hit in the US. Great tracks from Steve Winwood, Elton John and Joan Armatrading come ahead of a run of the years’ best rock including ‘Tom Sawyer’ from Rush, Rainbow, Girlschool, Thin Lizzy and Gillan, along with Foreigner with their US Top 5 smash ‘Urgent’ and Meat Loaf with the lead single from his album ‘Dead Ringer For Love’, ‘I’m Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us’.

The rest of CD2 celebrates some of ‘81’s best soul and disco featuring Commodores, Rick James, Chaka Khan, Evelyn ‘Champaign’ King, Sister Sledge, Odyssey, Voggue and the dance-floor essential ‘Can You Handle It’ from Sharon Redd.

CD3 opens with an incredible run of alt-pop: The Creatures - Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie from Siouxsie And The Banshees - released their debut ‘Mad Eyed Screamer’ along with ‘Primary’, the single from The Cure’s ‘Faith’ album, New Order with ‘Procession’, plus The Psychedelic Furs, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, The Undertones and The Stranglers. Dexys Midnight Runners & Kevin Rowland had a #1 in 1980 and would again in 1982, and in 1981 ‘Show Me’ made the Top 20. The Clash released the non-album single ‘This Is Radio Clash’, and reggae and new-wave fusion came from The Beat and Scritti Politti – whilst reggae artist Sheila Hylton made the Top 40 with her cover of The Police track ‘The Bed’s Too Big Without You’. More funk-pop genre melding from Freeez, Level 42 and Shakatak lead to The Manhattan Transfer – who had a huge US hit with their cover of doo-wop classic ‘Boy From New York City’, and the disc closes with Joe Jackson covering the jazz/blues/swing standard ‘Jumpin’ Jive’.

The final disc opens with the Pretenders from their second album, and a single ‘Louie Louie’ that got a US, but not a UK release. Pat Benatar led into her ‘Precious Time’ album with ‘Fire And Ice’, and Billy Joel released a live version of ‘Say Goodbye To Hollywood’, giving him a US Top 20 hit. Bruce Springsteen wrote ‘This Little Girl, giving Gary U.S. Bonds a big US hit, and other stars enjoying success in America in 1981 include REO Speedwagon who had the years’ biggest selling album, Rick Springfield, Journey, and Kim Carnes. The Alan Parsons Project saw ‘Time’ become a Top 20 hit, and Juice Newton hit #2 with ‘Queen Of Hearts’. Missing the UK Top 40, but going all the way to #1 in the US, Eddie Rabbitt’s ‘I Love A Rainy Night’ is up next ahead of Dolly Parton with ‘But You Know I Love You’. A Taste Of Honey had a huge hit back in 1978 with ‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’ (UK #3 / US #1) – and hit Top 3 in ’81 with ‘Sukiyaki’ in the US, and that track leads into the final four in our collection – and a stunning closing run of vocalists: Aretha Franklin and George Benson duetting on ‘Love All The Hurt Away’, Diana Ross, ‘Sailing’ from Christopher Cross – another US #1, and signing off with Neil Diamond with the second single from the soundtrack of ‘The Jazz Singer’, ‘Hello Again’.